<p>Hello- sorry if this has been addressed already. I've done a few searches and not much coming up. </p>
<p>My son will be a sr this year. ADD, 2.8 GPA. 1720 SAT. Second time he took the SATs. </p>
<p>Any advice? He seems to be more laid back, doesn't want to push things, or take honors classes. Doing the minimum. Plays 2 varsity sports, but doesn't want to play in college. Would be very into club sports. </p>
<p>We live in New England. Should we shoot for a bigger school? I was originally looking at smaller, private schools. Worried he would be lost in a big school, especially with the ADD component. He may be interested in computers, specifically IT. Or maybe business, but never sales. Too self conscious. I love the idea of IT-specifically with a security aspect- something that would make him marketable. I'm also suggesting accounting because he does well in Math-it's pretty easy for him, but he doesn't want to challenge himself with an honors class. Would like him to consider accounting, but he is resisting. </p>
<p>Or will the discrepancy work against him? A likeable good kid. No evidence of partying so far. Lots of nice friends. Only other EC- he volunteers at church. </p>
<p>Any advice appreciated. Thank you for this thread- know he's not a 3.0, but have been lurking for a while with wishful thinking. You guys are great.</p>
<p>Unfortunatly, colleges and universities in making admissions decisions are far more likely to give the benefit of the doubt to applicants with higher GPAs and lower SAT scores than they are to admit applicants with strong SAT scores but mediocre GPAs. My eldest son had an SAT score of 1820 which included a 520 on the Writing section but a 3.0 GPA. My younger son had a 1980 which included a Writing score of 540 and a 3.05 HS GPA. They are both now at the same campus of California State University (CSU) as Geology and Physics majors respectively. CSU does not look at the Writing section and only uses the CR plus Math sections scores when evaluating SAT scores. The 23 campuses of the CSU are generally considered to be the schools that will take the applicants no other school wants. </p>
<p>They give you the same story everywhere. While many people might think that SAT scores which measure relative student ability more accurately by eliminating the difference in rigor between different high schools, what colleges see is differences between students in terms of effort and enthusiasm for learning. High SAT scores but low GPA indicates slacker who will not live up to their abilities to the colleges, who usually do not like that kind of student. With a high GPA and low SAT scores colleges see an overachiever which they have very favorable impressions of.</p>
<p>I think there will be a lot of schools that will take in your son, but don’t expect scholarships. I think you’ll mainly be limited to schools you can afford. Maybe you could think of community college too?</p>
<p>OP - Experience is a harsh teacher, but sometimes it’s the best alternative. What does the kid want to do? IMHO, better to have the kid fail at something he chooses than to fail at some program that’s been chosen for him. </p>
<p>A friend has a son with a profile similar to your son’s … a little better SAT, a little worse GPA. The friend insisted his son go to college, and a non-competitive university was selected. First Semester … five courses, five F’s. YMMV.</p>
<p>I don’t see a discrepancy, either. Or at least nothing significant.</p>
<p>I would suggest that you take a look at Clark University, in Worcester. They are known to be excellent for kids with learning differences. It’s a solid school and a nice size, with a good array of programs.</p>
<p>I don’t see a huge discrepancy that would cause an issue. Many colleges don’t require kids to declare their major until sophomore year which would work in your son’s favor since he doesn’t have a clear idea. He’ll be fine and I’m sure you’ll get some great suggestions on the 3.0 thread. What does your son want?</p>
<p>According to some relatives/friends who worked in elite university admissions, either discrepancy would prompt them to check further into the reputation of the high schools and history of past students from such high schools who attended their institution. </p>
<p>Regarding high SATs and low GPA, another possibility they may consider is that the student in question attended an academically rigorous high school with harsh grading policies. If that’s the case, they may actually give those types of students more of a benefit of a doubt rather than less. </p>
<p>On the other hand, a student with high GPA and low SATs may be regarded as someone who attended a weak high school with high grade inflation and thus, they would have concerns about whether he/she could tackle the college’s academic rigor/workload. </p>
<p>That’s probably a reason why many straight-A students from former private “Segregation Academies” near friends’ hometowns in Virginia, Mississippi, etc end up not only failing to make it into elite schools, but also often struggling to the point of being flunked from directional state universities that were widely regarded locally as mediocre at best within a few semesters or less. </p>
<p>A couple of cousins’ one year’s experience with this in a section of Mississippi due to lack of local knowledge was what prompted their parents to send them away to NE boarding/more academically rigorous private schools once they found the abysmal state of the local private schools in their area. </p>
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<p>YMMV, indeed. </p>
<p>Several HS classmates who were C/D students with higher equivalent SATs ended up feeling extremely unchallenged at their state/local public colleges after pulling straight As/A+s without having to crack a book while most classmates at those colleges were struggling to even get Cs. </p>
<p>All ended up transferring to elite private colleges…including a few Ivies and graduated from them with 3.5+ cumulative undergrad GPAs from the elite schools…most of them as STEM majors with a pre-med or two thrown in. </p>
<p>On the other hand, I’ve lost count of how many high GPA/low SAT undergrads who coasted to high school graduation at their ostensibly good suburban public or respectable private/boarding schools only to ended up being overwhelmed by the college academic workload and rigor to the point of struggling to graduate with Cs or worse, being placed on academic suspension/flunked out. </p>
<p>Some of the latter happened to be undergrad classmates of mine/HS friends or their own siblings.</p>
<p>I do see a discrepancy. A student with approx. a 1150 CR + M should be at least a B student. My guess is that the OP does well on tests but fails to complete all assigned graded work, which brings grades down.</p>
<p>You want to recalculate his gpa, taking out non-solids (driver’s ed, ceramics, phys ed, etc.) See if that improve the picture (so you can get a better view of his academics.) Similarly, just add up SAT CR and M.</p>
<p>Some kids are utterly bored in hs and catch fire in college. This may boil down to what you know about his strengths and your own sixth sense. What NE schools were you thinking of?</p>
<p>“The battle is not always to the strong, or the race to the swift, but that’s the way to bet.”</p>
<p>Cobrat - Wow, I’m really surprised the Williams, Wesleyans and Wellesleys are actively recruiting kids with 1150 M+CR and 2.8 GPAs. If this is the “new path to elites” I’ll tell my D to start slacking off. It’s a little late, and she may not get down to that level … but it’s worth a try, since she didn’t have much a chance getting admitted with her loftier stats.</p>
<p>Did I say anything about 1150 M+CR??? I don’t think so. I think that’s from another commenter. </p>
<p>If anything, that’s far lower than all of the HS classmates i was talking about above as their M+CR scores in the early-mid '90s was at least high 1300s and up.</p>
<p>Incidentally, one of them did end up graduating from Wesleyan.</p>
<p>Have you considered Rochester Institute of Technology? I think his grades are scores are good enough. They have very good support services-- including structured monitoring where the student checks in with an advisor who helps him organize work. </p>
<p>OP, go look at the profiles of admitted freshman for a few colleges. They usually show 25th-75th percentile or average or median. If he falls in the upper ranges of that, then you see if the school personality, expectations and potential for growth match him.</p>
<p>RIT admit factors: Overall GPA & rank in class, Rigor of course work, Grades in content courses, Appropriateness of courses for academic major, Competitiveness of High School, Standardized Test(s)* etc. </p>
<p>Maybe look at University of Bridgeport, in CT. Friend’s computer kid loves it.</p>
<p>The average gpa and scores from our ps to RIT are a bit higher than OP’s son’s but they accept 89% of our applicants and the gpa range is wide-- from just over a 2.5 to about a 3.9 with everyone over 1500 SAT accepted. The only people rejected had both low grades and low test scores. </p>
<p>All that said… it’s a strong school that also offers good support. If I remember correctly, the graduation rate isn’t astronomical. I think it’s one of those schools where it’s easier to be accepted than to graduate. A few years back, it was on the quarter system and they were switching to semester system, anticipating that this would help graduation rate. I think it merits consideration.</p>
<p>If this SAT score is for all three sections of the SAT…it is just slightly above average…and his GPA is about average (assuming C is average). What are his CR/Math SAT scores? I don’t see these the SAT as being “high”.</p>
<p>What does your son want to do? You mention that you like the idea of IT…but does HE like the idea of IT? </p>
<p>Regardless…you need to pick a school that at least offers good student support services. There are a couple of things you need to do and remember. First, you will have to have CURRENT documentation of any disability he currently has in order to get accommodations (if needed) in college. Second…it is the STUDENT’S responsibility to avail themselves of the student support services the school offers. There will not be a case manager (like in HS) to chase him down and make sure he gets tutorial help if needed. Third, unless your student signs a privacy form giving you permission to speak to the college folks…they won’t. </p>
<p>This student needs a plan to address his attention issues that HE is able and willing to follow without others reminding him to do so.</p>