Would you just pick up the phone and call?

[Anonymous]

I posted below about finding a college counselor for my SN kid, but I think I underestimated the price. $700 an hour is a huge amount for our budget.

A few people have suggested to me that I just call the schools that my son is interested in. However, I am loathe to do that. His story is unusual enough, and our questions are specific enough to his story, that I worry that, even if I don't give my name, the admissions officer will recognize the story when we apply. I don't want either a situation where they write my kid off for having a total helicopter mom, or where we decide not to follow the advice and then it looks like we didn't respect their opinion.

Given all that, I'm now thinking of calling schools on the other side of the country. I'm pretty sure my son will want to stay within driving distance, so I'm thinking that if I find comparable schools across the country, I can call the admissions office without risking confidentiality. However, my question is, are schools consistent enough about these things? If I call a small liberal arts school that offers X and Y majors and Z kinds of support for kids with SN, and accepts kids with A, B, and C, academic characteristics, will it be likely that the'll give me the same answers as a similar school on this coast?

Or is this just another really bad idea.

[Anonymous]

Is your child capable of making the calls himself? I think that would be impactful.

[Anonymous]

I'm a college counselor. You can definitely pay less than $700/hr! Are you getting that number from this board, or because you called around and got estimates from counselors? I really encourage you to call around. I charge approx. $350/hr, for example, if kids don't commit to a package of more than ten hours - and if they do, the cost goes down even further. There are plenty of people who charge even less than I do.

I would try that first... I can see your situation turning into a helicopter mom type of situation very quickly (not that you are one, but that will be the impression).

If for whatever reason you cannot find a good fit with a counselor in a lower price range, go ahead and make the calls yourself but don't call the admissions office. Call the student support office (different schools may have different names for this) to learn more about what they offer. You can't really call to see if he will be accepted or not.. better just to apply and take your chances.

You could also try the scenario you suggested above, just know that different schools will handle things differently, even peer schools on the same coast. I would be wary of getting inaccurate information.

Good luck to you!

[Anonymous]

Make sure that you are not trying to shelter him from disappointment. Chances are you will learn as the admissions process goes on. He will be accepted/rejected by some and once admitted it will become more clear if the school is a good fit. In other words, I would plan on applying widely (especially if a few thousand for a college counselor is a financial stretch)

You could get the email for the Disabilities Office. Email your questions or help DC compose the email.

[Anonymous]

I would call for my child. No way would I pay $350-700 an hour in less my child is guaranteed to get into that school. That's another special needs ripoff.

[Anonymous]

Did you mean $70/hr???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a college counselor. You can definitely pay less than $700/hr! Are you getting that number from this board, or because you called around and got estimates from counselors? I really encourage you to call around. I charge approx. $350/hr, for example, if kids don't commit to a package of more than ten hours - and if they do, the cost goes down even further. There are plenty of people who charge even less than I do.

I would try that first... I can see your situation turning into a helicopter mom type of situation very quickly (not that you are one, but that will be the impression).

If for whatever reason you cannot find a good fit with a counselor in a lower price range, go ahead and make the calls yourself but don't call the admissions office. Call the student support office (different schools may have different names for this) to learn more about what they offer. You can't really call to see if he will be accepted or not.. better just to apply and take your chances.

You could also try the scenario you suggested above, just know that different schools will handle things differently, even peer schools on the same coast. I would be wary of getting inaccurate information.

Good luck to you!

At $350 an hour, I'd rather apply to 20 schools than pay thousands for someones best guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I posted below about finding a college counselor for my SN kid, but I think I underestimated the price. $700 an hour is a huge amount for our budget.

A few people have suggested to me that I just call the schools that my son is interested in. However, I am loathe to do that. His story is unusual enough, and our questions are specific enough to his story, that I worry that, even if I don't give my name, the admissions officer will recognize the story when we apply. I don't want either a situation where they write my kid off for having a total helicopter mom, or where we decide not to follow the advice and then it looks like we didn't respect their opinion.

Given all that, I'm now thinking of calling schools on the other side of the country. I'm pretty sure my son will want to stay within driving distance, so I'm thinking that if I find comparable schools across the country, I can call the admissions office without risking confidentiality. However, my question is, are schools consistent enough about these things? If I call a small liberal arts school that offers X and Y majors and Z kinds of support for kids with SN, and accepts kids with A, B, and C, academic characteristics, will it be likely that the'll give me the same answers as a similar school on this coast?

Or is this just another really bad idea.

Email with his email address and with his understanding.

[Anonymous]

OP here, I'm not looking for assistance picking colleges or getting in at this point. My kid's not even there yet. My questions are more about how to prepare him now so that he's ready when application time comes around to get into the schools where he will do best.

For example, he'll likely be looking at a few state schools where admissions are guaranteed for kids who make certain stats. I'd love some clarity on exactly how those stats are calculated. Weighted or unweighted? Are certain subjects taken out of the calculation? How do withdrawals figure in? Do Freshmen grades count? Because knowing those things might make a difference in the decisions we make. If having a 3.0 unweighted (the cut at one school on our radar), is a make it or break it line, but having 4 sciences isn't, then maybe it makes sense to choose PE for that elective slot. But if they throw out the PE grades, then maybe not.

The $700 figure came from this board. I'm glad to know that it's wrong. Are you willing to share your name or contact?

And no, I'm not trying to protect my kid from disappointment. I would, however, like to see my kid attend a 4 year school, if that's still what he wants 2.5 years from now.

[Anonymous]

Admission counselor for a slac here. OP, what exactly do you think you need to know from a live person that you can't get from the school's web site, Fiske guide or similar? I don't think there is anything wrong with calling, necessarily, I'm just trying to find out what information you're looking for.

Fwiw, you absolutely can call and it won't make a difference in your child's chances of admission.You may not want to give your name for privacy reasons or because you don't want to end up on the mailing/email list, which you surely will.

To add a few suggestions to the previous thread, Washington & Jefferson College, Hiram College, Marietta College might be places you want to look.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

It's not an exact science, but the general rule of thumb is to take the most rigorous curriculum you will do well in, which obv is probably somewhere between four sciences and PE.

[Anonymous]

Hi AC, OP here.

I think you're thinking of a different thread. This one is mine:

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/444290.page

I recognize that if he ends up looking at SLAC's (assuming that S is "Small", if it's "Selective" I can already tell you that's not going to work), that it's a crapshoot. However, he's likely looking at some state schools where admissions seems more cut and dried, and knowing exactly how they calculate things could be helpful. Like I said, he's got some idiosyncrasies, both in what he wants to study, and in how his transcripts look, that lead to questions that aren't going to be answered on a website.

[Anonymous]

OP, you might have more luck posting in the Special Needs forum and/or reaching out to groups that support teenagers with special needs and their families, as they might be able to give you more specific answers based on their experiences with their children going through the college application process.

[Anonymous]

^^ oops got it. Thanks. I wouldn't be shy about calling, but if they're state schools and therefore close by you really might want to visit and ask all of your questions then.

If your kid is up for it, he can send an email like so: "Dear Testudo, I am just beginning my college search and UofM is at the top of my list. I was hoping you could provide some guidance as I round out my high school career: (insert specific questions). " obv you can send this from your kid's account. We'll never know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here, I'm not looking for assistance picking colleges or getting in at this point. My kid's not even there yet. My questions are more about how to prepare him now so that he's ready when application time comes around to get into the schools where he will do best.

For example, he'll likely be looking at a few state schools where admissions are guaranteed for kids who make certain stats. I'd love some clarity on exactly how those stats are calculated. Weighted or unweighted? Are certain subjects taken out of the calculation? How do withdrawals figure in? Do Freshmen grades count? Because knowing those things might make a difference in the decisions we make. If having a 3.0 unweighted (the cut at one school on our radar), is a make it or break it line, but having 4 sciences isn't, then maybe it makes sense to choose PE for that elective slot. But if they throw out the PE grades, then maybe not.

The $700 figure came from this board. I'm glad to know that it's wrong. Are you willing to share your name or contact?

And no, I'm not trying to protect my kid from disappointment. I would, however, like to see my kid attend a 4 year school, if that's still what he wants 2.5 years from now.

If you are in a state where state college admission is guaranteed if a student makes certain stats, I don't think we can help you on that as this is a DC area board and neither MD or VA have state colleges like that- with the exception of community colleges. In VA, Community Colleges have a two year program where a student can be admitted to any state school if they check all the required boxes. For that there is only unweighted GPA. If you are in another area, the $350/hour cost for a college counselor is likely to be lower (unless you are NYC or SF).

I also have a sophomore with special needs and facing the same issue of contacting colleges to weed out the ones who will not provide accommodations. Contacting the Offices of Disabilities will not impact admissions as they have confidentiality rules. The decision to inform Admissions about ones disability is a case by case personal one. My DC will because he needs to explain why he has not taken any foreign language.

Princeton Review has the K&W Guidebook for students with disabilities. It is a good starting point and gives contact information.