VA 4 year public for my DS. HELP please

[Anonymous]

My 17 to DS is a junior, so I'd love hear from parents with boys who are very smart, but not studious, so the grades are in the B- range. DS has inattentive ADHD, trouble with low effort/output, tests well, hates to write. I wonder if be would do well in a huge school with more lectures and exams, as opposed to smaller classes where there are papers and discussions (also hates this).
If you have any ideas, please share!

[Anonymous]

In my recent experience (3 times over), my best guess is that your son would not be accepted to a large VA state university. With a B- average, and good SAT scores, he may possibly be accepted to VCU, CNU, GMU, UMW. He probably has a decent shot at Longwood, ODU, and Radford.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 17 to DS is a junior, so I'd love hear from parents with boys who are very smart, but not studious, so the grades are in the B- range. DS has inattentive ADHD, trouble with low effort/output, tests well, hates to write. I wonder if be would do well in a huge school with more lectures and exams, as opposed to smaller classes where there are papers and discussions (also hates this).
If you have any ideas, please share!

I feel like you are describing our DS. He is at a freshman at a relatively small school with good teachers and doing slightly better than in H.S., he is committed to transferring to a large school in the fallmand has already done everything on his own. We are nervous about it because we think the small school's focus on teaching has been good for him. But he has a lot of friends at the big school and wants to apply. He is smart, loves discussions, but hates to write, and he does well with tests. I'll let you know in a year which way was better.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks and good luck with your son's college journey!

[Anonymous]

Two thoughts

l) If you can spare the dough, some parents send their kids to a "fifth"year in a private prep high school. Sometimes called a "gap year". It gives them a year to take serious classes, pull their GPA up, get better organized, have counselors help them put their essay applications together. Usually boarding. I've never done it but know it is frequently done when the child just doesn't have the grades or know what s/he want to do with their lives. Gives them the gift of time.


2) I can speak only to GMU because that is the only university our daughter wanted to attend. But many of the VA universities mentioned by 21:39 have become increasingly selective. This is from GMU's website: accepted average GPA at GMU is 3.7. The accepted average SAT 1260. Expected ACT is 27 (our daughter's was 32). She got in on EA.

3) There's also NOVA. I think our daughter will be taking some calculus and science classes there over the summer to better prep her for GMU.

Hope that's of some help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 17 to DS is a junior, so I'd love hear from parents with boys who are very smart, but not studious, so the grades are in the B- range. DS has inattentive ADHD, trouble with low effort/output, tests well, hates to write. I wonder if be would do well in a huge school with more lectures and exams, as opposed to smaller classes where there are papers and discussions (also hates this).
If you have any ideas, please share!

NOVA has program that allows students to transfer to the larger more selective state school after two years. There is guaranteed admission if the student ticks off all the boxes required like above x GPA, specific classes.... I think it is a great alternative for the later blooming child or the child that needs to prove him/herself if They had trouble in HS. It is also cheaper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Two thoughts

l) If you can spare the dough, some parents send their kids to a "fifth"year in a private prep high school. Sometimes called a "gap year". It gives them a year to take serious classes, pull their GPA up, get better organized, have counselors help them put their essay applications together. Usually boarding. I've never done it but know it is frequently done when the child just doesn't have the grades or know what s/he want to do with their lives. Gives them the gift of time.


2) I can speak only to GMU because that is the only university our daughter wanted to attend. But many of the VA universities mentioned by 21:39 have become increasingly selective. This is from GMU's website: accepted average GPA at GMU is 3.7. The accepted average SAT 1260. Expected ACT is 27 (our daughter's was 32). She got in on EA.

3) There's also NOVA. I think our daughter will be taking some calculus and science classes there over the summer to better prep her for GMU.

Hope that's of some help.

Are you sure that 1260 is right? Seems about a 100 points too high.