Parent of poor but smart student

<p>My son hated high school and did not work very hard in school. Thus his grade point average is not very good although he is quite intelligent. He was shy of two credits to graduate with his class and just finished getting his GED. He got very good SAT scores and says he wants to go to college. He is very technical but I think would like to get a four year degree, although we would consider a technical college. I have plenty of money to pay for college but who would possibly accept him???? Can anyone help with suggestions???</p>

<p>Maybe look into community college and then a transfer?</p>

<p>Don’t you mean rich but smart student?</p>

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<p>Don’t you mean rich but no-work-ethic student? Honestly, you can put in 0 effort and still do decently in high school. What makes you think your son will change his ways in college? College could be a money sink if he decides to flunk out again.</p>

<p>I highly recommend community college and transferring. Your son is smart, so SAT/ACT and AP scores should show it. If they’re not high, you’re out of luck.</p>

<p>Also being “intelligent” is relative. Is he “intelligent” to you because he knows more than you or because you want to believe that he’s intelligent. I know plenty of smart people who don’t take school seriously at all and never take their work seriously but still get straight A’s.</p>

<p>Make sure to take this into consideration. Again, I recommend transferring from Community College. Make sure your son tries there. If he’s as smart as you say, getting straight A’s in CC shouldn’t be a huge problem.</p>

<p>He will need better study habit in order to get through college, so that is where you should start. A good community college can help him master that part. You also should rule out any learning disabilities such as ADD. If that is going on, he needs to develop the time management skills that have been missing so far.</p>

<p>Depending on where you live, what his GED score was, and what his test scores are, you may have several options.</p>

<p>I work at a non-selective public university. We accept students with a GED if they have an ACT score of 24 or higher. Using a conversion chart, the equivalent new SAT would be a 1650, or SAT I (V+M) of 1110. (Hope that’s right; I’m not very familiar with SAT scores)</p>

<p>There’s a sliding scale for lower ACT score/GED score. If the GED score is lower than 450, they are not admitted. </p>

<p>That said, if a student struggled in HS, even if they are bright, they may also struggle in college. I know several students with low HS GPAs with high test scores, indicating they were “smart”, including some National Merit Scholars. Most of them have not done well here, because they lacked the discipline to attend classes and keep up with assignments.</p>

<p>Might be best for him to take a class or two at either a traditional college, community college, or a technical school in a subject he is very interested in, to test the waters.</p>

<p>Our school is also affiliated with a technical school, and the technical school graduates do very well in their fields. It tends to be more “hands on” learning, and less listening/reading/writing based.</p>

<p>Some of my friends seem a lot like your son. I think the advice you’re getting from others about sending him to a community or junior college first is the best route to take. Then he can develop good study habits in classes that will be (probably) less rigorous than those he would take at 4-year universities. He should go somewhere you feel confident he can handle, and when he’s ready for a more challenging campus he can transfer once he’s proven he is capable.</p>