<p>Not hard here but I had been prepping him with how to think about the decision. He cut down from 10 to 5 based upon logic. One we had visited (Tufts) and one was different. So we had three to visit. </p>
<p>He had overnights or went for admitted student shindigs. Then he and I went to meet with the director of disabilities services in each place. The combination was telling. He liked the kids and the spirit best at Dartmouth and would have signed up right there but the we had our meeting with the DS director. That meeting suggested that it was going to continue to be an effort to get needed accommodations. We’d done it in elementary school, middle school, high school and the The College Board and ACTs, but he was asking for even more data than TCB had asked for and that might not exist. He loved the DS director at Wesleyan – highly competent and on the student’s side – but didn’t feel he fit in with the kids. At Amherst, the fit was pretty good with the kids (not as outgoing as Dartmouth) but the Deans we met with were welcoming and told him, “We admitted you and we’re going to do what it takes to make it work for you.” He found an inspiring advisor. He decided that it would work best for him overall. This was balancing excitement about the kids with comfort that he would get the support he needed.</p>
<p>The only potential problem is that he put himself on Brown’s WL. Brown was his first choice followed by A and D. He had a great visit there (one of only 2 schools he visited) and a good friend (a girl who has had the “I’m interested” smoke signals going intermittently for several years but my son does not yet see the smoke signals"). As before, I’ve been prepping him with reasons that (in my judgment) Amherst is better for him given his needs. No bureaucracy. Close attention. Discussion classes, etc. If Brown admits him from the WL, I think he is primed to stay at Amherst, but he will need to wrestle with it. But the prepping helps make the decision easier for this kid.</p>