SLAC strong in science/tech for neurodiverse DD with ADHD?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD is Asian American at a top private (not in the DC area), and has strong academics but struggles with ADHD/anxiety (her grades take a long time for her to achieve and a lot of effort). She gets extremely stressed out with multiple demands. She has difficulty reading social cues and enjoys a few small, very nerdy clubs. She does not really socialize with friends outside of school - most of her social life is centered around structured activities/clubs in which she participates (but not as a leader or officer). She gets all A's or high B's in non-weighted, mostly regular type classes. Her friends are nice nerd types.

We are looking for colleges that would be a good fit. She seems to be interested in Tech/Science/Psych, but her hobbies are ALL 100% artsy (doodling, composing pop songs, singing in cafes, writing poetry). She does well with creative hobbies, but I don't think she could thrive writing a lot of long papers. Most processes, including the writing process, take her a long time. She has an almost photographic memory for weird facts and does will in trivia competitions. DH and I are professor types; we can afford a private university, but then she is on her own after that.

The SLACs in the East or MidWest seem like a good fit, but she would like a school that has multiple STEM offerings that are not uber competitive (i.e, not full of hard core pre-med types). But, she also has mostly Asian friends, and so there needs to be some diversity (not sure about sending her to Maine, for instance), and a diversity of Asian or minority students is good (i.e., not a campus where all the Asian students are international and have tons of $$$, for instance). Bonus points if the school is near a major airport as we live in the South.

I would probably stay away from colleges on a quarter system. I went to grad school at a college that had a quarter system, and it was quite a surprise to realize that if you get behind, you really have no time to recover. I would also consider your DD's learning style. What do you like about her HS now? For instance, my DS is a HS senior (also ADHD, mild anxiety, very smart) and does well in a highly supportive, rigorous, structured environment. His anxiety kicks in if he thinks he's missed an important assignment, didn't write down the due date, doesn't understand the expectations, etc.
A robust tutoring center can be helpful- I've engaged tutors for my DS more for the purpose of taking some study pressure off and helping with time management vs. comprehension issues.
Finally, I would not rule out a state flagship. My DS goes to a private HS and has had a lot of difficulty making friends-- he's not even the weirdest (said affectionately) kid there- it's just that if you don't find your group, there's not a lot of options. We went on a visit to UC Boulder-- and there were so many students of all varieties of personality and interests. Everyone we spoke to said it's a place where you can find your people, interests, etc. While DS will likely attend a different university of his major, he is set on a large, public university.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Instead of scripps, I’d highly recommend Harvey Mudd. Many students there are neurodivergent and it attracts a unique personality that’s more accepting.

Yes but it is so tough. It may be too much for a kid with anxiety.

[Anonymous]

WPI, Rose Hullman, MAYBE Olin

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Instead of scripps, I’d highly recommend Harvey Mudd. Many students there are neurodivergent and it attracts a unique personality that’s more accepting.

Yes but it is so tough. It may be too much for a kid with anxiety.

Harvey Mudd no way for a kid with anxiety, also not likely to get in with Bs on report card in regular classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is a "LAC" then - it's larger than a SLAC but also doesn't have a graduate school?

"S" is for selective. Drop down from Middlebury to Kalamazoo. Drop from Bowdoin to Wheaton. That kind of thing.

Aside: Some folks also use the term SLAC where "S" merely means "Small" and not necessarily "selective". It can be confusing.

[Anonymous]

St Olaf has strong math and CS programs, but is not tremendously ethnically diverse. Check their website to get recent numbers. It is a small Lutheran college in MN.

[Anonymous]

WPI, RPI, and RIT all can be high stress schools for many students.

[Anonymous]

In Virginia, maybe look into CNU if looking for Engineering. I would avoid ODU and GMU for Engineering because they are "sink or swim" environments. UMW for math/sciences would be worth a look see.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Instead of scripps, I’d highly recommend Harvey Mudd. Many students there are neurodivergent and it attracts a unique personality that’s more accepting.

Yes but it is so tough. It may be too much for a kid with anxiety.

Harvey Mudd no way for a kid with anxiety, also not likely to get in with Bs on report card in regular classes.

Most of Mudd has anxiety, I can assure you. It isn’t filled with MIT types who have been prodigies since they were 4. There’s a few of those, but most are normal, anxious and often neurodivergent students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is a "LAC" then - it's larger than a SLAC but also doesn't have a graduate school?

"S" is for selective. Drop down from Middlebury to Kalamazoo. Drop from Bowdoin to Wheaton. That kind of thing.

Aside: Some folks also use the term SLAC where "S" merely means "Small" and not necessarily "selective". It can be confusing.

I wonder if it’s a regional thing. I grew up in the northeast and SLAC always meant small liberal arts college. It was more about an ethos than it was about selectivity

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is a "LAC" then - it's larger than a SLAC but also doesn't have a graduate school?

"S" is for selective. Drop down from Middlebury to Kalamazoo. Drop from Bowdoin to Wheaton. That kind of thing.

Aside: Some folks also use the term SLAC where "S" merely means "Small" and not necessarily "selective". It can be confusing.

I wonder if it’s a regional thing. I grew up in the northeast and SLAC always meant small liberal arts college. It was more about an ethos than it was about selectivity

It is supposed to be small, not selective. Not sure who started selective but I always read it as small.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I second WPI, I’d also look at Rose Hulman, Lafayette, Olin and Clark.

Another ADHD parent and agree with these. My ADHD STEM kid is at Brown, and we are thrilled be excellent supports there. Classes are intense, and students need to have the Exec Function to go to all the study sessions.
She had WPI, Lafayette, Tufts, Smith and Olin on her list. I was really impressed with these 3 (overall, for STEM + arts, and for an ADHD student). Olin seems to be a particularly nurturing community, very focused on cooperative learning/growth. Excellent outcomes.
Also had Union, Lehigh and UVM. Not sure how good these are with ADHD. First 2 did not seem as strong in arts.
Have heard excellent thinks about Hofstra. Also Marist, St. Olaf and Clark (did not consider these as pursuing Engineering).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is a "LAC" then - it's larger than a SLAC but also doesn't have a graduate school?

"S" is for selective. Drop down from Middlebury to Kalamazoo. Drop from Bowdoin to Wheaton. That kind of thing.

Aside: Some folks also use the term SLAC where "S" merely means "Small" and not necessarily "selective". It can be confusing.

I wonder if it’s a regional thing. I grew up in the northeast and SLAC always meant small liberal arts college. It was more about an ethos than it was about selectivity

It is supposed to be small, not selective. Not sure who started selective but I always read it as small.

DP. Same

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is a "LAC" then - it's larger than a SLAC but also doesn't have a graduate school?

"S" is for selective. Drop down from Middlebury to Kalamazoo. Drop from Bowdoin to Wheaton. That kind of thing.

“S” actually stands for “small.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD is Asian American at a top private (not in the DC area), and has strong academics but struggles with ADHD/anxiety (her grades take a long time for her to achieve and a lot of effort). She gets extremely stressed out with multiple demands. She has difficulty reading social cues and enjoys a few small, very nerdy clubs. She does not really socialize with friends outside of school - most of her social life is centered around structured activities/clubs in which she participates (but not as a leader or officer). She gets all A's or high B's in non-weighted, mostly regular type classes. Her friends are nice nerd types.

We are looking for colleges that would be a good fit. She seems to be interested in Tech/Science/Psych, but her hobbies are ALL 100% artsy (doodling, composing pop songs, singing in cafes, writing poetry). She does well with creative hobbies, but I don't think she could thrive writing a lot of long papers. Most processes, including the writing process, take her a long time. She has an almost photographic memory for weird facts and does will in trivia competitions. DH and I are professor types; we can afford a private university, but then she is on her own after that.

The SLACs in the East or MidWest seem like a good fit, but she would like a school that has multiple STEM offerings that are not uber competitive (i.e, not full of hard core pre-med types). But, she also has mostly Asian friends, and so there needs to be some diversity (not sure about sending her to Maine, for instance), and a diversity of Asian or minority students is good (i.e., not a campus where all the Asian students are international and have tons of $$$, for instance). Bonus points if the school is near a major airport as we live in the South.

I would probably stay away from colleges on a quarter system. I went to grad school at a college that had a quarter system, and it was quite a surprise to realize that if you get behind, you really have no time to recover. I would also consider your DD's learning style. What do you like about her HS now? For instance, my DS is a HS senior (also ADHD, mild anxiety, very smart) and does well in a highly supportive, rigorous, structured environment. His anxiety kicks in if he thinks he's missed an important assignment, didn't write down the due date, doesn't understand the expectations, etc.
A robust tutoring center can be helpful- I've engaged tutors for my DS more for the purpose of taking some study pressure off and helping with time management vs. comprehension issues.
Finally, I would not rule out a state flagship. My DS goes to a private HS and has had a lot of difficulty making friends-- he's not even the weirdest (said affectionately) kid there- it's just that if you don't find your group, there's not a lot of options. We went on a visit to UC Boulder-- and there were so many students of all varieties of personality and interests. Everyone we spoke to said it's a place where you can find your people, interests, etc. While DS will likely attend a different university of his major, he is set on a large, public university.

+1 on advice to steer away from quarter systems. It wouldn’t work for my ADD-I, anxious kid.