Wow… that sounds wonderful!!! Just the right type of atmosphere for a lot of the kids on this thread!
I don’t keep nearly as detailed notes as some of you parents, but I appreciate this thread.
Here are my son’s stats: 2.3 GPA at the midpoint of his junior year. I don’t anticipate it moving up much. 950 SAT (500 verbal/450 math). He has ADHD and a diagnosed learning disability for math. He wants to be a physical education teacher. We live in western NY.
- Bowling Green State University. About 5 hours from home. He and I loved the school. He loved the college town, so different from the rural settings of many of the colleges we've visited. He has a shot of actually getting in here. Their general admission standards are a 2.5 GPA and a 1020 SAT, but if you don't meet those standards they offer two different conditional admit programs called UPAS and Firelands Pathway. Both programs would have you on the main campus taking classing with your peers. I also love the FLY Program which is a special program for students with ADHD or learning disabilities. There are about 40 students in the program. Students get an hour of private tutoring in each subject area each week. They also get personalized librarian services to help with papers, a coordinator who meets with the student each week to review attendance, grades, etc. And they email the parents every other week to update you your student's progress. All of this individual attention comes with a price tag of an extra $5k a year. This school is our dream school, really the only college I'd feel comfortable sending him so far away due to the extra support offered by the FLY program...but it probably is going to be out of our price range. I'll have him apply anyway though. Hopefully it will be an acceptance letter which will boost his confidence.
- Suny Delhi- About 5 hours from home. I like that the classes are small. He would only be able to go here for the first two years of his degree and then he would transfer to Cortland. The phys. ed department has a strong relationship with Cortland and most of the graduates of their 2 year program get admitted into Cortland afterwards. (Getting into Cortland as a Freshman is out of the question with his stats, but this is a nice back door way to make it there.) The phys. ed presenter I was listening to said they have a system where they collect the cell phones from the students as they enter the class and return them at the end of class. I love that they use that management system. My son still needs it and I imagine lots of students at Delhi do. We will be applying here as well. Not his top choice, but I think it will earn him an acceptance letter.
- Genesee County Community College- 45 minutes from home. This is a strong contender. They have dorms and the first two years of his phys. ed. degree. After which he would need to transfer to probably Suny Brockport (hopefully with better grades than he earned in high school). He will be able to live away from home, yet still be close enough for me to pop over there or him to pop home when/if he needs extra help with the executive functioning skills so hard to master with ADHD. They also have the federally funded Student Support Services program open to students with learning disabilities or low income students. We are not low income but he might be able to qualify based on his learning disability. (Trio is a similar program some colleges offer). The federally funded programs offer a more extensive tutoring then most colleges have in their tutoring or accessibility offices, probably not as extensive as the FLY program at BGSU, but a higher level of support than usual. So, I've made a habit of checking to see if colleges participate in Trio or Student Support Services. This is one of the few community colleges in NY that does.
We are still planning to look at Pitt Brad in Pennsylvania which is an hour and half from home and Canisius College which is right in our hometown.
Some colleges we’ve looked at already that probably won’t be a good fit right now are:
- SUNY Brockport- We'll apply anyway, but I don't think he will be accepted with his stats. This is definitely going to be our reach school. If he does get accepted we will have him apply to the Delta College which is a way to do your gen ed classes in a more hands on, holistic atmosphere instead of in large lecture halls. This is one of only 2 state schools in NY with his major and if he doesn't get in Freshman year he will probably have to apply again for his junior year. It's only an hour from home which means I'm here for executive functioning support if he needs it. They do not have a Trio or Student Support Services program, although they have the regular tutoring programs all colleges have.
- SUNY Cortland- 3 hours from home. Not even gonna try applying to this one, his stats are waaaay too low to make it in. We loved the campus and it is really the Harvard of sports programs in NY. The only way he's going here is if he gets in through the back door by starting at Delhi.
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@JoyG thanks for your input.
Not sure who has your son’s major, but look at Morrisville State, Buffalo State-- both accepted my daughter with SATS in the same ballpark as his.
Also: other CC’s with dorms Tompkins- Cortland CC (“T3C”) probably has a backdoor into Cortland and looks gorgeous.
@JoyG since you are considering Canisius, have you looked at St. Bonaventure? It might be a good distance, far enough to be away at college but not too far to go if you are needed. I’ve known more than one student go there with his type of stats (and ADD) and be successful. I know a student going next year who wants to be a phys ed major! The basketball team is fun to watch for someone not even into sports, it must be really exciting for someone who actually likes sports.
I also know that students also sometimes transfer in from community colleges and 2 year colleges like Alfred.
Seton hall. DePauw
We visited Pitt-Brad today (University of Pittsburgh, Bradford campus). 1.5 hours from home.
A small school with about 1500 students. Rural setting, but pretty campus. Everyone knows everyone. Although there are Sororities/Frats on campus they don’t have frat houses.
Students with a 2.5 GPA and 1030 SAT qualify for academic merit scholarships. And they’ll admit students with stats lower than that. I visited with the TRIO and Disability services offices. The support systems and tutoring services are all in place, but they don’t seem to be as strong or as well organized as Bowling Green for sure (not sure if we’ll ever see any as strong as Bowling Green).
Small class sizes. Apartment style dorm rooms. We’ll definitely apply to this one.
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'Tis the season.
bump
I would love some input on other schools!!!
@bjkmom thanks for your earlier info re Plymouth State… did an info session and tour last week and agree that it is a great option for these students!
I’m too lazy to go back and reread the entire thread…did I (or anyone else) mention Flagler College in Florida? Definitely some flexibility for admissions within the B/C range, especially for male students!
Yes, Flagler was mentioned on Page 1. It would have been a definite option for my daughter had it been a bit closer; her 5 hour drive is about as far a stretch as she’s willing to go.
I’ve been inspired by this thread - thank you bjkmom for posting - can you please review all of my son’s college visits??? 
My son is looking to stay in-state since he will have almost a semester worth of SUNY credits from dual enrollment courses. It would be silly to give up these credits and pay more, especially when he’s not sure where his passion really lies.
So far we’ve visited:
- SUNY Fredonia
- Ithaca / Drive-by of SUNY Cortlandt since we were in the area, nothing official
- SUNY New Paltz
On Deck:
- SUNY Oneonta
- College of St. Rose (Albany)
on the fence about:
- SUNY Plattsburgh
-SUNY Adirondack
If anyone else has kids considering these schools, I’d be happy to share a report.
Bonus Points if you can figure out my son’s possible major from these colleges - but beware, one of these things is not like the other… 
SUNY Adirondack is a CC-- would you consider adding another CC in? Maybe Herkimer or T3C? That way, should the unthinkable happen, he’s guaranteed a choice of colleges.
Thanks @bjkmom - I thought I replied but it looks like my post never went through. I have actually looking into SUNY Adirondack and think it might be a great fit if he doesn’t get into the program he wants (Oneonta - applied EA and we’re hoping to hear any day).
@mkisaac -
My S17 in this category is a sophomore at Fredonia now, in the honors program and loves the school.
My D and another son attended Plattsburgh. She was in this category, got into Honors program, graduated with a 5 year degree magna cum laude and loved the school. 5 years after graduation, she still visits occasionally. My son was another story - “gifted underachiever” with a 3.2 GPA and a 1400 plus SAT, commended student, AP scholar, no interest in performing. He also got into the honors program and loved the school. He left due to emotional stresses but visited friends up there recently and loves the area.
The key is knowing what your son wants or at least what he is interested in.because not every SUNY offers every degree beyond the basics - you can do english, psych, history, etc. at almost every school but if you want more esoteric programs, you need to focus on a particular SUNY or two.
@techmom99 - glad to hear she loves Fred! My S loves the community but I’m just concerned about the distance - 6.5 hours in the car the last time we went. If I could pick up the school and move it closer, that would be ideal
Hence, Oneonta checks all the boxes - music industry program, ~3-4 hours, no audition & a friendly community.
We went for the open house back in October - horrible weather (wind and rain) but we had a great tour with a family friend who is a freshman this year and it all just clicked. He applied EA and I thought they said decisions would be out by January 1, but he’s heard nothing. I’m worried because other EA applicants have heard. I don’t remember being this stressed when I applied to college, but then again, I applied to only 1 school…that I attended.
Any other suggestions on schools with sound recording/music industry or a similar field? He enjoys music but didn’t want to major in performance or music education. I proposed that he look into sound recording and here we are. If he could listen to classical music all day, he’d have the perfect fit. I thought about mentioning ethnomusicology (not even sure if that’s the right term) but had no idea what he could do with that degree other than be a professor, which I do not see in his future (but would love to be proved wrong!).
@mkisaac Over Thanksgiving I was talking to some of our grads. I’m pretty sure that one who wants to go into the music industry raved about St. Rose in Albany
@mkisaac -
Fred is only 6.5 hours for you! It’s 8+ for us, but my son is so happy there. The first year, he took the school sponsored bus for breaks, but this year, he became friends with a transfer into his major who lives about 90 minutes further than we do and this guy has been driving him.
I have never been to Oneonta, but my friend with one there and one at Fred, really prefers Fred. She says the campus is nicer and a lot less hilly. Her Oneonta kid is in the Music Industry program and her Fred kid is in music ed.
The 2 kids I know who go to Fredonia LOVE it!!
Well, good news arrived on Thursday and he was accepted to Oneonta - he is thrilled!
I think there’s a bit of regret there because Fred was really his top school until he visited Oneonta in October - sort of like that first girlfriend. I think he would have been happy there, but he felt like a “big fish” because most of the students aren’t music majors. Honestly, he was very nervous about the Fred audition, which is the same for sound recording and performance majors. He didn’t major in performance because he is not a strong solo performer, and there are so many performance students there (or at least it felt like it!), it would be like high school all over again (overachievers abound).
I’m happy he made his own decision about the school he wanted, but of course I also have the mom guilt that I should have pushed him to practice more, join more clubs, etc. All in all, I’m proud of him and can’t wait to see what the next 4 years hold!
@bjkmom I work with someone who formerly attended Fred and he was so excited for my son. I think he would have picked Fred if he had not seen Oneonta. I liked Fred too and kind of feel sad he won’t be going…
Now, 2 years off until the next kid!
Congrats on the Oneonta acceptance!! What a gorgeous campus, and what a lovely feel it has!! While my daughter absolutely belongs where she landed-- at Plymouth-- Oneonta was her original first choice!
Absolutely time to hit the school bookstore online and order a hoodie!!