Hi,
My S is a rising senior and has Aspergers and ADD. We live in RI and he wants to stay close to home assuming he goes to college–RI, MA, or CT. He has a 2.93 gpa and ACT of 24. I think he will need regularly scheduled academic support if he is going to have a chance to get through college. I have looked at the K and W guide and just about every article on the internet related to colleges with good support. I know what the pamphlets say; what I am looking for is input from parents or students with first hand info on any such programs in the northeast. Do they live up to what they promise? Pros/cons? My son is not sure what he wants to study–maybe accounting/finance, political science, computer science, etc. He has a hard time with social stuff, executive functions, and writing essays. Some of the colleges with good support services have very limited major offerings, so it would be nice to find a school that has some or all of the majors he may be interested in. Any input is appreciated, but again, hoping for real inside scoop info. Colleges we’ve thought about so far include: URI, Roger Williams, Bryant, Curry, Dean, WNEU, AIC, Mitchell, UConn, UMass, UHartford, Wheaton, CCRI, and a few more. We’ve also thought about a transition program for a year, but I’m not sure if this is right for him. Thanks!
Good morning, and welcome!!
I’m a mom of 3 from Long Island, so I’m in the same general region as you. My kids don’t share your son’s disabilities, though they’re close enough to his GPA.
Take a look here: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1764140-can-we-talk-to-the-b-and-c-students-about-college-p3.html In post #45 I listed the schools that my son had considered, most of which were realistic choices for a kid with an almost-B GPA. (He was, at that time, a Sports Management major. He has since switched to Criminal Justice.)
I’m not sure of the level of support, but figured it might give you a starting place.
Landmark College in Vermont is one of two schools in the country solely dedicated to educating students with learning disabilities. They have a program for students with profiles like your son’s and an amazing track record. Your son can attend for one semester or one year to get the foundation he needs and then transfer to a traditional college program (with supports, as needed), complete an associates degree, or spend all four years at Landmark and graduate with a bachelors degree. They have a placement office that supports students with the transfer process if they are not planning to complete degrees at landmark. It’s worth your time to look…and they are located in Putney, which is southern VT, so not too far from home.
Thanks for the suggestions so far. My S is taking all college-prep courses at a competitive high school, so I think I would prefer that he attend a college not solely for kids with learning disabilities. He is bright and intellectual curious, but not very competitive, and has low self-esteem. He knows a huge amount about areas that interest him, but has gaps in his abilities (he struggles with writing, and reading comprehension for complex texts). I think having really good academic support would be important for his success.
Mitchell, albeit a smaller school, provides great academic support for an additional fee.
We live in RI. We had a friend with a similar situation. Their son went to CCRI for two years then transferred to URI. Since CCRI is now FREE, I would seriously consider two years at CCRI with home support then make a jump. I think he could get a bit lost at big schools like UMass and UConn but Bryant, Roger Williams or URI could work out really well for him. Save your money the first two years for FREE tuition at CCRI. It would be less stress too.
Westfield State U and Framingham State U, Western New England U in MA may be worth checking out. Also in MA, Hampshire college, where students design their own majors, known for being a bit quirky, may appeal to your son. It is also part of the 5 college consortium, so students have the opportunity to take courses at Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, UMass, and Amherst College.
Maybe too far away, but Bennington College in VT, very small, known for eccentric students.
I also second the suggestion for starting out at CC, then transferring. CC may be a nice intermediate step to help your son gear up to complete a bachelor’s degree program.
Thanks for the input so far. My only concern about CC is that assuming my S got his associate’s degree, he might find the transition to another school after that difficult. But I agree you can’t beat the price, and the fact that it’s close to home would help with the transition from high school. Wondering if anyone has heard about Curry College, Lesley, or University of Hartford? Those are also schools that are frequently mentioned, but I don’t know anyone with first hand experience there. I have also heard good things about Mitchell. The main down side is that their majors are extremely limited.
I used to live near U Hartford (20+ years ago), and still visit family in the area. It has grown a lot since then, and has a good reputation in the region. The campus is very nice, and the location is ok, bordering the Northern edges of Hartford, not the best area, but it has been improving in recent years. I would recommend visiting if you have not already.
@oceanstatemom Why don’t you also look at New England Tech. They have a Cyber Security and Network Engineering BA. Computer Science is an incredibly difficult major BTW. It requires an enormous amount of self discipline to push through. I just think you may want to consider having him commute until he gets his footing. No one is going to provide the support his family will. Especially if as you mentioned he has esteem issues it would be so important to start successfully academically. NETech is gorgeous inside.
@oceanstatemom Also maybe have him try the Running Start program his senior year so you can evaluate his performance at the college level. The tricky thing with college is that students not only have to master the material but themselves also. They can get into trouble quickly without great study habits since there are so many distractions.