<p>I am a parent of a HS junior and am starting the search for our second time. My kids are very different, and the list my younger has put together is completely different from the ones we visited the first time around. My junior has some sensory issues, and is a little socially awkward; she is friendly with lots of kids but only has a couple of good friends. I'm trying to help her decide whether she would more comfortable at a large school, which will have lots of options or at a small school, that will not be as overwhelming. She is looking at animal behavior/animal science programs - so we are looking at F&M, Bucknell, Tufts vs. larger schools like Maryland, Purdue. Anyone have any experience with this issue? </p>
<p>can you better define sensory issues?</p>
<p>I like the large school option in a city where there is a lot going and also lots of clubs, sporting events, parties and cultural opportunities. Hard to miss out.</p>
<p>The only way to really know if your daughter will prefer a larger or smaller school is to have her visit them firsthand. We could take guesses all day long, but none of them will actually matter because ultimately it’s your daughter’s preference that matters, not ours. A larger school may be overwhelming, but she’d also have to opportunity to find her niche and make a lot of friends with similar interests. A smaller school won’t be so overwhelming, necessarily. But who knows, maybe she’ll fall in love with the big-time opportunities at a big school. Maybe she’ll want to relationships and pride that are unique to small schools. Or maybe she’ll like a mid-sized. The only way to know is to have her visit.</p>
<p>I’m a big fan of consortium schools that give kids the opportunity to expand their college world but also offer a small nurturing community. Examples include the 5 Colleges in Mass, <a href=“https://www.fivecolleges.edu/”>https://www.fivecolleges.edu/</a>, and the Claremont Colleges in Cali. <a href=“http://www.claremont.edu/”>Events for June 2023 – The Claremont Colleges. </p>
<p>Definitely start visiting now and giving her a chance to see how each environment feels.</p>
<p>My youngest is kind of like that, and definitely preferred the small school. She just does better with less noise and commotion in general. She ended up at one of the Claremont colleges – small schools, but with some benefits of a bigger campus because of the consortium. Agree with @leftofpisa that consortium colleges might be a really good fit although not sure which ones have an actual animal sciences major (suspect that is more common at larger schools).</p>
<p>There’s a consortium in Minneapolis/St. Paul, too. </p>
<p>My S had some of those traits. We looked at a lot of schools to try to find “the right” fit. In the end, we all agreed that he would easily get lost at a huge school and my S felt that the small LACs were just too small for his tastes (which I took as meaning that he would have no place to duck into a corner for a bit if he wanted). In the end, he applied to mainly mid-sized (5,000 - 7,000) schools which had smaller classes. He was also not a drinker and is pretty conservative and we all felt that more urban schools with little to no Greek life were well suited to him since there would probably be non-drinking activities in the cities. In the end he applied to a bunch of mid-sized schools including a number of east coast Jesuit colleges – he went to Fordham and had an absolutely fantastic experience – he grew in every way imaginable (academically, socially, spiritually, confidence-wise…). Fordham also had a wellness freshman dorm which was great for him (and yes, he did learn to drink socially but even as an adult, it just isn’t a big part of his life). In the end I think it is especially important to look for a good fit rather than the highest ranked college for your child.</p>
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<p>They aren’t that close together, though… not like Claremont, and I don’t think there is regular shuttle service between them. It is more of a consortium in name than in practice. Haverford & Bryn Mawr & Swat have a consortium, though.</p>
<p>By sensory issues, I mean she has trouble processing and regulating too many inputs, and gets overwhelmed by it. She also has trouble regulating her own reactions, so she often is either very happy or very sad. thanks for the help everyone - this is all helpful. All input is welcome and appreciated!</p>
<p>I agree that this is something that only your daughter will be able to decide after visiting a few colleges of differing sizes. My daughter has some similar issues and would die at a large school. She applied to and was accepted at two consortiums - Claremont and the western Mass. one (Hampshire, UMass Amherst, Amherst, etc.). Because of her various disabilities she is somewhat shy and felt that Claremont relied too heavily on the other schools (for example, Scripps just got a large grant for ceramics so Pitzer was dropping their ceramics program or that Pitzers creative writing program was for poets but Pomona was for prose) and she wanted to attend just one school, not have to introduce herself to different students/professors, etc. The Mass. system is hardly a consortium as the schools are fairly far apart, have different school calendars, etc. making it difficult to actually cross register.</p>
<p>For us it was important that the school have a real acceptance of different students and their learning styles and that our daughter would have others with their own issues as well so she was just one of many and no one cared. She applied to six and was admitted to all but chose Knox in the end. It is filled with professors, administrators and students who really care and love to learn and share. I don’t know about Animal Behavior or Animal Science majors but I do know they allow students to design their own major so perhaps they have classes that would be able to be joined together for a major. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>I agree that you have to go visit different types of schools and see where she feels most comfortable. A consortium may be a bit difficult for her as one has to adjust to different campuses/vibes etc. when they take classes at other schools. She may be better off on a single campus where things will be more consistent for her. A huge school may be too much to navigate and too little personal attention.</p>
<p>I’d start visiting different types of schools. As you visit, consider things like: geographic location (you may want to be able to drive to her for a short visit if she is having any weak moments), size of school (small, large, mid-size, consortium), setting (urban, rural, suburban), and any other attributes (ex. Greek Life, etc.) you and she determine are important.</p>
<p>I don’t want to be out of line here, but when I first read this, I thought of Temple Grandin, who seems to have some similar issues as well as similar interests. She is considerable older than I realized, she finished her undergrad in 1970, but her educational arc is interesting for a person with her issues - Franklin Pierce, ASU, and UIUC. Not exactly what we’d think of as schools supporting that type of person, especially back in those days before we had support mechanisms for everything, but I think it goes to show that one can succeed in just about any environment without a lot of handholding.</p>
<p>We as parents like to be snowplows for our children, but as long as you get them in a school that supports their interests, even a less than perfect school will allow them to succeed.</p>
<p>I think it is important that you visit these places as a family. She may have the opportunity to stay overnight at some places, which would be very helpful for her. Personally, I believe that "you can’t make a small school big, but you can make a big school small;’ however, a small school may be best for her in the end. Best of luck to you all in the future!</p>
<p>Where are you, and how far away from home does she think she might like to be? She could check out Delaware Valley College near Philadelphia. It is a small somewhat LAC-like place with very strong programs in the ag. sciences: <a href=“http://www.delval.edu/academics/undergraduate”>http://www.delval.edu/academics/undergraduate</a></p>