Colleges where a boy rebuilds love for learning?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've seen this movie enough times to have quite a clear prescription. You might not like it. Sharp kids who aren't intellectual should study engineering if they want that and business if they don't. Especially if they're jocks. Your DC probably would hate a SLAC; he'd probably love IU-Kelley. And he'd have good job options afterwards.

A kid can be "sharp" and still have zero interest in or aptitude for engineering, any form of engineering. And engineering is NOT a field to go into unless you actually want to be doing it -- no matter what "good job options" there are.

OP was very clear that her kid has no idea yet what he wants to study. Prescribing an engineering major for a kid who is burned out even before starting college, a kid who may or may not have STEM aptitude, is a recipe for a phenomenally stressed freshman who will hate academics at college too, not "rebuild his love for learning."

OP needs ideas about college environments and overall fit, not about specific majors, not yet….

Did you even read the post to which you’re purporting to reply? It’s clearly suggesting business rather than engineering for this particular kid, and Kelley is a great rec.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:High stats and demoralized? What does that mean?

It means mcps grade inflation, test prep and other supports to get high stats, after effect of covid remote learning, not connecting with curriculum/teachers, coasting to get whatever grace, etc

One can be high stats at mcps and still be concerned that a child may not thrive in a more driven college environment.

+1 a lot of high stats MCPS after pandemic grading

[Anonymous]

I think it depends if there is a spark of intellectual curiosity, and a desire to move away from the jock world coming from HIM, not you. The question I would ask is: given a supportive, non-competitive seminar environment, would he potentially love doing the reading and analysis?

I went to a huge, competitive HS where I was just a number and chose Reed for the environment described above. It worked and I absolutely fell in love with learning after years of cramming and procrastinating in HS. There were quite a few people in a similar boat. The former jocks played rugby.

But it is decidedly not pre-professional. You risk all the ROI issues PP’s raised.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it depends if there is a spark of intellectual curiosity, and a desire to move away from the jock world coming from HIM, not you. The question I would ask is: given a supportive, non-competitive seminar environment, would he potentially love doing the reading and analysis?

I went to a huge, competitive HS where I was just a number and chose Reed for the environment described above. It worked and I absolutely fell in love with learning after years of cramming and procrastinating in HS. There were quite a few people in a similar boat. The former jocks played rugby.

But it is decidedly not pre-professional. You risk all the ROI issues PP’s raised.

Which is why SLACs are a total scam except for the 1%. Much better for your future to go to UMD or Ohio State or Purdue or VA Tech to study engineering or business while enjoying college sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just let him go to a big state school with tons of sport and get great grades and learn to love school again.

I agree with this approach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just let him go to a big state school with tons of sport and get great grades and learn to love school again.

I agree with this approach.

+1

Sending him to a SLAC would be a total waste of money

[Anonymous]

Only Reed alum I ever met was a self-made billionaire (in commodities). His roommate at Reed was Steve Jobs.

[Anonymous]

There are many athletically inclined kids at SLACs- often they comprise half or more of the student body.

College of Wooster is known for both - lots of athletes and known for inspiring intellectual curiosity. Haverford is as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would consider a gap year. DS ('22) was a high stats HS student. He applied to college and got into one of his choice (he deferred a year). We also said he could apply/reapply to schools if he changed his mind. He worked, volunteered, traveled, got his EMT. He also read a bunch of the books on the State Dept and CIA reading lists (publicly posted) as he has an interest in international relations. He commented about 2 months ago he is ready for school. Sometimes you just need a mental break....

Love this!!! Good for you and your lucky kid who sounds fantastic

[Anonymous]

I agree with an earlier poster on Stevenson in Owings Mills. It’s a lesser known school that loves jocks and rewards them highly. Also great for non-jocks.

My suggestions are to look at:

Cincinnati: big sports, co-op, lots of options for majors, out of the DC bubble
Drexel
Denison
Elon
Purdue

[Anonymous]

I think in broad terms either a smaller college/university OR a smaller school within a medium/large university,

Engineering is too much of a grind, usually with demoralizing grade curves (50% score on a test could be an A, for example). Business or Economics might be better degree options for someone not as intellectually curious right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've seen this movie enough times to have quite a clear prescription. You might not like it. Sharp kids who aren't intellectual should study engineering if they want that and business if they don't. Especially if they're jocks. Your DC probably would hate a SLAC; he'd probably love IU-Kelley. And he'd have good job options afterwards.

A kid can be "sharp" and still have zero interest in or aptitude for engineering, any form of engineering. And engineering is NOT a field to go into unless you actually want to be doing it -- no matter what "good job options" there are.

OP was very clear that her kid has no idea yet what he wants to study. Prescribing an engineering major for a kid who is burned out even before starting college, a kid who may or may not have STEM aptitude, is a recipe for a phenomenally stressed freshman who will hate academics at college too, not "rebuild his love for learning."

OP needs ideas about college environments and overall fit, not about specific majors, not yet.

To the OP: Please re-read the post at 8:53 about a potential gap year. That parent is speaking from experience and notes how the gap year helped her kid focus on some subjects, as well as get a break. A gap year is more common now, I think, and even pre-pandemic I knew of smart, academic kids who took them; a friend's son spent the year doing a combination of down time, volunteering for political campaigns (he was interested in possibly studying law with an eye to working on the Hill), and structured experiences studying--like, four weeks doing a sound engineering course (another interest), etc. I would require my kid to do some structured experiences and volunteer over the year like my friend's son did, but if a gap year would help, it's worth considering.

I actually thought PP’s suggestion for Indiana University’s business school was excellent.

I also suggest Jesuit colleges that emphasis humanities but in a bro culture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Only Reed alum I ever met was a self-made billionaire (in commodities). His roommate at Reed was Steve Jobs.

Reed does not have sports teams - for a student who identifies as a jock - this would not be a good fit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCUM people like throwing out the top schools as solutions. Very unrealistic given the OP's post.

If you live in the DC area, try a college like Stevenson. .

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
High stats rising senior DS - who is honestly demoralized from his years in a ‘W’ MCPS school - doesn’t have a love for learning anymore. He’s never been an intellectually curious kid, identifies more with the ‘jocks’, and has no idea what he wants to major in. Just seems so turned off to learning and maybe even feels humiliated by the classroom setting where he says he doesn’t feel comfortable..I’m hoping he can land in a college that stimulates a love for learning again…but lost as to what kind of place that may be. Not sure what my question is but wondering if anyone has any experiences of sons who’ve found their way again for academics after going to college?

Mason?