<p>@crowlady, I sent you a PM about game design programs.</p>
<p>D1 has not complained about others being less bright or interesting. Agree about the merit money–D1 got merit money at all programs and is currently getting a full tuition scholarship :)</p>
<p>Unless your S will be crashed by a reach school rejection, I don’t see a downside of applying RD to a couple of reach schools that have good support for organization issues (LD or ADD support). If he gets rejected - nothing is lost but he tried. If he gets accepted, you can re-visit schools and see which one would be the best fit and provide best support. As been mentioned on CC, once you get accepted LD departments are more forthcoming with what support they will or will not provide. I’m a big believer in having more choices, even though it makes the decision more difficult sometimes :-).
Also, have you asked your S what would he prefer? I asked my kids if they’d prefer to be in the top half of the class or bottom (top - less struggle, better self-esteem; bottom - more growth). One said being on the bottom will be detrimental (lucky for him, prob. will never be on the bottom 
but I made a mental note about encouraging more nurturing environment for him; another said - bottom, will have more room to grow.
Some kids are late bloomers, they show big gains in the senior year of high school and hopefully the trajectory will continue in college. My hope for my late bloomer that being in somewhat “reachy” environment will allow kid to reach the full potential. It could backfire of course. It is such a balancing act. I wish I had a crystal ball…</p>
<p>expatCanuck, your S has such a great list of schools (some of them on my D list as well),
I’m sure he will have good choices next year even if no reach school is added.</p>
<p>
Your points are well-taken. My concern is that, based on what I’ve read,
a ‘worst-case scenario’ (i.e. - crash & burn) is far more deleterious in college
than in high school. Neither of us needs that.</p>
<p>I’ve asked him more than once what his preference is – can’t get a straight answer. Tho’ I can appreciate that he’s more frustrated than I am.</p>
<p>That said, when I grow up, I’d love to be even half as intelligent as my son.
Unfortunately, he hasn’t demonstrated that he’s able to harness his intellect
to address/overcome the organizational issues. Yet. Tho’ I do remain hopeful –
he was employing Post-It notes to good effect this past trimester … .</p>
<p>ExpatCanuck have you considered the SALT program at U Arizona? We toured it and were very impressed. The services cost extra but SALT enrolled students are only required to use it for 2 semesters, so if your S is able to become more structured in college he can continue on his own but it is an option if he needs it. Also, U Miami has good support services though it wasn’t something we could see on their website. Tulane has an organizational and academic support program as well that I only discovered here on CC. On my mobile so not sure how to see your S’s list of schools.</p>
<p>Thanks, NYMom. Have indeed considered U of A’s SALT program, as well as the comparable program at (if memory serves) the University of Alabama. Tulane is on the outside cusp of a reach. </p>
<p>Ultimately, we’re more comfortable with the LAC model.
(If we were to go larger, we’d look to the Canadian schools.)</p>
<p>I don’t think you should assume that students at top schools automatically have academics come more naturally. It’s a mix of students who find it easy to get high scores and students who work really hard to get them.</p>
<p>I also wouldn’t automatically assume that a child who struggles in high school and gets into a reach will also struggle there. These colleges usually have lots of support for students, and also kids change. Sometimes the unmotivated ones in high school find a spark of inspiration in college. (And vice versa - sometimes the all-roses valedictorian struggles in college. College is just a whole different ball game.)</p>
<p>With that said, I personally only had one reach on my list and my top choice was a safety for me, where I ended up going (and loved). My sister-in-law only applied to one school - a safety - and she also went there and loved it. I think a no-reach list is completely fine.</p>
<p>One more thought… Is it possible that what could be a reach to get in, might not be a reach academically if he takes courses in his area of interest and strength? People define reach schools differently. Some schools that are not that hard to get in, hard to stay in; and prob. vise versa.</p>
<p>
Hey July – I don’t assume that academics come more naturally to all students at top schools, but I think it’s fair to assume that academics come more naturally to most of them. </p>
<p>Further, I fully agree that kids change – particularly boys, who on average tend to be more developmentally delayed and are thus more likely see academic improvement. Still, I’m not inclined to assume that college entry will be suddenly (or even gradually) be accompanied by improved academic wherewithal.</p>
<p>
Certainly possible – even probable. All a matter of degree, I think.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, I’ll be happy enough to see my son gain entry to a high match or two.</p>
<p>expat, We have a friend whose child went to Eagle Hill and then Curry College and is very happy there. She has ADHD and some other issues that affect her learning style. I know in previous posts you were looking for college ideas. Your S is lucky to have such an active parent doing great advocacy! :)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yes, reach for admissions and academic difficulty may differ.</p>
<p>A school, or a major within a school, may be very difficult to get into, but not be academically difficult once the student enrolls. Or the school, or a major within a school, may be easy to get into, but be academically difficult.</p>
<p>
I found it helpful to create a ‘collage’ of the bigFuture school GPA graphs.
It lets me quickly see whether a ‘critical mass’ exists of potential like-minded
peers for my son (and also whether he might be getting in over his head).
Here’s an example: <a href=“http://www.oldwithoutmoney.com/images/schools3.png[/url]”>http://www.oldwithoutmoney.com/images/schools3.png</a>.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>So why wouldn’t you assume there aren’t other kids just like your daughter? Surely she is not the only student who is “brighter than her GPA shows.”</p>
<p>Good point sally! I’m just worried after watching several nieces and nephews transfer and go through difficulties in that process. Want my D to land in the best place for her the first time.</p>
![http://www.oldwithoutmoney.com/images/schools3.png[/url]](http://www.oldwithoutmoney.com/images/schools3.png%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
