My son is a senior who is interested in pursuing a computer science degree. His test scores are decent:
SAT 1920 (math 790)
1970 superscore
ACT 31
However his GPA is less then to be desired 3.19 w and 2.9 uw. He attends a highly competitive hs and his course load has been all Honors and AP with only a few exceptions. His AP test scores were a 5 in Calc and a 3 in Chemistry (eh).
He has battled with ADD his whole life. Stellar test grades in HS he is but late in handling in assignments etc. He refuses to take any medication so it has been a struggle for us. In addition, he participates in the Marching Band and works a job after school and on weekends.
He is interested in a large school but a rural/semi-rural campus. Definitely NOT urban. Here is the list of schools that he has expressed an interest in:
Rutgers (as we are in NJ)
Stevens (as we are in NJ)
Penn State (Univ Park)
PITT
Are there any additions you can suggest? Should he retake the SAT again before applying? Thanks for your advice. This is all new to me as he is my eldest. All help is appreciated.
Can you afford the OOS costs for Penn State or Pitt? I don’t know if I’d have him retake the tests since those are perfectly serviceable scores (the ACT ~2050). There are some SUNYs that aren’t urban that might be good matches.
Your budget comes into play, and then you need to be looking for schools with good support services. The handing assignments in late thing is going to be an even bigger issue at college. What is your family’s plan for how he will manage his ADD at school?
Start with looking at what ADD support services are available at the schools on his current list. What does the website look like? How many students take advantage of their services? What does the disabilities office say about which students end up succeeding? What (if any) accommodations is your son now getting? Sorry to hit you with a barrage of questions, but I’ve been there–D2 has ADHD, but the right fit for her was a small LAC with good support as well as a highly supportive student body.
If he is willing to go further afield and your budget can handle it, look into U Arizona’s SALT program. There’s also a Learning Differences forum here on CC which doesn’t get much traffic but can give you some thoughts about other schools to consider. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/learning-differences-challenges-ld-adhd/
While medication does help some people, there also are any number of compensation skills he can master that will help him get through his schoolwork. Ask for a meeting with the Resource Team at his high school, and help set up a plan for making certain that he takes advantage of the opportunities he has there for mastering the skills he needs.
He has battled with ADD his whole life. Stellar test grades in HS he is but late in handling in assignments etc. He refuses to take any medication so it has been a struggle for us. I
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I don’t know how his ADD manifests in him besides your mention of late assignments, but I would be concerned about sending an untreated ADHD kid away to college IF he has issues with getting himself up in the morning by himself, turning in assignments on time, staying organized, knowing where his stuff is, losing things, etc.
Without the “parent safety-net” around, some of these kids really fall apart once they go away to college.
Do you have documentation of his ADD, or a record of accommodations? You will want to plug in with disability support services at any school that he is thinking of attending. Perhaps check out their web sites and see what you have to provide to receive services.
IF he has issues with getting himself up in the morning by himself >>
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ugh…himself himself …take out the first. ugh!
If the parents have been managing his life (finding things for him, getting him up, keeping him on track), then I would sit him down and have a heart to heart with him before I would agree to spending a lot of money sending him away. I would tell him that this year (senior year), starting now, will be the “test” as to whether he can be trusted to go away and manage everything himself.
Seems like your son will do better in a small nurturing school where faculty get to know him rather than a big impersonal university where he is likely to get lost. The choice of a small nurturing school could make all the difference for him. In small schools, students who miss classes a few times are noticed and checked upon. The relationship with instructors could be a huge motivator for your son. Close relationships with instructors are large universities is unlikely. I would seriously explore some small schools.
That may be true, but likely his high school was the size of a small college yet look at the resulting grades, even with the “family safety net” right in the home.
I am not a healthcare professional, so this is just my personal opinion: In my observations, anxiety and depression often accompany ADHD. These issues seem to worsen at young adulthood and suddenly being away at school, away from the family support system, without treatment can result in some pretty lousy grades and a lot of wasted money and/or FA.
If this were my child, and he had an expectation that I would be paying for some/most/all of his college expenses, I would try to negotiate some sort of an agreement. At a minimum, I would want the child to start treatment at least a year before going away, and develop some sort of coping skills.
If Executive Function Disorder accompany his ADHD, and it often does, then dealing with that before going away to college will also help. Those with EFD often have time-management issues, procrastination, organization issues. They’re often late to things, late completing things, never complete some things, losing things, forgetting things, etc.
Many people with ADHD benefit from a regular exercise program. I’m not saying that that can be enough; it can depend on the severity of the ADHD. Your child’s grades suggest (to me) that he doesn’t have a mild form.
Find out if there is a doctor or other healthcare professional that specializes in ADHD in your area.
If, as the other posters have noted, you can afford the steep OOS tuition, check out which of the PSU branch campuses he would like best…because main campus is most likely not happening with a 2.9 UW.
Does he have a lot of fun with marching band, and is he accomplished enough to be in the marching program at the school that is a good match for him with his degree plan?
I would look at how your son can handle and overcome some of the issues he is having in HS.
Is there a CC where he can start and transition?
This is surely a frustrating situation - because if he had gotten assignments in and achieved to his potential in HS…he has the aptitude and test score for scholarships, just not the GPA.
Sounds like he also has to stay busy with a full schedule - balance off academics.
Seek out CS programs that ADD/ADHD students have been able to be successful - be it how the University accommodates, etc.
What about some of the other, smaller public universities in Pennsylvania? Ohio has some regional public universities that would likely accept him, as well.
Don’t know which ones offer CS…
But I feel so many students and their families tend to overlook the non-flagship publics. Many of these seem like great schools, and the teacher-to-student ratio is much better than at huge public universities. Imo, they may be better places for an undergrad, especially one that may not be very self-motivated yet.
Has he had full diagnostic testing? Executive Functioning used to be under inattentive ADHD but is now classified by itself. It involves time management issues. Does he not hand in homework because he runs out of time to complete? If so, that may be EF which has different coping strategies and for which ADHD meds have little effect.
He won’t get onto Penn State main campus with those stats, but the satellites may be a good fit.
Have you considered Rowan University at all? It is ABET and there are some good programs there to help kids succeed.