I saw that, so that is why I asked.
The link is in post #3
I did look at the list of test optional schools, and some of them are good options. However, a lot of them are religious or art related, which we’re not interested in.
I do intend to speak to the college counselor once he’s assigned to one, which will be at the end of the year. He also has a wonderful learning support teacher (she’s also the director of the program) who can help guide us. She really looks out for him.
Since it’s still kind of early, we haven’t really done much planning yet. I really just wanted to see if people on here had some advice because I know there’s a lot of knowledge on here, and I was having a bit of anxiety about this. I want to kind of steer him in the right direction, knowing what he might be up against.
We’d like him to go right from HS to a good small to mid-sized college with no directional school or cc beforehand. His grades have shown that he can do the work. It’s just his standardized tests that are awful.
I really think at many colleges there more to it than test scores. If he has a compelling story he can be admitted without the highest scores. I think my daughter’s app read well, she had a lot going for her apart from lackluster scores, and so she has been accepted to some amazing schools.
I will state the obvious here, since it hasn’t been said yet: TAKE THE TEST AGAIN. Just a little bit of review and prep, familiarity with the format, a strategy for “guessing” (or not), and learning to pace oneself, can matter a lot. My son was a wiz at the tests, thought prep was beneath his dignity. In fact he did extremely well on ACT and SAT (perfect score on SAT II math).
His younger sister, who is also very smart, decided to mimic her brother and wing it on the tests. Just reviewed the test in the booklet. While her scores were quite decent, she was disappointed in them. So she repeated after just a little review, and added 100 points to the SAT total. Test scores probably weren’t as important to her, since she was applying to art schools, but the second round was quite decent.
Then, about 7-8 years later, she got really serious about prepping b/c she had decided she wanted to move beyond her BFA to earn an MBA at a top 10 business school. And she had to reach a target. She spent months prepping: home-study Princeton Review course, math class at a local college (she hadn’t had any math since high school). Her scores, including math, were well above the 90th percentile.
Did she get smarter in the interval between high school and then? Yes: about the value of prepping for important tests.
@mackinaw - the op’s kid hasn’t taken it yet!! Just the PSAT!
@jym626 This may fall into the category of that old line: “Don’t panic. Wait a few days. If it’s still a problem, THEN panic.”
Generally, if there is a disparity between test scores and grades, it is way better for the applicant to have the low test score, relative to the grades (which indicate actual performance). Test scores are not THAT predictive of college performance, and to the limited extent that they reflect potential, it is better for the record to show performance that exceeds potential, as opposed to the other way around.
@megan12 As a student with an LD, I prefered the SAT over the ACT because of the greater amount of time given to answer the questions. I went through a prep course as well which helped. I would say to try the Khan Acedamy tests untimed and work on slowly shorting the time allotted on each section until he is within the time limit. The untimed test will give the best predictor of his potential.
For a sophomore, give it time, with deliberate test prep, and see how it goes. I have one kid whose performance on timed testing just did not match his academic profile, regardless of prep, so his list was largely test optional schools, with plenty of great options.
From Fair test website, here are the national schools, first liberal arts colleges, then universities, listed in UW News rank order. A lot more to consider than art or religious schools on the list.
- Middlebury College (VT) “Test Flexible”
- Bowdoin College (ME)
- Colby College (ME) “Test Flexible”
- Hamilton College (NY) “Test Flexible”
- Smith College (MA)
- Wesleyan University (CT)
- Colorado College (CO) “Test Flexible”
- Bates College (ME)
- Bryn Mawr College (PA)
- College of the Holy Cross (MA)
- Pitzer College (CA)
- Mount Holyoke College (MA)
- Skidmore College (NY)
- Trinity College (CT)
- Union College (NY)
- Dickinson College (PA)
- Whitman College (WA)
- Franklin and Marshall College (PA)
- Sewanee -- University of the South (TN)
- Bard College (NY)
- Connecticut College (CT)
- Denison University (OH)
- Gettysburg College (PA)
- Furman University (SC)
- St. John’s College (MD)
- St. Lawrence University (NY)
- Sarah Lawrence College (NY)
- Lawrence University (WI)
- Beloit College (WI)
- Hobart and William Smith Colleges (NY)
- Muhlenberg College (PA)
- Earlham College (IN)
- Kalamazoo College (MI).
- Agnes Scott College (GA)
- University of Puget Sound (WA)
- Willamette University (OR)
- Allegheny College (PA)
- Gustavus Adolphus (MN)
- Knox College (IL)
- Wheaton College (MA)
- College of the Atlantic (ME)
- St. John’s College (NM)
- Transylvania University (KY)
- Lewis and Clark (OR)
- Bennington College (VT)
- Cornell College (IA)
- Ohio Wesleyan University (OH)
- Ursinus College (PA)
- Augustana College (IL)
- St. Michael’s College (VT)
- Washington College (MD)
- Washington & Jefferson College (PA)
- Austin College (TX)
- Drew University (NJ)
- Juniata College (PA)
- Lake Forest College (IL)
- Stonehill College (MA)
- Goucher College (MD)
- Ripon College (WI)
- Elizabethtown College (PA)
- St. Anselm College (NH)
- Presbyterian College (SC)
- Siena College (NY)
- Illinois College (IL)
- Marlboro College (VT)
- McDaniel College (MD)
- Birmingham-Southern College (AL)
- Susquehanna University (PA)
- Whittier College (CA)
- Roanoke College (VA)
- Bard College at Simon’s Rock (MA)
- Guilford College (NC)
- Doane Univerity (NB) 149 Hiram College (OH)
- Carthage College (WI)
- Lycoming College (PA) 154 William Jewell College (MO)
- Wittenberg University (OH)
- Hartwick College (NY)
- Warren Wilson College (NC)
- College of Idaho (ID)
- Elmira College (NY)
- Northland College (WI)
- Wells College (NY) -- Not ranked due to “Test-Blind” policy – Hampshire College (MA) --
National Universities
27. Wake Forest University (NC)
32. University of Rochester (NY) “Test Flexible”
34. Brandeis University (MA)
36. New York University (NY) “Test Flexible”
56. Univ. of Texas – Austin (TX) “Top 8%”
56. George Washington University (DC)
60. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA)
74. Texas A & M (TX) “Top 10%”
74. American University (DC)
74. Clark University (MA)
79. University of Delaware (DE)
96. Drexel University (PA) “Test Flexible”
118. Temple University (PA)
124. DePaul University (IL)
124. Duquesne University (PA)
124 The Catholic University of America (DC)
124. University of Arizona (AZ)
129. Arizona State University (AZ)
129. New School (NY)
133. Hofstra University (NY)
135. Kansas State University (KS)
135. University of Mississippi (MS)
143. George Mason University (VA)
143. Washington State University (WA) “Top 10%”
146. Univ. of Texas – Dallas (TX) “Top 10%”
152. Immaculata University (PA)
152. University of Massachusetts – Lowell (MA)
164. Maryville University of St. Louis (MO)
164. St. John’s University (NY)
164. Virginia Commonwealth University (VA)
176. Mississippi State University (MS)
176. Montclair State University (NJ)
197. University of Nevada – Reno (NV)
202. California State University – Fullerton (CA)
202. University of Alaska – Fairbanks (AK)
202. University of South Dakota (SD
210. Old Dominion University (VA)
220. California State University – Fresno (CA)
220. University of Southern Mississippi (MS)
over for many more top-tier, test-optional schools . . .
I will say my #3 is dyslexic who had wildly low English and Reading comp scores and nicely high math scores. (we’re talking about sub-50 percent reading and 99th percentile math.) Some colleges rejected him and some more competitive colleges accepted him. I thought for sure UofM would ultimately reject him since they are so focused on GPA and they left him in deferred land for a long, long time. He did need to apply abit more broadly with those lop-sided scores although his unweighted GPA was quite high overall heading into college applications due to his IEP and the ability to take extra time on heavy reading and heaving writing classes, and to take exams alone and in a quiet space and APs. HIs current uni allows him to take his mid-terms and finals when he chooses at the Disability Office in a quiet space. The profs drop off the exams and the disability office monitors. One prof had him come to his home and take an exam. The profs have been great about it. It’s worked quite well. OP I still say wait and see where you are after junior year and then put a plan in place depending on his interests around colleges and universities. One day at a time with LDs.
Getting into college is just one part of the equation; staying in is another There are plenty of private schools which will accept a below-median SAT score student who is full pay. It might be worthwhile to focus on the degree of LD support colleges offer, as it can differ widely. If he has substantial support currently which is helping him maintain his gpa, you may wish to try to replicate that as best you can.
@momofthreeboys I love hearing that your LD child is succeeding in college and the staff is so supportive. What school is it? My son also needs a quiet place to take tests because of anxieties and distraction. I’m assuming (although I could be wrong) that a smaller university/college would be more willing and able to help with things like that. Like I said, I haven’t really looked into things like that yet.
One of my fears is that the admissions staff will see his awful scores and just toss the application aside without reading it, which is why the test optional schools are a great choice. But I don’t want to limit him to only those schools. I’m hoping that the smaller schools will take the time to “get to know him” because he’s quite an interesting little fellow. ;))
I agree with roycmom. A young man friends a special HS tried a small private U, which has extensive LD etc support. He didn’t make it thru first semester. Had he chosen a different college, which he thought was too much like his HS, he may have been ok.
Plan B is to focus on another route towards a successful career that may not involve college.m
- Test optional schools- they don’t take into account your SAT/ACT in admissions
- Get test accommodations if that would be useful
- Get test prep tutors
@megan12,my son’s uni is huge. Big doesn’t always mean impersonal. We were fortunate that our high school did all the “heavy lifting” with the disability office, forwarding all the information along with the school psychologist’s records from all the testing over the 11 years. My son had a one-on-one meeting or two with the uni disabilities office and that was it. However, I should stress that my son is only dyslexic with no other issues and very much a self propelled kinda kid. When you do start looking at colleges take the time to connect with the disabilities offices and find out what is “commonplace” for them. College kids have to negotiate everything with their individual professors as far as any accommodations so that independence and drive to handle is necessary at a super big uni, but I sense that a good working relationship with the disability office is helpful whether the college is large or small.
I’m sure there are many others like it, but Chapman University in SoCal endeavors to be cutting-edge in recognizing the benefits of embracing neurodiversity, and as such welcomes and seems to serve-well students with LD’s. Oh, also, there are books - and probably lists on the internet - that include lists of schools that are good for kids with LD’s. Finally, he may want to spend a good amount of time coming up with great essays, and applying to schools that - even if not test-optional - do holistic review. That will give him the opportunity to explain his test scores, AND use his LD’s as a topic in essays like “things you’ve overcome.”
If colleges try to compensate for race, poverty, lack of opportunities etc then wouldn’t it be unfair to not count learning disability as a hook? Student has to work extra hard to meet average effort of peers and he is in an underrepresented group.