I agree on Syracuse. My kid goes there and loves the diversity. The school spirit is huge.
He is also intolerant of heat and would NOT have coped well in Arizona, New Mexico, the south, etc. Every time we talk to him he comments on how much he loves the weather.
Their student support has been excellent. Heās had a ton of different advising appointments this month to talk about various things and hasnāt even taken advantage of most of what they offer.
They also offer this extra program for a fee:
UMD is also notorious for not being good for kids with disabilities (especially mental).
If I were you, I would RUN from big schools for your sonās successā¦
@Clementine7624 it is going to be very difficult to find good spot for your son.
As I mentioned above, I would avoid all big schools and choose the smallest one that your son will be comfortable with. Sorry, but your sonās 3.5 with no challenging classes shows big red flag that he will be extremely stressed at top school with many top students even if he will be accepted. I would look at 3rd tier private schools that have 3-5K students and small classes. There your child may find adequate challenge and support.
Initially, my youngest also wanted big school (she is not ADHD!) but then realized that she will not get the support that she wanted (as premed with very high GPA in HS and many DE classes). So she is in a school in the South with only 2k studentsā¦
Finding small or average school for a Jewish student (we are Jewish too) was not easyā¦
She is very happy at her school socially.
Good friend had a son like yours. A bit below average at a top DC private school, maturity issues-insisted on a big state U and left after 6 weeks. Finally enrolled at Elon, where he fits in well and is happy.
Son thought he wanted a lot of diversity but wasnāt happy to be pegged as the rich white preppie at Midwest state U.
You might want to follow the Class of 2024 3.0 - 3.4 thread. I believe there is one for 3.5-3.7 as well
@Clementine7624, I saw couple very good suggestions above Elon and Marist. I do not know much abou either, but I think they maybe good to explore.
How about Appalachian State U., in NC? Itās southern, but not hot, because itās in the mountains. (Even in summer, the average high temperature is below 80 degrees.) Beautiful setting. Lots of school spirit, especially around football. Interesting history department, which even has an undergrad program in Applied & Public History if thatās of interest Appalachian State University / History (BS) - Applied and Public History And they have a support program specifically for students with executive function challenges: As-U-R | Student Success His GPA is below median, but with a >75% acceptance rate, he doesnāt need to be above median to have a shot. The Jewish population is small, but thereās an active chapter of the Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi, if thatās of interest.
Thanks Thumper. I dont know anything about Ohio University (assuming it is different from Ohio State?) 
On budget question - not a huge factor. His 529 is well funded.
We had looked at Denver with one of my daughters - worth considering - thanks
Havent look at JMU but good idea - thanks
Thanks - will look. He doesnt seem interested in Greek like right now and even if he was - I dont think he would be drawn to an all Jewish (or all anything) frat - doesnt fit in with his worldview
The Ohio State University is the state flagship and is located in Columbus Ohioā¦it is beyond huge. But a great school.
Ohio University is located in Athens, Ohio. Itās a smaller college, but really a well regarded one. They do have a football team, and a great marching band! Athens is really a nice college town. The college has much to offer, and I think is worth checking out. Of course, Iām a proud alum. One thing Ohio University does is costs are frozen for the four years of undergrad. Soā¦you have an idea of costs for all four years.
He might be - he is in a program in high school where he has an academic support advisor he meets with 3x a week. That said - goal of that program is for him not to need it anymore by the time high school ends.
I donāt know if your son would consider Arizona State as āthe southā (Iāve seen U of A mentioned already) but itās trying to become a nationwide school and they offer good merit aid to out-of-staters. You can get a pretty good estimate of scholarships here: https://scholarships.asu.edu/estimator
My friendās daughter went there from CA (ASU is not WUE for the Tempe campus, so she got regular financial aid) and she really loved it. She graduated cum laude even though she never got close to that in high school, where she played sports and was much more into the social scene.
My son has a similar private school gpa and interest in big sports schools (tho he likes warmer weather). Heās applying to Syracuse, Indiana and Colorado. He also sent in apps to UGA and UMD, recognizing they are high reaches.
Have you considered Penn State? Great school spirit and a little less reachy than several of the popular state schools. I echo the suggestions to check out Rutgers and Delaware.
I have graduates from both, UDel is definitely an easier admit (my daughter received a lot of merit in the honors college), Rutgers is harder and huge, donāt expect hand holding. One of my sons didnāt apply (ADD/EF) because he knew it would be too much (went to tcnj), the other withdrew after 6 weeks.
As in most cases, a lot depends on the particular kid and I think especially their maturity level, but I would recommend at least looking at smaller schools.
My bright ADHD/low level executive functioning skills DC started at a community college to what do we called ālearn collegeā - to focus on and manage the classes the without the pressure of the social, roommates, and everything living on your own entails. They took usually 9 to 11 credits (3 classes to minimize keeping track of too many classes/assignments). They basically āeased intoā college.
They did great, loved it, and eventually transferred to a 4 year (they were also wise enough to take advantage of the services available available at the CC and the 4-year). DC also continued working their part time job (a job is great for time management skills and not having school be the focus all day was helpful).
We have an bright ADHD friend who did get into UMD (in-state)ā¦but was not asked back the next year. She did not attend class enough, did not take her meds, and was distracted by all the fun around her. (I think she needs another year or 2 to mature some more.)
Of course you can skip class and not take your meds at a small school too, but it is easier to be anonymous at a large school.
I donāt know much about Marist, but a friend with a learning disability just graduated from there and had a great experience.
I know you said no to the South, but if you want a big D1 powerhouse with excellent ADHD support, consider Texas Tech. Itās only 28K kids and has a very well known ADHD support service - https://www.depts.ttu.edu/techniques/. I know its hot as hell in Texas, but itās really May-September. Itās 41 today in Austin and itās still technically October 
The support services at Tech are widely known in our state. It also has a great CS department, business and pre health programs. I have a 3.8 son who sounds like yours - athlete, affable and wants big sports. He got into the honors program so we are considering it for him since he is pre PT and they have an excellent kine program. CU Boulder is another option for you guys. My kid LOVED IT. He didnāt like Denver btw ātoo many rich white kidsā was his take. (Which honestly is boulder too but he didnāt seem to notice!)