Colleges for C & D Students

[Anonymous]

I have a neurodivergent DC currently in middle school who struggles to complete homework (and has low grades).

We are working on helping DC develop better homework habits. We think that as DC gets older and more mature that will help as well. However, we’re concerned that significant improvement won’t happen for a few years (JR or SR year).

Are there 4-year colleges that accept students with gpas of 2 (or lower) or would community college be the only option?

[Anonymous]

I have a kid like this. What helped was siting down with the child every.single.night after school, making a list subject-by-subject and going through the assignments and then checking in hourly to make sure things were done. You do this daily for years.

I really don't agree at all with your plan that "oh well, he'll just be a C/D student until he figure it out in senior year." You are literally changing the course of his life (for the far worse) with this approach. Step in and intensively parent your child. Each and every day. Get that homework done. It's relentless, it's exhausting but this is what parents do.

[Anonymous]

Colleges that are on the Colleges that change lives list tend to acknowledge the struggles and challenges of ND students.

My kid is a HS soph now. The kid that he was in middle school is not the kid that he is today.

Community colleges are a great option and should not be looked down upon.

[Anonymous]

Get a tutor asap to get kid on homework schedule so everything is turned in. Always.

Look at Bennington, F&M, Gettysburg, maybe Dickinson and other tiny SLACs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid like this. What helped was siting down with the child every.single.night after school, making a list subject-by-subject and going through the assignments and then checking in hourly to make sure things were done. You do this daily for years.

I really don't agree at all with your plan that "oh well, he'll just be a C/D student until he figure it out in senior year." You are literally changing the course of his life (for the far worse) with this approach. Step in and intensively parent your child. Each and every day. Get that homework done. It's relentless, it's exhausting but this is what parents do.

+100000
It’s called parenting people

[Anonymous]

Our friends had a kid like this and he decided to apprentice as an electrician. Seems to be going very well.

Perhaps look beyond college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid like this. What helped was siting down with the child every.single.night after school, making a list subject-by-subject and going through the assignments and then checking in hourly to make sure things were done. You do this daily for years.

I really don't agree at all with your plan that "oh well, he'll just be a C/D student until he figure it out in senior year." You are literally changing the course of his life (for the far worse) with this approach. Step in and intensively parent your child. Each and every day. Get that homework done. It's relentless, it's exhausting but this is what parents do.

+100
This is what I did for my child. It was exhausting and became a major part of our lives, but executive function skills CAN be taught and they can improve over a ton of time and with a ton of support.
And before anyone comes at me saying their child has the worst executive function ever, well, I have years -- years -- of neuropsychological testing and an army of specialists to tell you that we win that prize.

[Anonymous]

My similar kid started as a non matriculated student (no application needed), supported by Mansfield Hall (https://mansfieldhall.org/). It's super expensive, but allowed him to grow his independence and executive function skills. Sending him to school unsupported, even if there had been a school that would accept him, to have just led to more failure. And the skill teaching had to come from someone other than me.

[Anonymous]

Kids grow and change a lot from MS to the end of HS. I had this conversation with many parents while teaching MS kids.
There are colleges for all kinds of students. Don't let the DC area highly anxious folks tell you that only T10 schools make kids successful. FCPS schools are rough on kids like yours. He may benefit from community college or a post graduate year. DCUM likes to look down on this things but you shouldn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get a tutor asap to get kid on homework schedule so everything is turned in. Always.

Look at Bennington, F&M, Gettysburg, maybe Dickinson and other tiny SLACs.

For a C or D student? Are you crazy?

[Anonymous]

Princeton on the Parkway.

Harvard on the Highway.

In other words, COMMUNITY COLLEGE.

If he proves he can hack it there his first two years, he'll have options for transferring into a four-year school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get a tutor asap to get kid on homework schedule so everything is turned in. Always.

Look at Bennington, F&M, Gettysburg, maybe Dickinson and other tiny SLACs.

For a C or D student? Are you crazy?

Those are middle school grades. With intervention you can get Bs.

My private sends the lowest performing kids to these schools and Elon and College of Charleston. Also, Miami Ohio. There are tons of options but depends on HS.

Note: you can turn middle school around. My husband had Ds in middle school; went T10, T3 MBA.
CEO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get a tutor asap to get kid on homework schedule so everything is turned in. Always.

Look at Bennington, F&M, Gettysburg, maybe Dickinson and other tiny SLACs.

For a C or D student? Are you crazy?

Yeah, my kid with a 3.5 GPA got waitlisted at Dickinson this year. It’s not an easy acceptance, and neither are most of the other PA liberal arts colleges in that same tier.

Regardless, since OP’s child is still in middle school, the main focus should be on getting any necessary supports in place. It’s way too soon to start fretting about college and building a list. The kid may change their habits and do better than expected in high school with maturity and the right supports. Additionally, the college landscape could shift 5 years from now. But, if they do end up as a B/C student there are still plenty of options for a path to college.

[Anonymous]

There definitely are small struggling colleges that will accept them. Just make sure they are accredited.

[Anonymous]

If they can’t do homework and get above a 2.5 in public schools nowadays they are going to have trouble in most colleges. Ask me know I know after wasting tuition money for a child with above a 3. I would start slow in CC or look into culinary or art school.