<p>Son has a nice list of 8 schools that we've visited that should be good fits and are matches if not safeties. However, he has Asperger's, and there is a chance that he might not be ready to go away to school next year. I'm looking for schools other than our local cc to which he could commute, if need be. Neither SMU nor TCU seem right, but other than being very conservative, very Roman Catholic and having an ugly campus, University of Dallas seems like a fit. Do you think a liberal Protestant could flourish at a conservative Catholic school?</p>
<p>It depends if he is the argumentative type, and on the degree of liberal/conservative.</p>
<p>So Univ. Dallas is really conservative? Most people on these boards have assured me that most Catholic schools aren't all that "Catholic". My Methodist son just started at a Catholic college, where we skipped the openning Mass. My son would never debate religion with anyone, partly because of his nature and partly because we Methodists are pretty laid back.
How about schools that cater to Asperger's students? That's the debate we're having for our next child. Does she go local or to a school with special services?</p>
<p>O.K., I just took out my Princeton Rev. K & W GUide to Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities. I'm not sure how reliable it is but they rated Schreiner College in the top tier for services. Second tier has Abilene Christian Univ, SMU, Southwest Texas State Univ.,Texas State Univ.-San Marcos, and Univ. of Houston.</p>
<p>In addition to the availability of good LD services, one concern I would have is the size - is it too small? Will your S find any other like-minded students to socialize with? Are there enough student clubs, organizations or EC opportunities available on campus to meet his interests? </p>
<p>This was a big factor for us when S was looking at schools and even then he surprised me when he joined the cycling team during his first week! This is something he had never expressed any interest in before (he rarely even biked) and quite frankly is something he is not even that good at (I think he has yet to place in a race) but three years later he still plans to race solely because he enjoys it. And as a result, racing has been a tremendous and unexpected area of personal growth for him (ie learning that he does not need to be perfect).</p>
<p>The point, of course, is that a good fit requires more than just a good academic fit, and for Aspie kids in particular, there must also be a good social fit. Small can sometimes be too small...they can sometimes thrive better on larger campuses where they may be more likely to find a good social niche.</p>
<p>Our church has a school for kids with learning differences and lots of them go to Scheiner. I don't think he needs that intense of a level of services (since he's had none in HS). As for Abilene Christian...the mandatory daily chapel and 15 hours of required religion classes sort of booted it off the list (but a pretty campus and nice people). As for the other schools - I'd prefer that he be in a small school with caring faculty, rather than in a huge school that has a disability services office. I'll forever wonder if we would have considered SMU if it was anywhere else...We've heard "13th grade of Highland Park HS" for so long, that it didn't even make the first draft of the list.</p>
<p>As far as Catholic schools, St. Edwards is on his list....I've heard it's not very "Catholic." But I've heard that UD IS.</p>
<p>The only thing overtly Catholic at Catholic Colleges is the theology class requirements and there are often many choices including comparative religion classes. Usually only two at most are required.</p>
<p>You may see Crucifix's in buildings and classes, but being Methodist that should not bother you.</p>
<p>Students will be Catholic, but its not like they walk around all day saying the rosary and talking about the Pope. UD is regarded as more conservative than some Catholic Colleges, but obviously not all professors will be conservative nor will all the students.</p>
<p>Its best to visit the campus and have a thorough discussion with students and see for yourself.</p>
<p>I agree that a visit is essential. Abilene Christian was not "too Church of Christ" on their website, but it was in person.</p>
<p>A visit is a good idea in this case. D's friend's mom insisted friend visit Ave Maria, so D went with her. The girls found it to be ... VERY Catholic. OTOH, Notre Dame, Georgetown, UDayton, Boston College ... being non Catholic wouldn't be such a big deal.</p>
<p>As for colleges for Aspberger's ... I know a young man with AS who is now in his sophomore year at Albion, a MI Methodist school. His special-ed-teacher mom has been extremely pleased with the LD support system there.</p>
<p>RE: Asperger's syndrome ...I've heard St. Andrews in NC is very geared to working with students with various learning issues beyond laziness. Possibly College of the Ozarks in MO.</p>
<p>btw, while technically affiliated, alluding to Albion (or most other historically Methodist institutions as "Methodist" with connotation or implied suggestion of some meaningful church tie or faith development component would be a severe stretch. Including Weslyan U, Southern Methodist, Allegheny, and lots more. There are a few ...Indiana Weslyan, Asbury (KY) to name a couple that remain faithful to their charter callings. Sadly, the Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, ELCA, Congregationalists, and a whole bunch more of the mainliners have become so watered down to be virtually meaningless today in their historical partnerships with higher education. Diversity and "tolerance" runamuck rules. These bodies have bigger fish to fry as the masses rush for the exit doors, leaving few $ to invest in trying to nurture the Christian faith thru the colleges and universities they began.</p>
<p>Did you know Duke is a Methodist school? Unfortunately, even though I believe a small trickle of money is still finding it's way into many of these schools, there doesn't seem to be any faith development happening. Many students don't even realize the school they are attending is affiliated with a church.</p>
<p>Religious affiliation can be very strong or very loose. On a three day road trip we visited three schools with religious affiliations:</p>
<p>Day 1: Abilene Christian (Church of Christ)- mandatory daily chapel; 15 hours of required religion classes; dry campus; midnight curfew</p>
<p>Day 2: Oklahoma City University (United Methodist) - optional weekly chapel; 6 hours of required religion classes; dry campus</p>
<p>Day 3: University of Tulsa (Presbyterian) - guide said chapel used only for weddings; no required religions; wet campus; no curfew</p>
<p>misssypie...Midnight curfew at Abilene Christian?? I thought my son was the only one who had a curfew. He's at a small Catholic school in PA. The curfew is only for freshmen and only the first month of school. He has to take one religion class called "Sacred Scriptures". I'm wondering how they pick what's sacred!!</p>
<p>btw, Tulsa may be one of the few cmpuses that's recently built a Mosque. Enlightened. </p>
<p>yea, the Duke/Methodist tie is virtual history. Nothing more. Duke is a Methodist as Brown is Baptist, Princeton is Presbyterian, and Harvard is hosting a conference for th Puritans and Pilgrims. right.</p>
<p>I am not familiar with U Dallas. It really depends with the catholic schools. I can tell you that the ones I know are such that I don't consider them as religious. However, there are schools such as Franciscan University where theology is an important part of the school, and you cannot miss that the school is catholic. You have to check it out. Also check what the percentage of kids who consider themselves catholic are.</p>
<p>Yes, Franciscan (formerly Steubenville) has a number of programs and professors very serious about Catholicism. And I hear very nice things about Dallas both from a commitment to its faith root system and quality undergrad education.</p>
<p>The funny thing about the curfew at Abilene Christian is that the cute little guide must have said about three times, "But that's okay because there's nothing to do in Abilene after 10 pm anyway." Way to sell your school to teenagers!</p>
<p>Now that's not what George Hamilton told us. He reported her as "prettiest town I ever seen" ...and nobody was mean there. :cool:</p>
<p>A note about the comment on the EC's of a college. Not everyone wants all the clubs et al, some, normal introverts included, don't care about those things. Perhaps thinking in terms of best fit academics (majors, academic difficulty...) and then seeing if one could be left alone to do one's own thing without hassles would be an approach. A return to the old fashioned values of going to college to get an education in the classroom, not a social club. Some more secular/public colleges may allow this and won't push opposing views- you may want to check out the student religious groups that fit your belief system on these campuses to find a campus "culture within a culture" that suits your son.</p>
<p>can a liberal protestant find happiness . . . ?</p>
<p>hello? is happiness found in the Christ or no?
this should elicite a yes or no response - not a yeah, but. . . .
are we to be happy in whatever state we are in or no?
if x wants to attend y for a, b, and c reasons - then do so.</p>