College help for a child in foster care

[Anonymous]

Hi All, I have a child in her junior year. She came to us summer after freshman year with a .5 GPA. Home life was a shit show. Drinking, drugs, meth cooking - the works. It was also the pandemic and she was virtually learning from this disaster. You read that right. zero point five. Last year (sophomore year) she worked hard and with the help of an IEP for emotional issues and a stable home life was able to achieve a about a 3.2, which brought her GPA up to 1.9. We still have more time to pull her GPA up, but there is only so high she will be able to pull it.

Her test scores are not great. I've only seen what she took before her accommodations were in place. She is an auditory/visual learner. Reading comprehension has been something we are actively working on. So I'm not sure the test scores will help us. The are also lots of gaps in her "fund of knowledge" that we are continuing to work to fill. This is mostly due to all the disruptions in her childhood.

She's continued on this upward trajectory and she really wants to go to a four year university and have the college experience. Her life has been disrupted so many times, that she's never been able to embrace any kind of "normal experience." So I would love for her to have the college experience that she wants, which is why we are looking outside of community colleges. (I'd love for her to have a dorm experience, maybe go to sports games, have a campus life, join a club - really make friends and have the opportunity to spend several years with them at college).

She would like to stay close to the DMV area. Maybe within 3-4 hours max, but I think the closer the better.

I am looking at these, but I don't know much. I obviously do not want to suggest anything to her that would be impossible.
-Randolph-Macon/Randolph College
-ODU
-VCU
-Longwood
-Sweet Briar
-Hollins
-Radford
-JMU
-Shepherd University

Would any colleges be open to understanding her circumstances that contributed to the numbers? Are there any colleges that you could suggest that might be a good fit? I have emailed the school counselor but they are understandably preoccupied with seniors applying to college right now. Reps are coming to the school this fall and I would like to have her attend a few sessions so she can start to form some opinions and ideas about what she wants.

[Anonymous]

Where do you live? Some states offer additional financial support for youth who are/have been in the foster system and are attending in-state schools. She will definitely have some options. She has a good explanation for why her grades were initially so low and has shown tremendous growth.

[Anonymous]

I toured ODU and they have a lot of kids who come from less ideal circumstances. On the tour, the guide talked about how someone from ODU really helped encourage them to apply after they weren't going to go to college at all. Its a big school, maybe not for everyone, but we were impressed with their interest in helping the non-perfect kids. This tour guide lived on campus Freshman year in a dorm and made honors the second year, and is planning on studying abroad.

I think finances are going to play into this. Private schools like Randolph-Macon are going to be expensive compared to ODU. Longwood, CNU, Radford, JMU, VCU.

Mary Washington might be a good bet, not too big or small. But no football.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi All, I have a child in her junior year. She came to us summer after freshman year with a .5 GPA. Home life was a shit show. Drinking, drugs, meth cooking - the works. It was also the pandemic and she was virtually learning from this disaster. You read that right. zero point five. Last year (sophomore year) she worked hard and with the help of an IEP for emotional issues and a stable home life was able to achieve a about a 3.2, which brought her GPA up to 1.9. We still have more time to pull her GPA up, but there is only so high she will be able to pull it.

Her test scores are not great. I've only seen what she took before her accommodations were in place. She is an auditory/visual learner. Reading comprehension has been something we are actively working on. So I'm not sure the test scores will help us. The are also lots of gaps in her "fund of knowledge" that we are continuing to work to fill. This is mostly due to all the disruptions in her childhood.

She's continued on this upward trajectory and she really wants to go to a four year university and have the college experience. Her life has been disrupted so many times, that she's never been able to embrace any kind of "normal experience." So I would love for her to have the college experience that she wants, which is why we are looking outside of community colleges. (I'd love for her to have a dorm experience, maybe go to sports games, have a campus life, join a club - really make friends and have the opportunity to spend several years with them at college).

She would like to stay close to the DMV area. Maybe within 3-4 hours max, but I think the closer the better.

I am looking at these, but I don't know much. I obviously do not want to suggest anything to her that would be impossible.
-Randolph-Macon/Randolph College
-ODU
-VCU
-Longwood
-Sweet Briar
-Hollins
-Radford
-JMU
-Shepherd University

Would any colleges be open to understanding her circumstances that contributed to the numbers? Are there any colleges that you could suggest that might be a good fit? I have emailed the school counselor but they are understandably preoccupied with seniors applying to college right now. Reps are coming to the school this fall and I would like to have her attend a few sessions so she can start to form some opinions and ideas about what she wants.

Are you in the DC area? I would look very close to home. She can still live in a dorm but have you close for support. What do you think her GPA will be realistically by the end of her Junior year? What about after 1st semester senior year? Is she black or latina, and or a 1st gen college student (I'd research 1st gen programs offered by local universities and reach out to those coordinators). Does her social worker have any experience with kids transitioning to college? Social worker may also have a colleague or some resources for you to explore.

[Anonymous]

George Mason should be in the mix

[Anonymous]

ODU

[Anonymous]

Why isn't UMW on your list, OP?

She needs a school that is smaller and more personal. She would get lost in a school like GMU.

Every school on your list is going to take into account her trajectory and difficult circumstances.

BTW, schools like UMW (and other smaller schools) still have school teams for basketball, volleyball, rugby, soccer, lacrosse, etc.

Your DD needs a school where she is SEEN... not a big school like VCU, GMU, or JMU. (JMU is not a likely match anyway.)

[Anonymous]

Sorry, I don't have any advice to help on the topic, but wanted to say kudos to you for helping this child. What a remarkable impact you will have on her life.

[Anonymous]

I understand her desire for a stable 4 year experience, and you are a wonderful person to help her achieve that. It concerns me that you describe gaps in her knowledge - which is very understandable given the circumstances! But to me this is a good example of the benefits of 2 yrs at community college with a goal to transfer to 4 year school for graduation. She could take a lot of basic classes to shore up her fundamental skills and get those college requirements out of the way, plus have the stability of your home and presence for another 2 years. Just my two cents.

[Anonymous]

hi all, thanks for your help. We live in Virginia (just outside of DC) - and she is in Virginia foster care. She is Caucasian.

My guess is she will probably come out around a 3 or 3.2 this year which will bring her GPA up to a 2.3 I think? Maybe we get it to 2.5 by the end of first semester senior year. I should also add that we discovered she had hearing loss when she came into care. So she's done most of her education without the necessary hearing aids.

My husband and I are willing to pay for college. She does get to apply for FAFSA without our financial information due to her circumstances. There are also some foster care scholarships out there that we will apply for.

Adding GMU - I love how close it is, but worried that it might be too much of a reach.

I didn't know much about UMW - I will add it. Thank you! I'm not from this area and have never had a kid go through the application process, so I am becoming familiar with the schools in the area.

I agree - I worry about her feeling lost in a school that is too big. Hoping that feeling is more apparent during tours - the feeling between a big school and a small school and we can coach her to the appropriate environment.

Community college works for us too. And we fully support that choice. I know there are two year colleges that have more of a collegial atmosphere as most of the kids are fullt time students and hoping to transfer to a four year. Any recs there would be appreciated. As a child in the system she does get free community college in Virginia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, I don't have any advice to help on the topic, but wanted to say kudos to you for helping this child. What a remarkable impact you will have on her life.

+ 1000000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where do you live? Some states offer additional financial support for youth who are/have been in the foster system and are attending in-state schools. She will definitely have some options. She has a good explanation for why her grades were initially so low and has shown tremendous growth.

This. And if Medicaid will not pay for a neuropsych and therapy get the social worker to request the agency pay as well as tutoring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:hi all, thanks for your help. We live in Virginia (just outside of DC) - and she is in Virginia foster care. She is Caucasian.

My guess is she will probably come out around a 3 or 3.2 this year which will bring her GPA up to a 2.3 I think? Maybe we get it to 2.5 by the end of first semester senior year. I should also add that we discovered she had hearing loss when she came into care. So she's done most of her education without the necessary hearing aids.

My husband and I are willing to pay for college. She does get to apply for FAFSA without our financial information due to her circumstances. There are also some foster care scholarships out there that we will apply for.

Adding GMU - I love how close it is, but worried that it might be too much of a reach.

I didn't know much about UMW - I will add it. Thank you! I'm not from this area and have never had a kid go through the application process, so I am becoming familiar with the schools in the area.

I agree - I worry about her feeling lost in a school that is too big. Hoping that feeling is more apparent during tours - the feeling between a big school and a small school and we can coach her to the appropriate environment.

Community college works for us too. And we fully support that choice. I know there are two year colleges that have more of a collegial atmosphere as most of the kids are fullt time students and hoping to transfer to a four year. Any recs there would be appreciated. As a child in the system she does get free community college in Virginia.

State school as the state will pay and you pay for graduate school.

[Anonymous]

Take a look at the Richard Bland College of William & Mary. It's essentially a residential junior college that has a relationship with W&M. https://www.rbc.edu/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:hi all, thanks for your help. We live in Virginia (just outside of DC) - and she is in Virginia foster care. She is Caucasian.

My guess is she will probably come out around a 3 or 3.2 this year which will bring her GPA up to a 2.3 I think? Maybe we get it to 2.5 by the end of first semester senior year. I should also add that we discovered she had hearing loss when she came into care. So she's done most of her education without the necessary hearing aids.

My husband and I are willing to pay for college. She does get to apply for FAFSA without our financial information due to her circumstances. There are also some foster care scholarships out there that we will apply for.

Adding GMU - I love how close it is, but worried that it might be too much of a reach.

I didn't know much about UMW - I will add it. Thank you! I'm not from this area and have never had a kid go through the application process, so I am becoming familiar with the schools in the area.

I agree - I worry about her feeling lost in a school that is too big. Hoping that feeling is more apparent during tours - the feeling between a big school and a small school and we can coach her to the appropriate environment.

Community college works for us too. And we fully support that choice. I know there are two year colleges that have more of a collegial atmosphere as most of the kids are fullt time students and hoping to transfer to a four year. Any recs there would be appreciated. As a child in the system she does get free community college in Virginia.

Hi OP, another foster Mom here. I sent a foster DS to college as well. For your DD smaller and closer would be ideal. I am not from the area so I don’t know the colleges. I recommend summer enrichment for her, perhaps at the local community college to help her with any gaps. It will be important to have outside help before college otherwise it could be to difficult and discouraging, especially freshman year. It will also help with the college “feel”. In DC I believe CC has summer enrichment for HS so check your local CC. Also if you haven’t already, work on study habits and scheduling. I am a mentor and found that my High School, now college mentee really needed help with scheduling, study habits, outlining a paper etc.