<p>One of my kids, just a freshman now, is very quick and bright, creative, great writer, but is doing badly in school, at least right now. She does great on her papers, and decently on tests, but is terrible about turning in her homework. She just doesn't see the point of anything that smacks of (to her) busywork, like conjugating verbs, etc. She has ADD and major anxiety issues. Her attitude is enough to make me pull out my hair, and she is on meds and sees a therapist. I don't need, nor am I asking for, parenting advice. </p>
<p>Does anyone have experiences with making lists of colleges for bright kids (she'll probably do well on her SATs) with kids with not so shiny grades. She isn't the type to suffer fools gladly; she gets bored and frustrated in classes where the teacher has to explain things a few times, because she picks up concepts quickly and easily the first time, and remembers what she learns. She is also, oddly, definitely the college type, just not able to dot the "i"s and cross the "t"s. Terrible executive functioning due to the ADD. </p>
<p>Any ideas or experience?</p>
<p>You could be describing my kid, although his ADD-related issues weren’t diagnosed until much later. Sadly for these kids, crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s is very much part of the college experience. My son ended up failing out of college the first year, after anxiety led to a nervous breakdown, which led him to, basically, shut himself in his dorm room for 3 months. </p>
<p>So my comment is: make SURE your daughter is ready, emotionally, for college. Being smart, and doing well on the SATs, is only part of the equation. It wasn’t enough for my kiddo to succeed. In retrospect, we should not have sent him to college right out of high school. We (unintentionally) set him up for failure. The subsequent shock, and shattered self-confidence, is a price we’re all paying to this day.</p>
<p>Mmm, my D had quite a few of those qualities as a freshman. One suggestion I would have is to take her on a couple of college visits early. Once my D saw the difference in where she could go if she DID do the busywork/conjugate the verbs, she got it in gear a bit more. Her GPA was never fantastic (ended up with a 3.7 UW, upward trend near the end – in fact, headed for her first 4.0 this last semester of high school – go figure), but she got into some very good schools because of great test scores and more “multidimensional” application than some kids (a few unusual, although just local, ECs). She also has a learning disability and terrible executive functioning. I despaired of her getting into any good colleges in freshman year of high school. She did start using accommodations that year (extra time on math tests, extra white space on tests), and it helped her grades. Her teachers and I just gave her a lot of support in the EF areas, and ever so gradually she picked up the pace on that as well. Honestly, we just did EF for her freshman & sophomore year. She started picking up more in junior year, and is pretty decent at it in senior year. I do have some sleepless nights sometimes worrying about how college will go for her. But when she is motivated, she usually finds a way to get something done. And… in spite of all of my worries, she got in everyplace she applied. </p>
<p>Another thing that might help is a summer program or two that helps her find some academic passion or direction. If she is like my D, she sees the point IF it is something she is really interested in. And one held on a college campus might help her get a flavor for that.</p>
<p>We did not deal with anxiety, at least not to the level you are. My D is very introverted, but that is not the same.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>It is my understanding that England and Scotland go basically by standardized test scores.</p>
<p>Also, there is a college down in Florida called New College, which might fit the bill.</p>
<p>New College is a great place, but the lack of structure may not be the best place for an ADD student unless they develop great organaziational skills in HS.</p>
<p>Australia also goes just on test scores</p>
<p>what about Sarah Lawrence? Great school, they make a point of caring about writing A LOT, and they seem very anti busywork and much more about actually learning and nurturing creativity. Plus, the type of classes and support system between profs and students might be great for her-and not cutthroat to get admitted (I think around 55-60% acceptance)</p>
<p>When you’re looking at schools, ask what the workload is like. For example, my school gives multiple quizzes and smaller papers throughout the semester but also has a midterm and final. For students who may procrastinate on work, or deem some work useless, it’s a great system. Class sizes are also small enough that professors realize when students are struggling and often move in to help them. Based on your description, it sounds like your daughter would succeed in that environment. </p>
<p>If that’s not the case, many schools just use the midterm-final model where there’s no busywork, only two tests and maybe a paper. If you find that appealing, look into some larger schools.</p>
<p>If you go to the main discussion menu, there’s a sub-section of “pre-college” issues focused on learning issues where you might find some good information.</p>