<p>I have a few problems. I can't concentrate for the life of me. Everything I learn in high school, I taught myself by reading the textbook. In class, i daydream and ignore the teacher. (Yes, I might have ADD). I have concluded that I will not be able to sit through an hour lecture at any college. </p>
<p>So are there any colleges that are unconventional in the way they conduct classes? Can they not just stand in front of a chalkboard and talk for 50 minutes? </p>
<p>Need recommendations please! </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Assume that I have a chance at any english speaking college. </p>
<p>How well would you do with a 50-minute discussion class?
Those are more common at small liberal arts colleges than at large universities.
However, even at many small LACs, lecture classes exist. Even in some small seminars (< 20 students), the professor stands and lectures for much of the class.</p>
<p>You might do better at a LAC which tend to have more (but not all) smaller discussion based classes than larger universities classes. Also consider getting tested to see if you do have ADHD.</p>
<p>A better approach might be to find out why you can’t concentrate on a lecture for 50 minutes. There might be somer organic problem there or it might just be your attitude or you just might be you’re bored. It’s probably worth finding out which is the reason for you, as life is bound to contain boring lectures by co-workers for most of the day.</p>
<p>@bopper
I think online course would probably be worse, since I’ll constantly hit the pause button and go do something else. In a class, at least I’ll have to stay the entire time. </p>
<p>@tk21769
In high school, when the teacher is talking, I’ll be like, “Oh, she already said something like this last week, and I remember learning about this in 7th grade…” and then I’ll zone out. Or, some kid would ask a question and I’ll be like, “I already know the answer…” and then zone out. Or, i’ll just sit there fidget and think about something else.
So, lecture classes are common in liberal arts colleges or big universities? I’m sort of confused as to what you’re saying. </p>
<p>Doctors of any type give me anxiety, so I’d rather stay away. My friends all think I have ADHD though, so i will eventually.</p>
<p>I think I should go to a liberal arts college, but I think liberal arts colleges will make me take a lot of humanities classes, which often requires lots of writing and I’m sort of strictly a math/science person. I don’t understand literary characters and their emotions and etc so I want to keep the amount of humanities classes to a minimum. </p>
<p>@MrMom62 Yeah, I get bored really easily. But normally, I’ll acknowledge that the subject is interesting just that what I’m thinking about is more interesting… For example, I think physics is very interesting and the teacher is talking about acceleration. I already know about acceleration because I am interested in the subject and I’ve read about it, so I’m thinking about accelerating forever with infinite gravity… and then I realize, “… why are we talking about centripetal force now? I don’t know anything about this.” </p>
<p>First off, not all liberal arts colleges work that way. Second, I am starting to see a pattern - you are one of those really smart kids that gets ahead and starts to think they know it all, then the teacher takes a left turn and they get lost thinking about something else. Try taking notes and staying with the class. I’m willing to bet you’re one of those kids who doesn’t take notes - doing so will keep you on track. It’s just a matter of discipline. Been there, done that.</p>
<p>But I would also check out and see if there is something else wrong.</p>
<p>@MrMom62
Well, I use to take notes, but then I realized that my notes make no sense, and everyone else in the class is taking notes, so i might as well try to listen to the teacher and photocopy their super-neat notes later. It’s not like I get bad grades; I’m really good cramming, so i can just read their notes 15 minutes before the test. But I’ll try taking notes again :)</p>
<p>But see, I don’t think my high school cramming technique will work in college since everyone says that college is harder, and I might not have friends to photocopy notes, so I want to find a college where I’ll learn the stuff in class. </p>
<p>The things you can ask for are a little unavoidable. Unfortunately there won’t be a college that can cater to all of your educational needs. Fortunately, there are a few that are more discussion-based and less lecture halls.</p>
<p>Look at mostly LACS, because they do not have as many lecture classes. You can find info on what % of the classes are a certain size.</p>
<p>Your understanding the “liberal arts” is incorrect. The liberal arts include math and science – as well as humanities, languages, social sciences etc. Most colleges/universities have liberal arts department, regardless of their size.</p>
<p>Small liberal arts colleges (or LACs) concentrate on the liberal arts, with limited offerings in professional or graduate programs. Some have excellent math and science departments. Some have open curriculums, meaning no course requirement except as required by your major. Some have distribution requirements meaning you’d have to take a few courses in each general category.</p>
<p>Small LACs tend to have more seminars and discussion based classes than large lectures, though introductory courses are still lecture based.</p>
<p>Actually, day dreaming isn’t going to go over well in a discussion based course either. You will be expected to pay attention and contribute to the discussion.</p>
<p>It sounds to me that you need to get a grip on your lack of attention – either through medical or psychological help or through better discipline. You’re headed for a difficult time in college if you can’t stay with the instructor for 50 minutes.</p>
<p>@momrath Ok, I’ll look at some LACs. I want to major in theoretical mathematics, and I’m pretty sure most colleges have that major.
I would, but I don’t really like doctors. I think people with ADHD take Adderall and I know a guy who has, so i can always get it from him if I have to go to a college that only does 50 min lectures. </p>
<p>I would very strongly suggest you don’t just get adderall from “a guy you know” and start popping pills. First of all get tested and see what the real issue is. If it is ADHD as you suspect, get a prescription from a doctor. There are many types of attentional drugs and different medications and some work better/worse for different people plus the medications come in many different strengths so you don’t want to over or under medicate (if indeed you would be helped by medication). It isn’t as easy as just getting some pills from a freind and taking them. IMO if you consider yourself mature enough to go away to college, you need to face your fears, get the right diagnosis and get the right help.</p>
<p>@tk21769 made some interesting suggestions and I am big fans of both of those schools, but most of those endeavors, at both Warren Wilson and Northeastern, are supplements to classes and lectures, not replacing them. I agree with the others that perhaps addressing the issue at hand is important and will benefit you in the long run.</p>
<p>Alternatively, a school like Hampshire College, which is very student and thesis driven may be for you. However, it requires a HIGH level of independence and initiative that may not be for everyone, but it is more hands-on and directed at students than the others.</p>
<p>Math is probably one of the less optimal majors at many (not all) small schools and LACs, since math departments at such schools are often consumed by teaching small sections of frosh calculus to non-majors. You can check their course catalogs and schedule to see what their offerings are like.</p>
<p>The good news is that junior/senior level math courses, and honors frosh/soph level math courses if offered, at big universities are likely to be taight in small sections (non-honors frosh/soph level math courses tend to be big lectures with TA discussions). However, you still need to figure out how to handle your non-math breadth courses.</p>
<p>I agree with happy1 that if ADHD is a possibility and prescription drugs may be considered to see a doctor for the correct diagnosis. If that solves the problem, you may not have to work around it by applying extreme constraints to your college choice.</p>
<p>Liberal arts colleges for the most part. Schools that offer tutorials, such as Sarah Lawrence, Pomona and Williams, would especially cater to your needs.</p>
<p>If you are in a US high school, your own guidance counselor and the Resource Teacher can help you through the evaluation process for ADD. They may be able to suggest work-arounds that do not involve medication, or they may be able to suggest non-prescription options (for some people, just a cup of coffee in the morning is enough to keep their neurotransmitters happy). </p>
<p>But truly, until you get a handle on this, college is not for you. Think about taking a gap year so that you can master the attention and time-management skills necessary for college, and so that you can find a place that is a good match both academically and financially.</p>
<p>Lecture classes are not equally common at LACs and big universities. Typically they are more common at big universities, especially in elementary and intermediate classes. So a LAC may be a better choice than a big university in that respect. However, if you think you will completely avoid lecture classes by choosing a LAC, then you may be disappointed.</p>
<p>You’ll also be disappointed if you have incorrectly diagnosed your problem. It sounds like your issue may not be with the lecture format, per se, but with the content and pace of instruction. You definitely want to avoid huge lectures geared toward students who are less advanced than you are. However, you also want to avoid small seminar/discussion classes that are too elementary. In a big lecture, at least you can surf the web, read … or sleep. In a small class, there will be no escape. You may be expected to participate actively in a class you consider a waste of time. This may be a bigger problem at some LACs than at most large universities.</p>
<p>It sounds like the best fit would be a school that has a rich variety of challenging math courses, relatively small average class sizes, and few distribution/Core requirements in the humanities and social sciences. Brown University comes to mind (open curriculum, strong math department), but it is extremely selective. Reed College is less selective and seems to have a very strong math program. Most classes have less than 20 students; only 11 out of 265 have 50 or more. It ranks #3 in the percentage of alumni who earn math/science doctorates. It does require all students to take a year-long humanities course (Humanities 110).</p>
<p>Actually, if you can place out of elementary math courses, you may find that many other colleges meet your needs (as long as they have extensive math course offerings and don’t require many courses you don’t want.) Check out the math offerings and distribution requirements at your state flagship, for instance.</p>
<p>I don’t really want to see anyone for my attention problems. It’s sort of awkward. </p>
<p>I have a slight alternative to taking Adderall. If I sleep less and don’t eat, then my mind kicks into hyper-focus and time slips away,but I’ll focus on one task for like 6 hours. Its pretty useful but doesn’t work all the time. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, my parents dont want me to go to LACs or take a gap year. my SAT is really good and I guess they want me to go to an elite school. </p>
<p>I think I’ll probably just go into finance since that seems fast-paced and good for short attention spans. I probably face unemployment majoring in anything theoretical anyway. </p>
<p>Mental health professionals who specialize in teens are experts at awkward. Trust me, they see kids like you all the time and will make you comfortable explaining your situation. If you had a broken leg, would you hesitate to see a doctor because of your awkward limp that made you different from all the other kids? No, and this is no different. No one needs to know, just go once and see if they can help you. You’ll be glad you did.</p>