<p>My son is a rising HS senior. He wants to major in health and exercise science in college. He is not skilled in writing. Due to my personal experience, I think written and oral communication skills are extremely important for success in the workplace. (I am a senior executive of a large publicly-traded company, and a lawyer by training, and my communication skills have been critical to my success. I realize he may not have the same degree of need for writing skills in the exercise science field, but one never knows what the future holds.) He is considering some liberal arts colleges that offer the exercise science major (e.g., Furman, Elon, Wake), but probably prefers a larger (and, in his mind, easier and with less emphasis on writing) school like Clemson, FSU, Alabama or South Carolina (all of which offer an exercise science type program). The question is do I steer him towards the LAC, where he may be more likely to struggle mightily, to increase the odds of shoring up his writing/communication skills, or support the larger university approach, where he may have more academic success (at least from a GPA standpoint)? Is skill in writing becoming less important? He will make the decision, but will look for my input. Thoughts?</p>
<p>Are you positive that the LACs would push and/or offer more opportunity to grow as a writer and communicator? </p>
<p>If you think the LACs would have a higher benchmark or push him more, are you positive that he would grow more in that LAC environment vs. one that might be more fitted to his level and pace? (Sometimes it is good to learn how to swim in the shallow end to gain confidence vs. being tossed into the deep end of the pool and sink to the bottom.)</p>
<p>I have had the experience of going to both a private LAC (tier one top 50) and later, a community college. Guess what - my writing classes at the community college have been much more structured and ironically, ended up demanding more. I took “frosh English/first in the series” at both the LAC and later at the CCC… the CCC experience was much better, hands down. The LAC frosh English class, in my opinion (and it could have been just the professor, but I don’t think so), was much more about hand-holding and easing the child into the experience of being in college vs. the CCC one which was very hard hitting and more about getting the student up to speed to write solid college-level papers. </p>
<p>In the LAC’s frosh English class, we wrote essays about our feelings about our given name, or reflection essays on short novels (insignificant ones) we read. Our research paper due at the semester had to be 6 pages long and could be on almost any topic. I did not have to pre approve my thesis nor prove anything. I wrote about the composer Schuman’s life. I wrote it (zero bother going through any revision processes)- handed it in - got it back with a few notes - zero interaction with the professor throughout the process. He was a “nice” professor and cared about his students, but I learned almost zilch in the class. </p>
<p>Cost of the class? In today’s dollars, about $3000 plus books. The prestige of that college? Strong (like I said, tier one top 50 LAC).</p>
<p>I didn’t graduate - I got married, moved to California, and after some children, went back to college at a local CCC. I retook the English class because I had been out of school so long.</p>
<p>In the CCC’s frosh English class, we wrote different styles of essays (none were open ended), and our reflection essays were on novels like <em>Walden</em>. Our research paper had to be 10 pages long, the thesis approval process was grueling, it had to present a strong position (I researched the controversy about drugging children with ADHD), and at the end we also had to do a 15 minute verbal presentation of it in front of the class. I was required to meet with the professor multiple times during the thesis formulation as well as the revision stages. She gave critical feedback throughout the entire process.</p>
<p>After my CCC frosh English class, I switched to being an English major. I had major lightbulb moments during that class. The cost of that class? $60 and a few books. The prestige of the CCC? Basically an average Jr. College. </p>
<p>If your son is weak in an area and goes to a larger school, you can encourage him to take extra writing classes and communication classes. There are ways for him to gain those skills that don’t require going to a LAC that may be ill fitting. There is zero guarantee that the LAC will provide the right environment for him to make those strides. However, if you encourage your son to be on the lookout for ways to improve those areas and he agrees with your assessment and adopts the importance of gaining that skillset as his own - he will find the opportunities to improve no matter what college he attends. </p>
<p>Annika</p>
<p>razordad - There’s no doubt that your S would benefit from solid communication skills. Furthermore there’s little doubt that you could force your S to attend a LAC. But IMHO you really need to let your S choose his college list. In the end it’s his own initiative and ability that will decide his future. Who knows, he may choose the LAC path on his own. Or, you may have the opportunity to influence his decision with an offer to fund a year-abroad study experience (a staple of LACs), a trip to the Olympics, or something similar.</p>
<p>Have you considered getting him some writing help now before he goes? A specialized tutor to help manage and do the writing for large papers and projects can really help get him to the level needed to manage college. Speaking from experience of 3 S’s, all needing the help even though they were very bright.</p>
<p>I would second the suggestion of beefing up his writing. I assume that he has another year in high school and next summer. There may be some time in there for practical help.</p>
<p>Not to be too blunt but if he’s not good at writing what are his SAT verbal scores? This may decide the choices he has</p>
<p>Since you are fortunate that your son will look for your input, why not go at it this way?</p>
<p>Support him in the type of school and specific schools he is targeting. He and you both seem to feel he has a higher likelihood of success there.</p>
<p>Then encourage/make a deal with him re taking more than one course targeted at developing his writing and communication skills. I know that most schools require some sort of writing intensive English course. Others require more than one writing intensive course, which can often be in a number of disciplines. My son’s top U had a Technical Communications course which he took - focused on written and oral presentation skills (in his field, Engineering) and covered, in creative and demanding ways, such things as developing and writing project proposals, presenting results from a study, etc. It also included simple, but quite valuable, elements such as quality resume and cover letter design and development.</p>
<p>Just one example. But I’m sure there are many ways he can enhance the skills you are targeting at pretty much any school.</p>
<p>I’ve actually tried to help him myself, on any major papers for school, but it doesn’t seem to “take.” I don’t see any significant improvement when he gives me the next one to review. He has a pretty full schedule. He’s captain of the football team for a major program (largest school classification in a “football state”), which is a full-time deal these days. During the school year he’s had private tutors for his math and foreign language courses, as well as for the SAT. He’s doing a speed reading course this summer, in addition to his football camps and a summer scholars program at one of the colleges he may be interested in attending. I’ve actually thought about getting him some instruction on his writing next summer, before he goes off to college, but he may have other ideas. He’s getting a little burned out right now. His junior year CR score was just below 600 (as was his math, 1180 total) and his writing was 510. He’ll take the SAT again in October. He’s getting some interest by the more selective academic schools (e.g., Georgetown, Tufts, Middlebury – even Harvard) due to his football. It’s hard to picture him at such schools; Furman or Elon would be challenging enough. And football will help him get admitted to the stretch schools on his list (e.g., Wake and Furman), even if he elects not to play. (He has a strong preference for the southeast.) I know I may be generalizing when I contrast the LAC and state universities on his list, but I attended a LAC and found the writing instruction and requirements (throughout the curriculum, not just for freshman english) to be demanding and personalized; it’s hard to imagine that occurring at FSU or S. Carolina. I think a Furman, for example, might help him more in the long run, but I think he might perform better (and have a better fit) at a larger state school (Clemson, for example). As I stated, I plan to let him decide. I’m just feeling the parental pangs of wondering whether I’d be making a “mistake” to not coach him toward the LAC route (particularly when there are a few quality LACs that have his exercise science major).</p>
<p>Some of the places that are extending feelers right now may not extend an offer because of his SATs. I’m not sure what the thresholds of those schools are, but I do know that it was made clear to some soccer stars I know that their SATS would have to rise above the low 600s to get in at similar schools. I would worry, as you apparently do, that he was setting himself up for a struggle at some of those schools, especially if he requires tutors in HS.</p>
<p>At a LAC, not only would they likely demand more of his writing, they would likely also provide the support he needed to succeed. I would check out that aspect of any school you seriously consider. it sounds as if he isn’t aiming at a pro career, despite his accomplishments. In that case, you might point out to him that his chances of getting significant playing time may be greater at a LAC rather than a place like Clemson, where lots of high school stars probably ride the bench for four years. Perhaps that would be an inducement.</p>
<p>Skill in formal writing is important when you get up into the really ‘brainy’ professions. But it doesn’t seem like your son is really built to be an academic. You shouldn’t feel as if you made a mistake not coaching him towards the LAC route. You’re right - the potential for struggle there is greater, but seeing as you’ve already put in significant effort into helping him with his writing, I’m not sure that the struggle would bear fruit in significantly improved writing skills.</p>
<p>Will he be playing football in college?</p>
<p>If not,encourage him to do more reading. He’ll have more time for it.</p>
<p>My brilliant brother in law had trouble with transitions between paragraphs when he wrote. I couldn’t imagine why, but then I have always been a reader and so I absorbed that technique from my reading without realizing it.</p>
<p>I think a big part of the problem is that he’s been busy with non-academic pursuits for a long time, and it’s understandable that academic skills are a little lacking as a result. </p>
<p>I would send him to the easier school, and have him take a course in journalism and get him to write articles about football for the school newspaper. Maybe he can minor in journalism, or else audit several journalism courses–the purpose is so that he practices writing, not that he get a grade. The more he writes, and about something he knows about and loves, the more likely he is to enjoy it and pick up better writing skills.</p>
<p>I found my technical writing course to be a million times more useful for my writing than all the English classes I had ever taken before. It was more about how to avoid confusion in sentences, the importance of precise word usage, how to do a coherent presentation, and pretty much all of the really important things that English classes never actually cover.</p>
<p>We had research projects in that class, but the content of them never mattered, as we only cared about oral presentation and writing skills. I’m pretty sure those are the communications skills you’re concerned about, and not your son’s ability to write a twenty page exposition on a Walt Whitman poem.</p>
<p>
razordad, I am sure you are trying to help but at the age he is now, he is not going to take Dad’s advice. Besides that, you are not really a teacher, just a corrector. That is why we went with a tutor. We got a young man who was a middle school teacher. He came once a week for an hour and fit right into homework time. Because what he did was related to homework, it wasn’t just something extra, they learned to integrate the writing skills into the work they were required to do. He only worked on organizational and writing skills. Made all the difference in the world by the time they went to college. BTW their friends did not know about it so their egos did not take a hit having a “tutor”..</p>
<p>razordad, I have known a couple of football player athletes with similar SAT scores who got into highly selective LACs on the strength of their sport and they did just fine so I would not worry about a selective LAC being too hard for your son. If they accept him, they will also give him the support he needs to do the work. </p>
<p>With that said, I would think his amount of playing time would be very different at Clemson or USC than at Elon. One of our friend’s sons started out playing for Colgate and realized that while he was a superstar in high school, he was a mere practice player at Colgate. When someone got hurt, they just moved the line down 10 feet and kept practicing, leaving the player unattended on the ground for the ambulance to come make its collection. He transferred to a small liberal arts college, with a weaker football team, and was a starter. So, the first question is whether or not your son wants to play in college and if so, would he rather be on the bench for a stronger team or on the field for a weaker team, or is he so good he could be on the field at the stronger team?</p>
<p>Your second, and perhaps primary concern, is whether he would get a better education at the LAC than the other schools. I would not assume this at all. I believe the football players in particular are well supported by tutors and supervised study halls so have the opportunity of very individualized instruction if the want/need it, particularly at the larger schools.</p>
<p>If your son goes to a larger school and decides he doesn’t want to play or is cut from the team, he will be more on his own. But this also doesn’t have to work against him. While the LAC may assume a certain proficiency with writing and go too fast (particularly without tutorial support), a school that assumes the students need more remedial work may be just the ticket for him to really make progress. Our son felt like he learned a lot more in his English for engineers class (which rightly assumed many of these students didn’t love to write) than he had in any of his previous English classes.</p>
<p>In short, I would encourage him to pick the school that feels right for him and trust that he can learn in either environment if motivated.</p>
<p>Thanks to all for the comments thus far. As you can see, the views vary a bit. I should clarify his current thinking about football. He led the team in tackles last year, on a team that finished 4th in the final state rankings. He is moving from outside linebacker to middle linebacker for his senior season. His size is such that he could play linebacker for a smaller school, but it would be highly unlikely for him to play LB for a big Division 1 program. He has some potential to play strong safety for a bigger program; at least, this is the feedback from the Nike camp he attended, and a few of the coaches are recognizing that potential. He is unsure of his desire to play at the next level. He may be feeling some burnout as the summer practices drag on, and he may be much more excited about it come next Spring when he’s thinking about colleges. His attitude, however, which I think is the correct one, is to select the college where he feels he will best fit and be happy, and if football works out, that’s a bonus. One of his reasons for feeling this way may relate to money – he does not have to get a scholarship, and we have the resources available to send him wherever he chooses.</p>