Stressed Mom Needs Advice

<p>This is our third time through college search. I need help/support/reassurance. </p>

<p>Older 2 very academic/successful students at UVa. Now comes youngest: extremely hard working, same VERY academic HS with more than adequate GPA (3.5+). He has not taken any AP or honors classes and only moderate extracurriculars as he has spent most of his time on school work. He has had an IEP with limited accommodations and support but is not in any self contained classes, knows how to self advocate and is very motivated. ACT is exceptionally low (21) but will retake and should (may?)go up a bit after some tutoring. </p>

<p>We want to find a place where he will be able to succeed academically and have time for other activities. He would like to be no more than a 3 hour drive from home (DC) and would do best with a medium sized school (2000-8000?). </p>

<p>I am now worried that there is no such thing as a safety on his list because he has had minimum activities (spends most of his time on academics) and his ACT is so low, the only real strength is his GPA, (although he will also have excellent recommendations since teachers have requested to write them for him, teachers appreciate him).
He is probably applying to:</p>

<p>Susquehanna: My favorite. He not as convinced
Mary Washington: He likes, We like but is it too academic(?)
Elizabethtown: Still have to visit but like what we read Is it a c commuter or suitcase school?
West Chester: Too large? Commuter/Suitcase school?
Guiilford: A little far from home but otherwise sounds good.</p>

<p>He will probably need some tutoring and will try for extra time in college. Also maybe take fewer classes per semester (especially first semester). But is self motivated and knows how to advocate so don't see that he will need a school with structured LD program. He will also apply to Hofstra (and their program) though for good measure. </p>

<p>No financial need. </p>

<p>SHOULD WE REPORT HIS LD? (as reason for his ACT and/or limited ECs)?</p>

<p>Can anyone make other school suggestions? </p>

<p>THANK YOU FOR THE HELP!!!!!</p>

<p>His GPA is great! Did he get extra time on the ACT? If not, you may want to get that accommodation, along with some tutoring.</p>

<p>thanks Toledo, He did have extra time and tutoring for ACT. One problem with ACT was he was confused with the timing and wasn’t prepared properly on the format. Perhaps retaking will help a little (and he will in October).</p>

<p>I have dyscalculia and have a really hard time with the math and science portions of the ACT, and just taking 3 or 4 practice tests raised my score from a 23 to a 30. Preparing for the format is one of the best things you can do to take that test.</p>

<p>Has your son looked at Fairleigh Dickenson? They have a fabulous program for LD kids with lots of tutoring, extra time on exams, quiet room for exams and much more. I highly recommend that you check them out.</p>

<p>I have seen a lot of smart kids do poorly in college due to the LD condition and due to a lack of support by the colleges. Don’t let your son face this problem.</p>

<p>We definitely don’t want to set our son up to fail. He has spent so much time and effort on academics in HS that we want him in a place where he can find time and energy to explore himself.
Our issue is finding the right combination of academics and social (as would be required of all college searches) but think it is much more difficult with kids with LD…as I said this is my third child, other 2 searches were SO different. </p>

<p>Perhaps FDU is an option. What is the social side of the school like? ANyone know?</p>

<p>Your son has done so well in high school. He sounds very highly motivated, and is clearly hardworking. But dealing with the issue of academic work taking an LD kid longer, and therefore reducing the amount of time he can spend pursuing other interests or socializing, is really a tough one.</p>

<p>You mention that he had only limited accommodations in high school. I am wondering if there are other accommodations you think would be appropriate to redress his LD’s and which could make college less of a hurdle. Is there any sort of technology out there that could help streamline the amount of time it takes him to read/write/review material/get organized – deal with whatever area is relevant for him?</p>

<p>Are you in a financial situation that would allow your son to spend an additional semester or year in college? Would he consider taking a cc summer school course (or internship that offers transferrable credit) that would give him units and allow him to reduce his courseload during the school year? Is there a subject area that is very easy for him timewise, and if so, would he consider including some collegee classes in this area to lighten his load?</p>

<p>If you have a really good psychologist who did your son’s testing and is familiar with the challenges he’s faced in high school, it might be good to return for a consultation. If the psychologist follows clients past high school, he may be familiar with how students with various LD’s have fared in the near-by colleges you’re considering. He might also have concrete suggestions about what kind of college programs and what kind of support would best serve your son, and where those programs and support systems are available.</p>

<p>Daughter has ADD, high school was a nightmare (for us, for her it was one big party). We went with Guilford mostly because of its small size. Daughter almost flunked out first semester, but she was motivated to stay. She spoke up about her lack of organization/planning/time management skills and got great help. She kept her course load light, went summers to make up the difference. A nurturing place.</p>

<p>OP should definitely look at schools that offer credit bearing J-term courses. Taking 3-4credits in January is a great way to reduce the course load and still take advantage of summer opportunities (travel, internships, summer job, etc.).</p>

<p>Also, check school catalogues for geneds and distribution requirements. I believe we dropped Susquehanna b/c of a foreign language requirement. And we scratched another school (I forget which) because students were required to take/pass calculus - - which I suspect would be beyoned D’s ability.</p>

<p>Remember, college is not hs and students will likely receive fewer accommodations in college (especially course exemption) than did in hs. Worse still, it can be difficult to figure out what accommodations a college will provide until after the student is enrolled.</p>

<p>Hi- your child sounds very much like mine. Did you get any good advice from this site? I am just starting the search with my child and find her extremely resistant to any suggestions from us. I don’t want her self esteem to go down, but do want to find somewhere that supports kids with LD . Let me know if you found any great info. Thanks</p>

<p>I would stay far far away from West Chester. Services are horrible. Party school, for those who don’t go home on the weekend (yes, suitcase college). Also 10-12,000 students, a lot larger than 2000-8000.</p>

<p>ETown - Nice little school. I don’t know what their services are like; it’s also suitcasey. </p>

<p>I’d look into these as well, depending on his major:</p>

<p>Franklin & Marshall (Lancaster)
Millersville (one of the best of the PA state schools - good services, I know a lot of kids with LD who love it there)
Goucher (MD)
Juniata (Harrisburg)</p>

<p>Juniata is a great school, but it’s not in Harrisburg. It’s in Huntingdon, a little bitty town about 35 miles south of Penn State. It’s a 2-hour train ride from Harrisburg.</p>

<p>When my D applied, I asked her counselor how to handle explanations to the college about LD, as we had a similar situation. My D has ADHD and has to get homework done before med wears off, which limits EC participation. My D’s HS counselor said he would handle it in his counselor letter. We knew him well enough that we felt comfortable with that, and trusted his expertise. Also knew that the GC himself has a kid with ADHD, so is very familiar with the issues. I don’t know what he said exactly, but my D did well with her college admissions.</p>

<p>Some other thoughts… keep the lines of communication open with your kid as much as possible. You want to be available to assist kid if the kid will let you. With my D, I got involved with her registration for first semester frosh year. I researched her profs on popular student rating website… You have to read between the lines, but I eliminated a few people I felt she would not do well with, for example people with strong accents or very soft voices. I made sure she got up early on registration day to choose sections first thing. Got her an English 101 prof that she loved. </p>

<p>For second semester, I decided to step back and let her handle things… guess what? She messed up registration (forgot about it for several days) and did not get second semester with favorite English prof… at the last minute I got involved and I think I managed to salvage her schedule. OK, it was a good learning experience for her but I will pay attention to reminding her in the future.</p>

<p>I don’t care if people will accuse me of being a heli-mom. For fragile students I think we do what we can to facilitate their learning process.</p>

<p>By the way, don’t forget to check out the SAT optional schools. I think Goucher may be SAT optional…</p>

<p>Check out Curry College in Milton Mass. It would be an exceptional safety w/great LD supports. My nephew is there and really blossomed. LD program was one of the country’s first.</p>