Hi, I was excited to find this resource and would love some advice on colleges to look into. My son is going to be a senior. He’s very smart, pretty quirky funny, gets mostly As with virtually no effort, but no real study skills or work ethic. He got 720/720 on SATs and might try to take it again. He is really curious on his own terms, deep thinking, reads faster than anyone I’ve ever known. His ADD makes him struggle with organization. He hates busy work and likes to learn in more experiential or practical application ways. He loves video games that involve strategy and building. He has some athletic skill in karate and ultimate frisbee, but prefers his room and his computer over everything. Friends more online than in person. I would love to find a school with wonderfully engaging professors that might inspire him to work a bit harder. I’d love a school that doesn’t revolve mostly around sports or greek system. He would like to be in warmer weather if possible, but cold climate not a deal breaker. I think a medium sized school might be best, but small might work too. Computer science may be a focus of study, but no real clear direction yet. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!!
It’s not in warmer weather, but take a look at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. Sounds like your son would be a good fit.
I suggest checking out the book “Colleges That Change Lives”, you may find some good options in there. It is about schools that are a little under the radar but have specific strengths, and I think they all are small.
WHen you say “quirky”, Clark U comes to mind (I think it is in the book). We looked into it but never visited, but quirky always came up in it’s descriptions. It’s in Massachusetts so also not warm, however.
In our search we ran across Colorado College that does one class at a time. While I don’t think/know that this one would be a good fit for your son, it does make me wonder if there are other schools with that format that could be good choices for a student with ADD.
I have a friend whose son sounds quite similar to yours, he is at Austin Peay U, in TN who has ADD and very into video games and he is taking some sort of major that fits this interest.
Champlain College in VT?
Just a thought, have you looked at NJIT? I don’t know that it’s exactly what you’re looking for, but he would find quite a few like-minded kids there. They even offer scholarships for video gaming. Another possibility with similar kids is Stevens. Both schools are in Nothern NJ. The schools have different vibes but are both tech type schools.
The real question is how will he react when he runs into students that are just as smart with study skills and work ethic? What is your budget?
For this, I would go small (<2k). Especially if you want it freshman year. Someone that has had it relatively easy in HS can get into some really bad habits in college if nobody knows/cares if they have been going to/ keeping up in class. I think small class are your friend. Large classes require a lot of self motivation.
There are schools that offer scholarships for gaming (Esports), if s/he is at that level. Like UC-Irvine for example. I know DePaul (they offer scholarships too) and other Midwestern schools like Northwestern, UIUC, UW-Madison, etc are in a collegiate league for Esports. I took a tour of DePaul’s Esports center back in June and it is awesome. It’s both a place for playing for the (mostly College of Computing & Digital Media students) and for research.
I’m a functioning member of adult society and also prefer my room and computer/video games over most other things. I’m an introvert. I was like that as a teenager, too - my mom had to force me to go outside; in high school, I probably had more online friends than in person ones, but that’s because I found more people who shared my interests online. That changed when I went to a college where students had diverse interests, many of which matched mine. (I’ve also become way more outdoorsy and enjoy hiking and sailing.)
Your son also sounds like an introvert - deep thinking and reading, so potentially turned inward/introspective; hates busy work; maybe feels drained from interpersonal interactions offline.
Sounds like a wide variety of small to medium-sized colleges/universities would probably appeal to him. You can develop deep relationships with engaging professors anywhere with effort and determination, but it is easier and comes more naturally at small liberal arts colleges and/or places that are primarily organized around undergraduate education. There are lots in warmer places: Oxford College of Emory University; Davidson College; Whitman College (not exactly warmer, but there aren’t as extreme temps in the PNW); Reed College (ditto, and if he’s quirky he might like the atmosphere) Sewanee; New College of Florida; University of Richmond; Furman University; Rhodes College; Goucher College; etc. Since he likes experiential work, he might like Berea College (a work college). He might also like Deep Springs College in theory, but the remoteness and the work requirements probably make it difficult to play intense online games or get good WiFi.
Does he want those things? What is he looking for in a college, other than warm?
One note is that you may want to avoid an intensely competitive place if your son has little worth ethic and no study skills. Even if he wants to build them, there’s a learning curve, and he may be at a disadvantage early on if he’s not good at studying.
R.I.T. (Rochester Institute of Technology)
@RachaelK - What’s the budget and what part of the country are you in?
IME, a fair number of boys drop out or have severe problems in college due to gaming addiction. You might prioritize getting treatment for that.