College suggestions for 3.3UW, TO kid with ADHD [visual communications, graphic design, product design]

College Search & Selection
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Hello all. S25 is starting the process of looking at schools and creating a college list. He currently has a 3.3UW GPA. Very little rigor, but not because he is uninterested in school. He has ADHD and is honestly still learning how to learn, if that makes sense. One honors class this year, and is planning on one honors class plus AP studio art as a senior. Otherwise, all classes are at the accelerated level (one level above college prep).

He attends a rigorous, private day school in MA. Very much a hands-on learner. Interested in the possibility of visual communications, graphic design, product design, or similar. Excels in his art classes, but wants to make money, so does not want to major in studio art.

He has a college counselor at school, but they are just starting the process of working with juniors. I am trying to plan a few college visits this year, but want to keep the list realistic.
Although he is artistically inclined, he identifies as an athlete (won’t be recruited but will definitely want to play at the club level- interests include snowboarding, hockey, golf, soccer, ultimate frisbee…if he could do them all, he would). Loves the outdoors. Very social.

He thinks he would like a mid size school, not urban. Leaning towards warm locations, but does love to snowboard. Wants to live somewhere new for college (so nothing in MA).

We are full pay and have a healthy 529 saved for him. That is not to say that money is no object, but for the right fit, we are willing to pay more. He has not yet taken the SAT/ACT, but will. Historically, standardized testing has been tough for him, even with extended time. Expecting that he will apply TO at most/all schools.

Has a sister at Elon, and S25 has it on his list as well. Has visited, and he could definitely see himself there.
Other schools he would like to visit:
U Denver
CU Boulder (My gut is that it will be too big, but we will visit)
Syracuse (has several friends here, so he will visit them)
Union (My gut is that it will be too small, but his school has a good history with Union)

Any schools that pop into mind as good safeties/targets?

Denver and Elon both have good programs for kids with learning differences… I would love him to continue to seek out support in college. Whether he will actually do that, I am not sure.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions!

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Definitely not warm, but maybe UVM for proximity to amazing skiing/snowboarding, as well as all of the outdoors activities he could possible want. I know two students who are there right now, and are loving it, but I’m not sure about support for learning differences. Burlington is a great town.

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Arizona is large but has access to skiing an Elon won’t. While I don’t have LD experience, it has the SALT program.

Denver was the first school I thought of.

Marist comes up a lot on lists and is close to NY skiing.

Good luck.

https://salt.arizona.edu/

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In general, I believe LACs are the best fit for adhd kids. Hard to fall through the cracks. Navigating bureaucracy can be hard if you aren’t great with executive function.

I know nothing about the art departments, but smaller Southern schools like Rhodes, Furman Sewanee might be worth looking into. There are a bunch of schools in Virginia that don’t often get mentioned on CC – Lynchburg, Roanoke, Christopher Newport, etc.

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You say “not urban” but then you have U. of Denver on the list. So I’m giving myself some leeway on that measure. And when you mention a major like “product design” that really narrows the field of possibilities. How important is that major for him? If it’s an important option for him, these are some schools he may want to consider:

  • Appalachian State (NC): About 19k undergrads with major offerings in industrial design, graphic design, interior design, commercial photography, etc. Great snow opportunities, but much milder weather than MA.

  • Rochester Institute of Technology (NY): About 14k undergrads. This might be something of a reach school, but I think is well worth considering. For someone who is very much into the arts and wants to have a career involving those skills while maintaining a livable wage, RIT has lots of possibilities. He could also apply to the Design Exploration pre-major which includes 3D digital design, graphic design, industrial design, interior design, and new media design. And though he doesn’t want to major in studio arts, perhaps a degree in illustration, medical illustration, or one of the other options available might interest him? Additionally, RIT has a good reputation at incorporating co-ops and internships within its program, and I suspect that your son is interested in fields that would be really useful to have work experience in when searching for his first FT job.

  • Thomas Jefferson (PA ): About 3800 undergrads, one of the few “smaller” schools that offers an accredited product/industrial design program. Also offers fashion merchandising, architecture, landscape architecture, graphic design, etc.

  • U. of Utah: About 26k undergrads. Not a small school, but would be warmer than MA, has great access to snowboarding opportunities, and a culture that really loves the outdoors. Though finances aren’t a big consideration, it’s fairly easy to establish residency after the first year, so the cost would drop significantly for years 2-4.

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These are all great suggestions, thank you!

It’s early, and given his very spur of the moment nature, I would not be surprised if he changes his mind on what he would like to study (perhaps several times). He just knows that he wants something hands-on and creative. He recently said he “would die” if he had to sit at a desk all day. He is right, a desk job would be a terrible fit for him.

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He might want to look at schools that offer a Design Management major in their Business department or an Innovation and Entrepreneurship major.

Many of the ones that I am aware of are in larger public universities, however, and I suspect he may be more successful in a smaller, private school. @AustenNut has provided some options already. A similar search of similar schools with innovative business programs might yield a few more names.

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The Product Design major at U of Oregon could be a good fit. Bachelor of Fine Arts in Product Design | School of Art + Design Not exactly “warm,” but warmer than New England, and good for outdoor activities, ski resorts not far, lots of club sports available (including Ultimate and golf). I’ve known kids with accommodations who have gone there and found the supports to be very good. Flexibility to explore/change majors is good here too. Other possible programs of interest could include Environmental Design, Interior Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Art & Technology.

I agree with Cinnamon’s statement that LAC’s can be ideal for students with ADHD; but it’s very tough to find programs like Product Design at such schools. Honors Colleges can create a good compromise at larger schools, but most of these will be hard to crack with a 3.3. I feel like the best compromise in this situation is likely to be a close-knit department within a larger university.

One such close-knit program that might work is the Program in Environmental Design at CU Boulder. This might be too environmental-ish for your son if that isn’t his inclination, but product design is one of the four tracks available: Majors | Environmental Design | University of Colorado Boulder Boulder’s median GPA is closer to a 3.7, but that’s probably weighted, and your son’s 3.3 comes from a likely-grade-deflated school… plus he can submit a portfolio when applying to ENVD, which could strengthen his application. It’s a very hands-on, project-based, close-knit and supportive program.

The Multidisciplinary Design program at U of Utah could also be worth a look. Catalog - The University of Utah Nearby skiing/snowboarding is unbeatable. Club sports are plentiful and cover all of his interests and more: Sport Clubs - Campus Recreation Services - The University of Utah Easy direct flights to SLC. Might be more urban than he wants, but tons of nature nearby. Also, it’s a relative bargain even without merit, if you stay for the first summer and take the path to residency, so that you pay in-state rates for years 2-4.

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If you want to look at some more larger school programs, here are two more to consider:

Oregon State:

Arizona State:

https://degrees.apps.asu.edu/bachelors/major/ASU00/ARDSNBA/design-studies?init=false&nopassive=true

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Thank you all. This gives us a great place to start! I so appreciate the suggestions.

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One more “outside the box” suggestion — Western Washington University has an accredited Industrial Design program:

It’s still a public school and not a liberal arts college, but as a regional university, it is a bit smaller than the big flagships. It draws primarily Washington residents and I know many who are very happy there

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I’m not sure what his admissions chances would be for the Product Design program at Western Washington, but it’s a top-notch program at a more medium-sized public U (~14K undergrads) Industrial Design | Engineering & Design | Western Washington University Bellingham is a city, but in a very scenic, outdoorsy location. Mt. Baker is less than 60 miles away, and trips to Whistler in BC are quite manageable. (There’s club Ultimate here, but not golf.)

At larger schools, also look for options like Living-Learning Communities. For example, U of Oregon has and Art & Design LLC: Art + Design | University Housing

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Some smaller schools that might be worth considering include:

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Another vote for Utah, it’s amazing for outdoorsy kids. D loved it there. And it’s likely to be about half the cost of Boulder with residency (staying in Utah the summer after freshman year). Note that many students have cars, because they head to the mountains at weekends. It should be a fairly safe admit with these stats.

SALT at Arizona is good, but be aware it is a substantial extra cost. You do get more support than the regular LD programs at other large publics but if you are proactive and pushy, much of it can be replicated elsewhere, usually for free. And I wouldn’t count on a lot of skiing at Arizona, they rush up the mountain when the snow falls but it is only for a few weeks a year.

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I’d suggest checking out Oregon State’s major in Outdoor Products. It’s a product design degree, but also covers the business side of the industry, and is focused on a niche that it sounds like he’s interested in. It’s in Bend, Oregon, which is a charming small city that’s packed with outdoorsy people.

And in terms of working with his ADHD, the Bend campus only has 1,300 students there, so I suspect it would be the kind of place where he would get the support he needs, and wouldn’t fall through the cracks.

He might also be interested in their Adventure Leadership program.

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UVM has a very good academic support center.

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Both Marist and RIT offer multiple majors around digital media, product and graphic design while also offering great co-op/internship experience. Mid-sized schools with good academic support.

If he wants further from home UDenver is probably your sweet spot between distance, access to the outdoors and support.

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