<p>Hello everyone! This is my first post and experience with the admissions process, so bear with me. </p>
<p>My high school junior son did very well on his ACT (35 first time out) and has a 3.7 GPA. Class rank is in the top 25 -30% range. He is an okay student, mostly As and Bs with the occasional C. He does very well in subjects in which he is interested and engaged, he's just not that motivated and driven. He takes some Weighted classes, (usually Science and Math) but isn't interested in taking all of them, which we have supported. </p>
<p>He struggles with "Borderline" ADD according the professionals (not enough for a diagnosis, but enough to cause problems academically.) He sometimes forgets to do assignments, hands things in late, has trouble getting started, etc. etc. which has burned bridges with some teachers, I am sure. However, he is active in the Band program, works part time and has a lot of friends. </p>
<p>With such an early great ACT result (believe me, we're not complaining), I'm afraid that even though I tell him class rank in very important (it is, isn't it?) keeping him motivated to do well from here on out is going to be tough. He has general interests, but doesn't have specific majors in mind yet, or even more than a couple of schools. What has your experience been with admissions and the importance they place on the Class Rank? If he keeps in the top 25% range will he still have some good scholarship opportunities? I know these are very general questions, but I had to start somewhere. Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>Welcome mcmama! You will find plenty of company around here when it comes to sons who are smart, creative, good kids, but have a bit of trouble staying on top of their schoolwork. (And many of us would be glad to be looking at that 3.7 GPA and top 25% class rank!)
He should. Just make sure that he applies to some match and safety schools; with stats like his he should have lots of good choices.</p>
<p>My third son has many of the same qualities. Here are some strategies that may help:
If freshman grades are lower than others, look for schools that only take soph and junior grades. There aren’t many, but a good search will uncover some (Michigan and Carnegie Mellon come to mind).
If you can swing it, look into a summer program at a top 50 university. Many - not all - of these can give a boost to a borderline candidate. The harder the class and the better the grade, the more likely there is to be some boost, so make sure this is in his area of strength.
Pick your recommenders carefully. If he has burned his bridges with some in the non-science areas, you may have a much harder time. Have him ask teachers at the end of junior year, “Do you think you could write a strong recommendation for me to University XYZ?” Then, listen carefully to the answers. If he applies to a summer program, recs are often needed, so he could get a head start this way.
Like all kids, he needs safeties, including a financial safety, matches and reaches. An EA or rolling admission strategy is especially important to a student like this - you need to know if you’ve miscalculated.
Good luck with the search.</p>
<p>mcmama - my D (HS class of 2009) had a very similar profile (high test scores, OK grades) right down to the “25-30% range” in class rank (it really bothered me that she couldn’t say she was in the top quarter of the class!) and “borderline” ADD (she was actually diagnosed with ADD right before she stared college.) </p>
<p>completely agree with the advice you are getting here. my guess is that, like my D, for every teacher who he’s burned a bridge with, there is another one who appreciates his brilliance, if not his work ethic, and would be willing to write a strong recommendation. good idea to line those up this spring.</p>
<p>colleges like to see an upward trend in grades, so if his freshman year was the worst, that may not be so bad. (unfortunately in D’s case the trend was downward :()</p>
<p>the good news is that she was accepted to several schools and is now a happy, successful first-year student. good luck!</p>