I’m so excited about the possibility of a reduced course load for my child @compmom! The whole conversation and thread has been incredibly helpful, and this is a concrete recommendation that really resonated for me. What’s more, I spoke to my child about the possibility that her accommodations for extended time, which have been useful in high school, might suggest that a reduced course load could be a helpful accommodation in college. While she was concerned about maintaining the option to take a full course load, her spirits have lifted immeasurably since I brought it up. YAYYYYY!!! This may be a real breakthrough!!
@compmom would this student need to still have full time status to maintain financial aid?
Would this mean a minimum courseload of 12 credits instead of say…15-18?
If so, really any student can decide to take a reduced courseload if they are willing to attend the extra terms it will take to complete the degree. Assuming this is a college that allows students to do so.
I think course selection is one area you, the parent, can really help with. My daughter’s adviser had the ‘stock’ classes that a beginning theater student took. and signed up for those, including Psych 101 and World Civ, with a 4 pm Friday discussion session. NOPE. I stepped in and changed the 4 pm class to 2 pm, and change psych to English and MWF at 1, so she had 2 classes on Friday - much more likely to attend than that 4 pm class! The school also would have ‘suggested/required’ her to take a remedial math class that I’d get to pay for but for which she’d receive no credit. Again, nope, not first semester.
If possible, have her take 12 credits her first semester, and classes she’s likely to do well in and enjoys. If she likes math, have her take a math class which is straightforward - here’s the problem, here’s the answer.
It all works out. I think your daughter will do well at UMass at her own pace.
One thing my friend found when she went away to college was she couldn’t handle it ALL - the academics, the medications, the social life, the adult responsibilities. She crashed because it was too much all at once. Her parents were 2000 miles away. Once she moved home, she could easily handle the academics and some of the social things at a local college, and she was happier. If your daughter is close by, she can come home on some weekends and recharge. If she’s close by, she won’t have to change doctors or therapists. Even if she lives at college, many things will be familiar to her so not everything a new and strange experience. If she wants to go to a favorite restaurant or ice cream place, she can. If she wants Mom’s special casserole, she can call home and order it for dinner. If the dorm gets crazy, you can rescue her on a Thursday night. You can still do things together like go to the theater once a month.
I have friends who live in the flagship city. Her son lived in the dorm 15 minutes from home and his cousin attended too from her home about 2 hours away. The two came ‘home’ every Sunday night for some good food and to do laundry, and often sneaked over during the week just for a break.
My daughter on the autism spectrum (currently a junior) has taken a light course load throughout college, which is the only way she has been able to manage without getting totally overwhelmed. For her, that means three courses/quarter instead of four or five. With her AP credits and taking a few classes during the summer, she’s on track to graduate on time next June. @Lynnski, like your daughter mine is much better at exams than papers, so it has definitely helped that she’s a math major where writing (other than proofs) is not required. However, she has had to take several General Ed classes where writing is a major component. In the ones where she had difficulty getting papers done on time, she was able to advocate to both her professors and TA’s for an extension, when necessary. So it really helped that during her HS years she learned how to self-advocate. So far, she hasn’t had a problem with any of her professors when she brings up her autism and lets them know what things are difficult for her (one of them being presentations in front of the class). They have all worked to accommodate her, if she requests it.
And another thing that has helped my daughter immensely and is the one major perk she gets through the disabilities office is priority registration. This has been invaluable at a huge university like UCLA in helping her to get classes at times that work best for her (she much prefers classes in the afternoon to the morning). I think the earliest class she’s had to take is at 10 am. This has also eliminated the anxiety around whether she’ll be able to get the classes she wants and/or needs.
Also, having her close by (we live less than an hour away) has been helpful. Generally, she doesn’t feel the need to come home on weekends, but last year when she was having roommate issues, it was nice for her to be able to easily come home for several weekends in a row to get a break. And it’s nice to be able to take her out to dinner once in awhile.
Some schools allow 3 classes instead of 4 or 5 for anyone, some require a petition even if it is an accommodation, some provide it as an accommodation with documentation- lots of variation. One of the schools we dealt with also extended aid for three semesters after the 4 years because the reduced course load delayed graduation. Taking one class in the summer can help too.
That’s so nice that the idea provides a safety valve for your daughter Lynnski! If she wants to start f/t she can adjust downward before the withdrawal deadline, if she has the info in advance about what is allowed.
State and federal aid is for students who are at least taking half of a full-time load so 3 classes would be the magic number at UMass.
I like what twoinanddone wrote about doing it all. I use that metaphor or training wheels a lot, and the training wheels stage can last however it needs to last. So for one of mine I did prescriptions,insurance,financial stuff etc. etc. but she made appointments and went! Trips home are fine and tend to fade as they aren’t needed, in a natural way.
I feel like we’re in good shape regarding location. UMass is very close and her dad works there, so she’d have lots of good contact if she wants it. If she chooses Brandeis, we’re close enough that we could take her to dinner or for a weekend visit. I’m glad she was never interested in going to faraway schools! The difference between a 20 minute and a 90 minute drive doesn’t seem to be that important… assuming she settles in socially. And I expect the social piece of college will go very well for her (once she gets past the first pains of separation).
@Lynnski Since she prefers exams to papers, I would encourage her to take advantage of UMass’s extremely generous CLEP policy to knock out a bunch of GE courses, especially history, literature, and social sciences, which tend to include a lot of writing. UMass even gives College Comp credit for one of the general CLEPs, which very few schools do. CLEP credit is based on a single multiple choice exam, and most are significantly easier than APs. (PM me if you want more info about CLEP resources.) She could even start doing CLEPs this summer; if she continued with two per summer until the beginning of Senior year (8 total), that alone would allow her to graduate on time while taking a lighter load (12 credits per semester) all four years.
Another tip in terms of carrying a lighter load: If she is a STEM major, then she’s likely to have at least a couple of 4-credit classes in each semester, plus probably a 3-credit GE or other course, which would be 11 credits. Instead of adding another 3-credit class, she could look at some of the nonacademic 1-hr classes (often PE related, like yoga or racquetball or whatever), to make it full time. That would ensure that she stays eligible for financial aid even without any special disability accommodation to take less than 12 credit hours.
Here’s a link to UMass’s CLEP credit policy:
https://www.umass.edu/admissions/sites/default/files/pdf/Clep2016.pdf
Our family has done CLEPs and not only acquired credits but saved a ton of money. Community colleges give them. The English composition one gives 6 credits! You can get textbooks online for cheap then take a CLEP and get 3-6 credits for under $100, and clear away some hen Ed’s. They are not difficult. IMass’ website listed the ones they accept ( as Corraleno posts above). Excellent suggestion! (Now if I could only get my kid with ADHD to slow down and focus on this too!!!)
My child has committed to attending Brandeis this fall! In terms of the issues discussed here, I think it’s a good choice because the school is smaller and more intimate, and she’s likelier to be able to advocate for herself in a smaller environment where the students and faculty are deliberately attentive to kindness and supportive connections. Brandeis very much wants students to graduate in 4 years, but I feel well-equipped to push back if it feels like she needs more time. It seems possible that she’ll transfer to UMass at some point (or do graduate work there), so I’m glad she’ll be taking a more definitive step away from the nest at the end of the summer. Many thanks to you all!
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It always feels good once the decision is made - best of luck!!