what school would you recommend for an introverted (maybe mildly aspergers) student AP level student with 1900+ first time SAT scores?
Where do you live, how much can you afford/what is your EFC, what subjects is your kid interested in studying, rural/urban important, etc?
Your kid’s introversion is only one piece of the puzzle.
We live on the east coast but have visited chicago and minneapolis and loved them. I am a single mom but solidly middle class. My son loves history and politics. My son does not have to be in a city itself, but certainly would prefer to be near one. He is looking for a college that is not too large, e.g. 2000-8000 so he doesn’t get overwhelmed.
Clark in Worcester, MA comes to mind. A good start might be to use the college match feature here on CC. I found it was a really good starting place, and it can be very helpful by suggested colleges you may never have heard of.
Clark is definitely on our list. Any other suggestions?
North Central College in suburban Naperville IL. The school is right in the middle of Naperville, and has some great places to go and hang out. An up and coming Liberal Arts school, on the small side, with @ 1900 students & no PhD programs, but your student’s scores will generate some nice scholarship dollars. Oldest son attended and loved it - got a MA at another school. http://northcentralcollege.edu/home
Perhaps Fordham - Rose Hill.
The school that has good departments in his interests/proposed majors should be his first consideration. Large schools may provide anonymity and less pressure to be part of things since there are so many different students. Do not discount large schools if they have good departments for your son’s interests. It can be easy to ignore crowds and do your own thing. Has he even visited large schools to see what it is like? A bunch of strangers who ignore him could be easier to handle than everyone saying hi as he navigates the campus world.
My son is adament that he doesn’t want to go to a large school. Too many people = sensory overload. But 2,000 to 8,000 would be okay.
Probably not well-known but one possibility in Minneapolis might be Augsburg College which literally borders the Univ of Minn campus. Well-known locally for its disability services including students on the spectrum and is very focused on experiential learning (and was my Aspie S’s fallback when he was looking for schools; however, he planned to study engineering which would have required transferring later (eg 3-2 program) and he preferred a larger university environment so it was never high on his list although it would have been a good transitional step for him - much like community colleges can be for students on the spectrum - had we decided that was needed)
Knox College is very receptive to aspies.
Where is Knox? I am lucky in that my son has no learning disabilities. It is the social thing that is an issue for him.
one of the best things we did when trying to find colleges was to attend one of the free “Colleges that Change Lives” seminars…we met representatives from 40+ colleges and it was a real eye-opener. Here’s their tour schedule http://www.ctcl.org/events/map They’re in Boston on May 20.
How about a school like St. John’s in Annapolis, Md. ? It is very small and very nice. They have a great books programs so all the courses are already decided! You could visit and have your son sit in on classes. The town is also lovely and manageable.
Both of these are great ideas. Thanks so much. I have been feeling like I am running into a brick wall with the school counselor and didn’t know where to start looking.
The College of Wooster is a small, home-y environment with only 2000 students enrolled. I’m very much an introvert and Wooster is still a great fit for me. You’ll encounter students from all walks of life here, so I wouldn’t say that it’s a sheltered school, but it’s a good place to consider.
Where is the college of Wooster?
It is in Ohio about 30-45 minutes outside of Cleveland. It’s part of the Colleges That Change Lives book and, according to my school’s website, it’s the author’s favorite school.
Knox is in Galesburg, IL, about 2 1/2 hours West of Chicago, 1/2 hour from Peoria, if that helps.
I second looking into the Colleges That Save Lives listing (you can find them on line) and attending one of their seminars as the speaker is terrific! I don’t know anything about you or your son but a lot of the schools listed are religious which immediately eliminated them for us. It’s good to know in advance of attending the seminar as to whether those schools will be considered.
Knox has a diverse student population but they all feel that they are Knox weird (or some phrase like that) and are totally accepting of each other. Socially it is fantastic in so many ways and also opens up a whole world of possibilities for their students, few students just go to classes and then back to their rooms, most are involved in all sorts of ways with the college and community. Not knowing any more about your situation, it is worth looking into.
Good luck!
Have you run net price calculators at any of the schools? Money will be a big factor. We see parents and kids on here after acceptance times SHOCKED and dismayed and sad that they can’t actually go to their dream/perfect school. What state are you in…those state schools tend to be the most reasonable.