College for poor student with lots of support

[Anonymous]

Adding to 0032 - My son's needs were ADHD, Tourette's, anxiety and language. His grades and testing were strong enough for UMBC and he was naturally strong in math. So it may be that the kids she knew about had needs more similar to my son's - I don't know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Adding to 0032 - My son's needs were ADHD, Tourette's, anxiety and language. His grades and testing were strong enough for UMBC and he was naturally strong in math. So it may be that the kids she knew about had needs more similar to my son's - I don't know.

Thank you. I did not know UMBC had any supports. It wasn’t on the “schools with support” list given to me by a friend who has high functioning ASD son. So admittedly I didn’t research my info.

I do hear it is an excellent in state option for STEM and serious students who don’t necessarily care about typical social college experience (big commuter college too.) Sadly It was not a fit for my non STEM social daughter.

[Anonymous]

College really isn’t a good fit for everybody. Is it worth struggling through with middling outcomes for 4+ years only to find limited job options on the other side? I wish more kids would explore skilled trades or apprenticeships or coding boot camps or other career paths that offer faster, cheaper and less stressful outcomes.

[Anonymous]

Consider a small HBCU like Bowie state, u Maryland eastern shore, Lincoln U. DC Tag applies and they are a very supportive place to learn.

I disagree with suggestions like GMU and UMBC, those places are huge and do not care about individual students at all. Easy to fall through the cracks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You might find the "CTCL" or Colleges that Change Lives list helpful. https://ctcl.org/category/college-profiles/

Can you name any one specific college that may apply to this person's wants and needs or are you just blindly promoting a list?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:College really isn’t a good fit for everybody. Is it worth struggling through with middling outcomes for 4+ years only to find limited job options on the other side? I wish more kids would explore skilled trades or apprenticeships or coding boot camps or other career paths that offer faster, cheaper and less stressful outcomes.

OP here. Agree. We would prefer he look at trades. We’re just exploring all options now.

[Anonymous]

MC and get him an APT with roommates if he doesn't want to live at home. even if you can afford to get him an APT w/o roommates, i'd insist. he needs to learn, he can't have it all just way he wants it in life.

[Anonymous]

Community college then transfer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don’t discount a few semesters of community college to boost your student’s confidence and make sure they are college ready. I work with many students similar to your child on my campus and we have lots of support — including programs in entrepreneurship, as well as mentors and advisors who can help successfully launch students such as yours onto very degree or career pathways.

Where is that? Montgomery College?

I am Hagerstown CC so likely outside the OP’s area but I would look at some of the smaller CCs in the area that have similar programs. Our region has some Community Colleges that have quality programs and good support to four year schools. MCCC is very good, Anne Arundel and NOVA are all good options.

[Anonymous]

University of Hartford gave my ds merit aid. He had poor grades and test scores. They have a special school for the first 2 years that provides a lot of support. If your ds has better grades and scores than mine (which I’m not disclosing), your ds may get more merit. Another option is Marshall in WV. We really liked the campus and the town is cute and walking distance from the school. The school is very affordable. They offer support but the student has to be willing to access it. My ds took a gap year bc he wasn’t ready and doesn’t know what he wants to do. Every college or university offers accommodations- the question is whether those are enough for your ds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He might surprise you after having a fifth year of high school.

In light of Covid, you might convince him to stay home a year and take a smaller load at a community college. MC has supports in place but I’m sure so does Nova. The catch is that there’s usually less financial aid for transfers, if that’s a concern. But if you will be paying out of pocket, it might decrease the time he’s on campus.

You may already know this but there are colleges that have support programs for ld kids that require a separate, additional application senior year. Univ of AZ is one.

I also now remember that AU used to have a support program that was considered quite good. I know it’s not public but I figured I would throw it out there in case it’s something you want to investigate. Just google the school name and disability services. You should be able to call and ask what kind of support they provide and what the process is.

This is an excellent post. The SALT Center at the University of Arizona is terrific.