My son is a junior at a private school in NYC. He only takes one IB class (his school offers full IB program so I say this to show he does not take what the school would consider to be a challenging courseload). He has ADHD and below average executive functioning skills. He gets a good amount of support at school and we have purposefully done his schedule to keep stress low. He manages to get all As and Bs in with current GPA of 3.5. Plays varsity volleyball and was a captain as a sophomore and will probably be for this year and next too. Also plays club volleyball year round. Does a couple of clubs but nothing exceptional. Will be test optional. He has a great easy going personality. He thinks he wants to go to a big sports school with a lot of school spirit. I am concerned that he will be lost at a school like this but am willing to consider. He isn’t sure what he wants to study but it will be liberal arts focus (not strong at math/science). Strongest subject is history and that is the IB class he takes. He will have three years of foreign language. Some current ideas are: Ohio State, Michigan State, University of Maryland and University of Oregon. Wants somewhere with a diverse population. Willing to go anywhere in the country but not in the south (doesn’t like the heat). Looking for suggestions. Thanks!
U of Arizona and their SALT program. It’s a safety.
Ohio State and UMD (especially UMD) won’t be attainable.
Tucson is hot but not Phoenix hot and the school is very diverse.
Less big time sports (ie big time football) but look at UCONN, Iowa, Marshall (safety), E Carolina and as local safeties Hofstra, Marist, and Adelphi.
I would ensure no matter which schools you look at you find one’s able to support the specific needs he has. These schools also show up on different LD lists. Good luck.
Thanks. I didn’t realize Ohio State and UMD were both considered reaches.
UMD a huge reach. Ohio State a reach. UConn likely is too.
Rigor is important at all these schools.
With a 3.5 and TO, lots of big sports schools will work - a WVU, Kansas/K State, Iowa/Iowa State, Wyoming, Indiana (maybe), Nebraska and more but I was seeking schools on the LD lists. As I’m not experienced it’s all I have to offer. I know Arizona SALT is very well known.
I agree a big school can be overwhelming and perhaps schools with smaller classes would be better but you seek a big time sports school.
Your school counselor should be able to help too.
Good luck
I don’t know if you’ve seen this list, but it has a few options:
Well I know you asked for big but I’ll throw this out there anyway… my son sounds a bit like yours (grades and all) and he is at Ithaca College and doing great. They seem to love B+ students who put in the effort.
I’d add Colorado State to his list. Probably a match for him, academic support office is easy to work with (you can sign up to work with an academic coach, or there is a more specialized/individualized program with 1:1 support for an additional cost per semester called Opportunites for Postsecondary Success), kids are laid back and have a good work/life balance and although sports aren’t huge, the football team is really fun to watch this year and there is good school spirit. They offer both club and intramural volleyball. Not to mention, Fort Collins is the perfect college town and, if he likes being outdoors, the location can’t be beat. DS reached out to the Disabilities Office before he even applied and they were very receptive to talking with him.
S23 is a first year there and DH and I were just talking today about how surprised we are that such a big school is so “user friendly”.
Iowa and Iowa State are more likely than UMD. While they definitely have a lot of school spirit, we found them a bit more overwhelming than CSU.
DS was really set on a big school and I was nervous at first, but after our visits, I was totally on board as well. As DS says, “you can make a big school feel smaller, but can’t make a small school feel bigger”. As long as he is okay advocating for himself, big schools can have lots of benefits.
Anyone applying to UMD should do so in the early round. This college accepts about 75% of their incoming class in the early round. So…definitely a reach for regular decision…and probably a reach anyway.
You also need to research the types of supports provided by the college disabilities office. This can vary by college. But one thing that is consistent…the student needs to be a good self advocate.
Most private high schools have good college counseling. I would strongly suggest you talk to the school counselor at the private school who knows your son, and who likely can provide some very good recommendations.
Yes, they are definite reaches. It doesn’t mean he shouldn’t apply, but your list needs rounding out with more matches and a true safety that he’d be happy to attend.
I would suggest both URI and UMaine. Both are big but not huge, have D1 sports, and are more likely admits. Both also give decent merit $ to out of state students. My ds with EF issues applied for transfer last year. I was impressed with the support available at UMaine in particular, although he ended up at a different school in the south.
If he does apply to UMD, he definitely needs to apply early action for the reason stated above.
The transition from a small private school with lots of support and oversight to a giant public university will be jarring. Ask his teachers/advisor if they think that is wise for him.
I like this suggestion but it doesn’t have the big time sports he thinks he wants.
I haven’t looked at URI yet but I suspect it suffers from same lack of diversity as Maine (and Indiana and Colorado and others). His friend group is a realize of cultures and religions and he loves that and doesn’t want to go to a school that doesn’t have a mix.
Got it. Rutgers?
Is he looking for an SES mix, likely to occur at any public school, or just an ethnic mix, as cultivated at his private high school?
OP - just to put into perspective, I do think there are a range of selectivity levels at various schools. Some look at rigor. Others you can get in without. So it is important to look at the selectivity of any school - and your counselor can help. In my suggestions above, I took into account your comment on not having the highest rigor and the GPA.
A UMD, for example, per the latest Common Data Set (good that and a school name and you will find a lot about diversity (tab B2) and a lot about admission stats - tab C.
At UMD, 97% of students had a 4.0 GPA. Now that is weighted.
55% submitted test scores with a 25th percentile of 31 and 75th of 34.
And 44% of students were accepted.
Now, I’m not sure why their Common Data Set doesn’t match another report they put out - which is a three year admission trend - but it shows 34% acceptance in Fall 2022.
Either way, Maryland is one of those “hot” schools that’s getting a lot harder to get into than before. I’d say Clemson and maybe UGA are others - not that either of those would make your list for diversity purposes.
I do think the Arizona schools, New Mexico schools and others like that are very diverse and will be safeties (this is the important part - getting in). Some of the CSUs as well. I did put the US News diversity list for you as well (it’s third party but likely can be trusted directionally). You can keep hitting load more and it will keep adding more schools. You can then double check the diversity in the CDS tab B to see what type (in regards to ethnic).
Good luck
2024 University Rankings by Ethnic Diversity | US News Rankings
How far from home do you want him to be?
Good question. I think if you explained SES to him - that is what he thinks he wants but what he has currently is ethnic mix and he is happy with that. So I suspect either would suffice. That said - after 4 years at a private school where almost everyone has money - economic diversity would be a welcome change.
Typo? The link you provided shows an overall admit rate of 34%, not 44%.
And that’s for fall 2022 - will likely be lower now.
I would like him closer but we have always let our kids pick what they are comfortable with (he is our third) distance wise so….
This was on the list until an idiot relative said in front of him that it is a “■■■■■■■■”. He meant the area where it is and his option was from 30 years ago. I will be taking my son to tour as I have had a lot of friends go there and really liked it!