<p>My daughter started her high school career at a high-pressure school. She did well the first year, with all A's and one B. The second year, she started to really struggle. She left after the first semester with three B's and two A's in her core courses. </p>
<p>She then attended a therapeutic boarding school for a half of sophomore year and junior year. She did well, with a 4.0 GPA and took on AP exam. (English Lit, score of 5) However, the school structure prevented time for ECs and did not have a rigorous course structure.</p>
<p>Then, she repeated her junior year at a regular boarding school. She currently has a 4.2 GPA, takes 3 APs and 1 Honors and 1 Regular class. She now is involved in many ECs involving writing, including newspaper editor, literary magazine editor and intern for a online teen fiction magazine. She has also won some small writing contests. </p>
<p>Her SATs are 750 M, 800 CR, 740 writing. She took the Lit SAT II and got a 780. She is going to take more SAT II's in June.</p>
<p>We worry that her time a therapeutic school will prevent admission from her top choice schools (Haveford, Amherst, Vassar, Williams, Bowdoin). Obviously these are selective LACs. Does she have a chance or should we encourage less selective schools?</p>
<p>She should apply to a range of schools where she thinks she can succeed and be happy. No harm in applying to a few reaches, but make sure she has matches and a safety or two as well. That is common sense in today’s competitive admissions environment. Other schools she might consider that are a bit less competitive but might be a good fit would be Kenyon, Macalester, Mt. Holyoke, or Scripps. All offer merit aid, so that is a bonus. You need to carefully consider whether four years at an intense school like Amherst or Williams is going to be a good thing for her. It sounds like she is doing well this year, but top colleges are harder and more stressful than high school.</p>
<p>I don’t think you need to worry about this, and that opinion is not speculative but is based on actual experience of several families. Colleges actually seem to love “outliers” and stories like this. But make sure, like anyone else, that her application choices are selected carefully and with a range of selectivity. And that the fit meets her needs.</p>
<p>She is a strong candidate regardless, in other words.</p>
<p>p.s. I suggest books like Colleges that Change Lives (also a website, and fairs in the fall), Looking Beyond the Ivies (both by Loren Pope), and Hidden Ivies. Also, has she considered Bennington or Sarah Lawrence? Strong in writing and supportive environments.</p>
<p>Some people thrive in highly competitive, highly challenging environments. Others shut down. Some do tremendously better in less competitive environments where they can more easily be standouts. Others who have the capacity to do better only get mediocre results in this type of environment because they don’t feel peer pressure to push themselves. Some people want a nurturing environment, while others want the depth and breadth a much larger institution provides. </p>
<p>This is where it all comes down to the student knowing herself, and the parents helping with this process. </p>
<p>I don’t believe that the therapeutic school is likely to be an impediment. Figuring out of there are environmental triggers (high pressure, for example) that could again easily derail her in college is probably more important. </p>
<p>I think her application will be helped significantly by last year’s strong academic performance. Combined with good test scores, she can persuasively make the case that she will be a successful college student. </p>
<p>Actually, I would say that her only negative factor at the schools you cite is the fact that she is female. And there is nothing she can do about that! When a school like Bowdoin–I love Bowdoin–has an acceptance rate in the teens, <em>everyone</em> has to cast a wide net. </p>
<p>She is a strong candidate at all of those schools, but she should also apply to places that are still great but somewhat easier admits, as suggested, just to make sure she has a choice. Off the top of my head, I’d think Bryn Mawr, MHC, Smith, Kenyon, in addition to those mentioned above. Looking at elite schools outside of the northeast is also a good idea: Carleton and Pomona, for example, where she might be geographically diverse.</p>
<p>I think it sounds like your daughter will be okay in a high pressure environment if she has the proper support. Plenty of students at my school, which is known to have a very high pressure environment, have mental health issues. However, once they seek treatment they are usually able to get back on track. I don’t think your daughters chances at these schools will be affected very much by what happened in her sophomore year. She seems to have bounced back very well and is probably more resilient because of her past experiences. Being able to get over obstacles early in her high school experiences just shows that she will know how to deal with things that may come up in college. I think this be very clear to admissions when she applies.</p>
<p>I think the most important thing for her in college is to see a therapist and take medication (if she needs it). Going on medication can really help people with mood disorders feel a lot more stable and live up to their potential.</p>
<p>Again, her chances of admission are still very low given that most students that apply are in the range. Don’t set her up or let her set herself up for significant disappointment if she doesn’t win that lottery. Make sure she has other schools she loves. </p>
<p>You might check out some of the many “how on earth was I rejected” threads…</p>
<p>OP, if your daughter has been diagnosed with any type of mental illness, I strongly encourage her to register with the Office of Students with Disabilities at whatever college she attends. There is no stigma attached to this. The staff is there to help in any way they can. Each semester, my son gets a letter of accommodations that he gives each professor. If he gets too stressed, as he did last month, he is allowed extra time to complete assignments. He also gets extra time on exams and takes them at the office. He had to withdraw one semester, and the office was helpful in getting his tuition refunded. It’s just good insurance to be prepared ahead of time. As you know, college can be stressful for ANYBODY, and someone prone to anxiety can use the help.</p>
<p>Your question was about her time at TBS and how adcoms might view it. I’m guessing that because she repeated her junior year and is in key EC leadership positions that support her academic interests + the high SAT scores, the colleges are going to be able to view her as a “success story.” If she hadn’t repeated junior year and done well in her ECs, the TBS could likely have pulled down her application. I would think it’ll help If she doesn’t make her TBS experience the centerpiece of her applications/essays. Would her current GC explain that year? Best to your DD! </p>
<p>OP- you might want to read some of the sadder threads on this board from parents whose kids have crashed and burned in college. I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer, and your D is obviously a strong student with enormous resources to be doing so well after a tough path. So kudos to all of you.</p>
<p>But you might want to sensibly stack her list with a couple of schools which might not be as competitive as Haverford/Amherst and the like. Just so that when it’s decision time, you can all evaluate how she’s doing then and are not locked into a choice which might seem phenomenal now.</p>
<p>If it were my kid, I’d insist on one choice which is a super safety and close to home. That’s your insurance policy. Then I’d encourage one or two choices where you can afford the 5 or 6 year plan in case she needs a less than full time semester at some point. And then the normal range of reach/match, etc.</p>
<p>Seems to me that her continued health and well being is the main event. How a college like Williams will view her experience at a therapeutic boarding school is an interesting subject to consider- but surely not the core driver of her college search.</p>
<p>No need to register with the disabilities office until accepted- just to clarify And tuition refund insurance is a good idea too. We do not know the reason for the therapeutic school but she really would seem to have overcome some obstacles and stabilized and colleges will prefer this to a kid who develops trouble for the first time on campus…</p>
<p>Consider Oberlin. It is a good school for smart students who are a little different.</p>
<p>You definitely should have a mix of selective and less selective colleges. Nobody – NOBODY! – should apply to only elite schools. She should apply to all those you listed, plus some others which are less selective. Besides Oberlin, how about Bates and Colorado College? Stretch a little, and apply to between 8 and 12 colleges.</p>
<p>@MaineLonghorn, what kind of situation does one have to be in to get accommodations like extra time on assignments and exams? I’ve always been curious about this.</p>
<p>I’m also interested to hear about the benefits of registering with the student disability office. Especially for a kid with a past history of emotional issues but who is doing very well currently. Thoughts?</p>
<p>Write a letter yourself for an MD, psychiatrist and/or neuropsychologist to sign, with a diagnosis and list of accommodations included (research online for the particular disability). Documentation such as testing is often required. They like to meet with the student (without parent). Usually the disability office provides the student with letters to give each professor that states he or she is registered with the disabilities office. Some schools will list classroom/learning accommodations, others will only deal with physical accommodations and testing and leave the rest to the student to negotiate with the professor. The standard for accommodations at colleges is lower than for high school and cannot change the curriculum or cause undue financial or administrative burden, but overall colleges are in fact pretty accommodating.</p>
<p>It can help to have a professional involved at the college, therapist, doctor whatever.</p>
<p>Examples (diverse): single room, dietary accommodations, excused absences, exams alone, postponed test or exams, extensions on papers and projects, notetaker, filters for lights, time management, extra advising/counseling, permission to use technology such as Smartpen.</p>
<p>The kid had difficulties at a challenging HS and now you desire the kid to go to a challenging College. Although some kids do thrive in challenging environments, others may flounder. </p>
When a school like Bowdoin–I love Bowdoin–has an acceptance rate in the teens, <em>everyone</em> has to cast a wide net. </p>