S24's Journey (3.5, learning disabilities)

College Search & Selection
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If your son isn’t interested in a Greek/party culture, I might be a little wary of Gettysburg and Lafayette, as I have read that those schools are heavier on the Greek life than several of his other choices.

I started thinking of schools for your son and in doing some additional research, realized some may not be as ideal of a fit. I already had erased some, but figured that for the others I would keep so that it might save you from having to do some of the research yourself (just to possibly realize they should be eliminated). Also, some of these schools are already on your son’s list. I kept/put them in here so that your family would have a frame of reference (i.e. Monmouth and, to a lesser extent, Siena have similar proportions as Marist in terms of class sizes and having no classes with more than 50 students).

In thinking about schools for someone who thrives in small classes I’d take a good look at Drew, Moravian, Muhlenberg, Trinity C., Connecticut C., Susquehanna, Washington C., and McDaniel (two of which are already on your list!).

  • Drew (NJ): About 1600 undergrads; 67.9% of classes have fewer than 20 students; 0.3% have more than 50

  • Manhattan C.: About 3200 undergrads; 55.2% of classes have fewer than 20 students; 0.3% have more than 50

  • Monmouth (NJ): About 4100 undergrads; 47.2% of classes have fewer than 20 students, and none have more than 50.

  • Fairfield (CT): About 4600 undergrads; 39.9% of classes have fewer than 20 students; 1.4% have more than 50.

  • Moravian (PA ): About 1900 undergrads; 66.7% of classes have fewer than 20 students; 0.8% have more than 50.

  • Marist (NY): About 5500 undergrads; 44.5% of classes have fewer than 20 students; none have more than 50.

  • Muhlenberg (PA ): About 2100 undergrads; 76.3% of classes have fewer than 20 students; 0.5% have more than 50.

  • Trinity (CT): About 2200 undergrads in the state capital; 70.5% of classes have fewer than 20 students; 0.4% have more than 50.

  • Connecticut C.: About 1800 undergrads; 71% of classes have fewer than 20 students; 1% have more than 50.

  • Siena (NY): About 3500 undergrads; 39.5% of classes have fewer than 20 students; none have more than 50.

  • Susquehanna (PA ): About 2200 undergrads; 60.8% of classes have fewer than 20 students; none have more than 50.

  • Washington C. (MD): About 1k undergrads; 84.1% of classes have fewer than 20 students; none have more than 50.

  • McDaniel (MD): About 1800 undergrads; 75.3% of classes have fewer than 20 students; 0.2% have more than 50. I’ve heard good things about the support services here.

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22

My D graduated from Lafayette a few years ago. While there is Greek Life at Lafayette one can have a busy/active social life without participating in it.

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Thank you for sharing that information. I probably should have added that I might be wary, but research more.

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I wondered if anyone would mention Drew. I had a great experience there, though it was long long ago. I met lifelong friends there.

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What level of math or statistics is he capable of? Compare that to colleges’ math or quantitative reasoning requirements to graduate with a bachelor’s degree.

Also, many colleges have foreign language graduation requirements.

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My S21 was somewhat similar. His one and only AP was APUSH, and he much preferred social sciences to most other things. His high school background was strong in some things (philosophy classes every year, a big emphasis on critical reasoning) and weak in others (not much rigor in his math and science). He has ADHD and slow processing speed, dysgraphia, and likely dyscalculia. He definitely struggles as a result of these challenges but is also sharp and witty. He had the same wish list for his schools as you’ve shared for your S24 except for the close to home part. He wanted out of the Southeast.

We focused mainly on CTCL schools. Some favorites were not in the NY/New England area, but ultimately he chose one on your list that is in the Northeast (Wheaton MA). We felt that for growth, his best match academically would allow him to feel comfortable while also stretching and challenging him, so while he got into Dickinson (they went test blind due to Covid and are currently still test blind) and Denison, we didn’t think the academic stretch at those schools would be quite the right fit for him to thrive. The vibe/culture he was looking for led us away from Elon, Hobart & William Smith, Gettysburg, F&M, and Lafayette in the early-ish stages of list making (but as your son is an athlete/sailor, those may work better for him than they would have for our son)?

On your list he also applied to and got into Clark, and while he liked it, the campus wasn’t a favorite. Dickinson requires foreign language, I’m sure (my D23 has an application into them now, but she loves foreign language), so that might be a reason it wouldn’t match your son?

But the thing that really made Wheaton his top choice was their curriculum. The Wheaton Curriculum - Wheaton College Massachusetts
Introducing the Compass Curriculum - Wheaton College Massachusetts
It is an open curriculum, and for our S21, not having to worry as much about a lot of distributive requirements has been really helpful to his success. (While an open curriculum might be a nice to have for a lot of students, it’s been a critical factor in our son’s positive experience given his challenges). At Wheaton, the graduation requirements are, simply:

  1. First Year Seminar (likely a requirement at most liberal arts colleges these days)
  2. Sophomore Experience (they can actually also fulfill this junior year, if needed, I believe, but the goal is to get students some hands-on experience fairly early).
    • Study abroad counts to fulfill this requirement.
    • Semester in the City counts (where students live in Boston for a semester with other students doing the program and are matched with a mentored internship (SITC Ambassadors — College for Social Innovation).
    • Some other internships count.
    • And some classes are designed to fulfill the requirement. As an example, my S21 took a Bio Research Experience class which gave him a mentored research experience in a group of other sophomores and also led them through the process of designing and presenting a scientific poster on their findings. As another example, there is a Sophomore Experience class option called “Making History” in which students learn how to create and implement an activist/advocacy plan, with the intention of making change in the community. “As a class, we will focus on one issue that is currently a matter of public interest and debate and is of importance to the Wheaton community. We will research the issue and create an activist/advocacy plan focused on the Wheaton community and/or our local and state legislative structures. In this course, you will be using your liberal arts education, especially your experience in written and oral communication and in-depth, nuanced research, to approach activism/advocacy. You’ll learn to view our issue from multiple perspectives, create effective, targeted communication, and practice leadership and teamwork skills. This course will give you experience in skills that you are likely to encounter in your careers. Finally, we will use this experience to explore our aptitudes and preferences, and think about how to plan a career path based on those preferences.”
  3. Mentored Academic Pathway (a structured small group advisor program to help students reflect on their experience so far, understand and incorporate available opportunities, and think about plans after college)
  4. A major.
  5. 32 credits (with 16 of them outside the field of the major)

S21 was likely not as willing, early on, to use office hours and ask for help as your son is, but he has learned to do so in Wheaton’s environment. He goes to tutoring sessions as well as office hours but, while he’s had accommodations, he’s rarely used them and has started not even requesting them (someone to take notes for him, extended time, small quiet room for tests, etc.)

Not trying to push Wheaton in particular (though I’m happy to see it made your list) but wanted to suggest the idea of considering how open the curriculum is (and how well distributive requirements that exist match your son…there were some schools my son considered that had a number of requirements, but they matched him well. Others less so).

Good luck!

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27

About language, he does have credit for two years of high school Spanish. Is the thought that doing a program like Concordia, giving him a third year, would make his applications more competitive?

He still wouldn’t be ready to take the AP Spanish test, and few schools allow an AP score to exempt students from the foreign language requirement anyway. So, he’s thinking he would rather wait until college because he may be able to substitute a study abroad semester for the requirement (he would like to study abroad), get an exemption for dyslexia, or take ASL, depending on the school.

Of the schools on his list, I think that only Marist and Clark do not require foreign language while in college. The rest require one or two semesters (or three if starting a new language). Most count study abroad for the requirement if you take a class in the language. D19 and several of her friends have taken study abroad classes in Spanish at universities in Spain and Latin America, and they think S24 could pass one.

Other ideas: At Wheaton, it looks like S24 would qualify for a disability exemption and could take 3 regular classes which have a global perspective instead. That may be possible elsewhere, but he’s not counting on it.

St. Mary’s MD, Elon, New Paltz, Hobart, Clark, and Conn offer American Sign Language.

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Thanks, @Bkmom28 . The *asterisks on the list are for the colleges he has visited.

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DH knows professor who teaches immunology at Drew, and she’s terrific. Will have him ask her what it’s like, and whether she has any experience with students seeking extra support.

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I’m thinking this may apply to the previous Wheaton curriculum (“Connections Curriculum” which applies to current Wheaton seniors). Those in Wheaton’s Class of 2024 (currently juniors) and younger do not have a foreign language graduation requirement (new curriculum is “Compass Curriculum”)
Foreign language is an element of some of their honors programs, but those are voluntary to do.

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A couple of other things to consider when looking at colleges may be:
–Number of courses/semester – At some colleges a typical semester is taking five three-credit classes while at other schools the typical semester is four four-credit courses. If you think your S might have an easier time with four classes in a typical semester that could be a consideration.
–Required coursework – (Not just foreign languages) Some colleges have a required core curriculum with little leeway (at least without the school’s approval due to a documented disability) while others have less stringent distribution requirements which typically offer a lot more leeway in terms of what courses a student must take.

All of this information should be found in course catalogues (which are typically online) or can be learned during visits.

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32

Good reminder! I had assumed any math/quantitative reasoning requirements would be similar to the ones at my daughters’ liberal arts college, which S24 would be fine with, and would likely enjoy.

I spent some time with the curriculums and course catalogs. I don’t think any colleges on S24’s list have a specific math requirement. They do have non-calculus based math classes, like Mathematics for Informed Citizens, etc. Some, like Franklin & Marshall, require a natural science with lab, which is fine. S24 loved Regents Earth Science, and wants to take Geology classes whether required or not.

As for Quantitative Reasoning requirements, there are plenty of options such as:

  • Comp Sci: Intro to comp sci, software development, game programming.

  • Philosophy: Logic.

  • Psych: Natural Psych, Research Design/Analysis, Perception, Statistics.

  • Physics: Great Ideas in Physics, Physics of Music, Astronomy (Algebra/Trig).

  • Chemistry: Environmental Chemistry, Chemistry in Context.

  • Biology: Current topics in Biology (for non-majors), Ecology, Forensic Science.

  • Misc: Nutrition, Investing, Energy Economics, Citizen Science, Paleontology.

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Thanks, @nichols51 . Good to know! Have you visited Wheaton? We may not get there before the students go home for the summer…

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Would he consider Vassar? I know it’s a reach, but being male would help some. The curriculum is very flexible. There is a foreign language requirement, but only one unit of math required, and that can be met with a course like astronomy. Students typically take four courses/semester.

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It seems like you have a great plan. My suggestion for Concordia was to increase confidence in speaking the language (the immersion really makes that happen) and possibly for credit, but you’re correct in that even an extra year of HS language wouldn’t allow him to skip a language in college if so required. Sorry to derail the thread!

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Yes, I’ve been to Wheaton several times. I will say it’s not likely to show well in the summer…we had the same problem with Dickinson when we visited in the summer vs. when we visited in April. SLAC campuses can just seem soooo quiet without students around! My D even felt the same way about Kenyon during a summer program despite the fact that there were students there for the program…just so much quieter than during the schoolyear. Happy to answer any questions about Wheaton.

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Vassar is considered a high reach for most or even all at this point. No student with less than a 3.95 (from my kids’ private prep school) has ever been accepted.

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Hi, @elena13 ! As you know, Vassar is “the one that got away” for D19, although she made the right decision for her. Vassar checks a lot of S24’s boxes, too, especially professors who are very engaged with students. Plus, it’s a train ride away, and has no football, no Greek system, and the most beautiful library on a US campus :heart:.

I just don’t think S24 would have a chance at admission. The two kids we know who have been accepted from our high school had sky-high weighted GPA’s, five years foreign lang with AP, high test scores, etc.

S24’s course-load strategy will be to take the minimum credits required to be a full time student. For example, at Vassar, I think that would be three one unit classes and one 1/2 unit class. D21 (also dyslexic) has done well with this strategy. Twelve credits is full time at her school, so she takes four three credit classes, and then a selection of courses worth 1 or 2 credits. To make up the difference for the total credits needed to graduate, she took a class over winter break and will also do a summer study abroad.

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39

Definitely understand! Best of luck to your son. He sounds wonderful and I know it will be hard to have him head off to start his college adventure. Your running list seems really good. We liked Lafayette a lot when we visited. It will fun to see where he ends up!

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Just want to say that it sounds like you have an excellent (and realistic) handle on things @3SailAway and that you are doing a great job of supporting your children and putting them in a position to succeed (and I have no doubt that they will).

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