<p>My friend's daughter, adopted from Ukraine at the age of 16, is now a 18-year-old junior. Her English is good. Her biggest issues are the inevitable psychological baggage that comes from losing your parents at an early age and growing up in an orphanage with nothing. Her grades are very good. She is a bright girl and a hard worker.</p>
<p>Friend has asked me for suggestions on moderately priced schools, not too far from home (near Trenton, NJ), and likely to give good financial aid. Our understanding is that a child adopted after fourteen completes the Fafsa without adoptive parents' information so her financial need will be 100%. My friend's family has an immendse heart but few financial resources. Psychologically, daughter is likely to fare best in a small school with a very supportive environment, perhaps where employment would be part of the package. Although a CC would be an obvious solution, there are reasons why it would be desirable for both her and her adoptive family to begin separating and providing girl with sheltered and supportive independence.</p>
<p>I hope that I've made obvious that the prestige schools typically associated with college confidential aren't what is called for here. Although I am happy to help her mother by doing internet research and such, I suspect that some of you may have some good ideas. Please share your thoughts. Thanks.</p>
<p>What about the College of New Jersey? Seems like a good buy for NJ residents, and it appears like financial aid is available. Though others on here would know a lot more than me about that aspect. </p>
<p>I also wonder about her unique situation and whether it makes sense to send her off to college or to let her live at home. Living at home would be cost effective. More importantly, if she’s already spent her life in an institution, I’m not sure the ‘regular American college experience’ would necessarily be what she needs now. In such a case, maybe being on a campus that has more off campus students might be a better fit.</p>
<p>You might want to take the question about the FAFSA to the experts in the Financial Aid Forum.</p>
<p>I’m inclined to agree with starbright that living at home for the first year or two of college might make sense. Many community colleges have good counseling departments that can help both the parents and the student through the transition to independence.</p>
<p>Even though she probably speaks good English, chances are that she hasn’t yet developed a full command of Academic English. She should be working with the ESOL instructors at her HS to be certain that her language skills are truly adequate for college-level work. To give her an idea of the level she will need to have in order to keep up in college classes, she could take a sample TOEFL exam. Many colleges/universities will require a TOEFL score for her because of the number of years she will have studied in the US.</p>
<p>Sorry, but you have misunderstood. Actually the question on the FAFSA is as follows:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Since she has adoptive parents, their income and assets will be used just like if they were her biological parents.</p>
<p>From FAFSA questions 58-83
</p>
<p>A good place to start is by having your friend run her numbers through a financial aid calculator so that your friend can determing how much they are willing to pay/borrow to send her daughter to college.</p>
<p>This sets off a lot of red flags. She’s lived with her family for two years and the idea is that it’s desirable for her to move yet again to housing that is temporary? I think they need to ask themselves some tough questions about this as a starting point.</p>
<p>Also, dorms are not a “sheltered and supportive” enviroment for someone with a lot of psychological baggage. They are sheltered in comparison to an 18 year old moving out on their own but they are far less sheltered and supportive than an 18 year old living at home. Is she really ready for this step? </p>
<p>Your friends sound like wonderful people but I question their assumptions about what a college and dorm can realistically provide for their daughter. As with the financial aid, its time for them to begin gathering facts.</p>
<p>Your friend should consider discussing what she perceives to be her daughter’s college needs with the high school counselors and school psychologist. They should be more familiar with post-secondary options in your area, and may have some very good suggestions.</p>
<p>Ah, the frustrations of turning to a web site! For reasons I cannot discuss without disclosing too much identifying information, staying at home is an option but not a great one. Keep in mind that the young lady in question will be 20 when she begins college. For those of you who would have this purposely amorphous situation be different, please know that all directly concerned have been through an exhaustive analysis of the situation and have agreed that transition to adulthood for daughter (who is already concerned about the prolonged adolescence that her new situation has caused) will begin with high school graduation and a move to campus. Like all of us, Mom and adult children want to launch Daughter with love and as much support as they can provide. And so the next step, which includes me, as the only member of our mutual social circle with a child young enough to still be in college (I was a late-bloomer), is to explore available options.</p>
<p>Mom and daughter have asked me to help identify schools that meet their criteria of a “good fit.” My first thought, given their current wishlist, was Berea, but I am not sure that Appalachia would be the right fit. But a very large or very competitive school is going to overwhelm her. Her family is looking for a more intimate place-an unpretensious college that is small enough for faculty and staff to know and form relationships with its students. A women’s college or one with a religious affiliation would be fine. </p>
<p>I am sorry if I gave the impression that this child has serious emotional issues. That would overstate the situation. But I would also mislead you if I did not note that there are some pretty normal issues for a teenager with her history: some insecurity about whether “American kids” accept her, a tendency to be easily misled by material things, and uncertainty about who she is now that she agreed to drastically change her life, emigrate and be adopted . . . superimposed upon such normal teenaged issues as am I pretty? will anyone ever want to marry me? what should I do with my life?</p>
<p>So, anyway, if you can, please help me think beyond the usual CC top colleges and universities list. What small regional institution in your area might fit the bill? All leads will be appreciated.</p>
<p>I am a big fan of the women’s colleges. The full list is at [The</a> Women’s College Coalition](<a href=“http://www.womenscolleges.org/]The”>http://www.womenscolleges.org/) If she were in the DC area, I’d encourage her to take a look at [Trinity</a> Washington University - Degree programs and teacher certification in Washington DC: business, communication, nursing and more.](<a href=“http://www.trinitydc.edu/]Trinity”>http://www.trinitydc.edu/) which as a very warm and welcoming vibe.</p>
<p>What is the young woman interested in studying? Does she have a preference for urban/rural? Does she have a green card or did the adoption make her a citizen? (i.e., will she be applying as an international?)</p>
<p>Marlboro pops up, but it is VERY small. Don’t know what FA is like.</p>
<p>Wells College comes to mind. Was all female but became coed around 5 years ago; now is around 75% female, in a quaint, small town. Can also cross-register and attend classes at CC’s or Cornell University so there’s leeway and chance to be on other campuses as well.</p>
<p>Depends if Aurora NY feels “too far” from Trenton, NJ.</p>
<p>I would look for a women’s college that has significant number of international students. I don’t know if Bryn Mawr or Smith would be too competitive, but that’s, I think, would be the kind of environment I’d be looking for.</p>
<p>Check out Wilson College in Chambersburg, PA. It is not an especially high-powered school academically but it is small, extremely supportive, all-female, and has many foreign students and students of nontraditional age. It is a private school but a lot of students get financial aid. The grounds and facilities are lovely.</p>
<p>The problem is the disconnect between “colleges that are small and supportive” vs “colleges that are moderately priced” - and adding the “near Trenton” requirement makes it harder yet. Would community colleges with dorms be supportive enough? Most small private colleges have high tuition; heading west to the Midwest or the Great Plains helps one find relatively inexpensive small schools.</p>
<p>Does anyone here know anything about Douglass Residential? It is a Rutgers campus; sounds really good on its web site but I am not familiar with it. (in state tuition!)
<p>Something to think on re the financial situation. If your assesment of the FAFSA income statement is correct, then you don’t need to be too concerned about the cost of the college as it may get covered fully. You only need to worry about the portion the parents are expected to pay. The very best colleges provide enormous financial aid in supplement to Federal Aid. Get to the bottom of this financial info asap. Read all the FAFSA stuff carefully to determine her status.</p>
<p>Also, it is hard to suggest colleges without knowing how she is performing. GPA is most important, and what kind of percentile is she getting on any standardized testing.</p>
<p>You can look at these colleges to see examples of residential small schools with great programs and mentorship. These are not top colleges, but they are still very good and somewhat selective.
[CTCL</a> Northeast Region | Colleges That Change Lives](<a href=“http://www.ctcl.org/colleges/northeast]CTCL”>http://www.ctcl.org/colleges/northeast)</p>
<p>Lastly, look at Curry College in Mass. They pride themselves in providing a personal education, and providing individual academic support. motto “all education was emancipation” I know a girl who had a learning disability. They were able to help her and she said a light bulb went off in her head and she had an ‘aha’ moment. After the first year, she transferred to a selective LAC and did well for herself. I don’t know much more about it than that. Maybe a little far, but worth looking into. I’d hate to see this girl alone without support system.
[Curry</a> College - Home](<a href=“http://www.curry.edu%5DCurry”>http://www.curry.edu)</p>
<p>I don’t know her stats but I think Agnes Scott in Decatur, GA may be a fit. It is in a mostly residential suburb of Atlanta, an all women college, small, lots of academic help available, good financial aid and lower cost than many colleges already. It has a fair number of internationals but also has very good diversity in the student body so I don’t think her situation would be that strange.</p>
<p>Another small southern women’s college is Salem College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I don’t know much about it. A couple of local (and local is in the midwest) young women went there having heard about it through the pastor’s wife (an alumna) of the Moravian Church, with which Salem is affiliated. I do have the impression that the financial aid is very generous.</p>
<p>“So, anyway, if you can, please help me think beyond the usual CC top colleges and universities list. What small regional institution in your area might fit the bill? All leads will be appreciated.”</p>
<p>It’s hard enough to adjust to a totally new culture and family as that young woman has done in the past several years. For her to adapt to dorming and a new region in this country would, I think, add to her stress. I remember the culture shock I experienced just moving 250 miles from my small Upstate NY town to Boston.</p>
<p>That’s why I suggest that the young woman start at a community college that she can commute to, and then transfer to a small college relatively close to her home. This would minimize the adjustments she’d have to handle.</p>