Colleges for C & D Students

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get a neuropsych evaluation and accommodations. Don’t just resign yourself to having a C/D student. Build the scaffolding now and accommodations to help with executive function skills.

This. Like, a thousand times over.

It's not just that the C's and D's might constrain future options: It's miserable and soul-crushing for students to show up every day somewhere and be told they're not good enough. Even if they're learning the material, the task completion hurdles are massive and real, and pretending it's just a matter of working harder is wrongheaded and misaligned with what neuroscience teaches.

And definitely don't listen to the ignoramuses here who think ADHD and autism are made up and say dumb shite like "it's called parenting." It's profoundly stupid and it's cruel to boot, and you'll learn nothing from them except stupidity and cruelty.

FWIW my MCPS kids had a "reduced workload" accommodation. Had to fight but once they were graded on mastery of subject matter and not their ability to grab the "easy" points, their grades looked a lot better.

Also, medication is a game changer for many students. ADHD is more responsive to meds than about anything else in the DSM-R.

And you are right that as DC gets older and more mature that will help, too -- the brain development stuff is real and I've seen many ND/LD young ppl have a massive "growth spurt" in exec functioning around age 18-20. Middle school is pretty much the nadir. Do not despair! It definitely gets better.

Last thing: Schools are increasingly offering a wide range of programs and services for neurodivergent students. There's so much out there. The biggest constraint might be your budget -- but even then, there are ways.

Good luck OP. And stay away from the college forums for a while, OK? A lot can change in a few years. One thing at a time.

Neuropsych eval, treatment if prescribed, and 504 or IEP first of all.

This is OP. Thank you for this.

To those saying just parent, DC is getting tutoring, therapy, meds, and has an IEP. As I mentioned before we ARE working with DC and throwing all our resources at helping. I have hope that things will improve some, but improvement is slow going and I’m not sure DC will get there by freshman year.

[Anonymous]

My kid was a mess in 8th and 9th grade. It was so bad, worse than you can image. I was a frequent poster on the SN forum and we lived through hell. Grades were the least of our worries and they tanked.

Fast forward to senior year and he’s not on any meds at all and earned straight As. He had his choice of many schools. I’ll skip what happened in the middle but the short story is, there is a lot that happens between middle school and the time for college applications.

Do not even think about college now! Enjoy the last months of middle school and have him focus on transitioning to high school. Puberty may be rocky and that will change things too. When the time comes, there is a college out there for everyone.

[Anonymous]

High Point University
was created for a student like yours, Op

[Anonymous]

Have t read all four pages so apologies if this is duplicative info, but consider joining these FB groups:

Parents of College Bound Students with LDs, ADHD, and ASD
https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentsofcollegeboundstudentswithld/

College Advice for Awesomely Average Kids
https://www.facebook.com/groups/554159123294179/

[Anonymous]

JMU

[Anonymous]

(Bennington definitely not for lower-performing kids, but I digress...)

C student with a learning difference in non-learning difference environment is different than a C student. I'd gently recommend he's tested for multiple things, agreed with the sitting down a few times a week, and encourage to send to schools (work with in-school and outside-school counselors) that cater to learning differences.

[Anonymous]

Last year a girl at our school had lots of C’s but a good SAT score and got into Penn State

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid has a 2.5 ish with a non rigorous schedule and a 504. We worked a private consultant who was great putting together a list. You can see this list has small, medium, and large schools, and some them have significant support or non-traditional programs.

Got into
University of New England
University of Hartford
University of Denver
Queens U (Charlotte)
U of Kentucky
Colorado State

Other schools that were researched and suggested (some applied and some not, some were definite reaches that we were hoping a strong senior fall would boost) -
Furman
College of Charleston
Providence
Stetson
Appalachian State
Delaware
Lynn
University of Colorado - Colorado Springs and Denver (Boulder extreme reach)
Western Colorado
Roger Williams
Endicott
Dean
Ohio Wesleyan

What a nice and encouraging post! My HS kid has kept their 3.0 unweighted for now but Cs tend to creep in later in the year.

I believe that my kid has to do the work. I’m happy to issue consequences if there’s just no effort but I don’t believe in stage managing and bugging teachers for higher grades.

Great to hear something positive!

[Anonymous]

Jmu and Elon

[Anonymous]

My ADHD son was a C/D student in 8th grade, and we had the same worries as you. I could have written your post. Fast forward, he is now earning a B-average in a rigorous program and carrying a load of meaningful extracurriculars. Is he a straight A student? No. Does he still struggle mightily with focus, productivity, motivation, and executive functioning? Yes. But he has matured since 8th grade is poised to graduate and go on to a our-year college. Give it some time--they do grow up. And also, as others have said, get involved. Help him keep track of assignments. Help him establish routines. Over time, they start to internalize it (somewhat).

[Anonymous]

Many will because they are desperate to fill spots, but the question is, is your child ready. Many are accepting students they don't realistically except to be successful. I would have the kid live at home and try out college classes first with supports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many will because they are desperate to fill spots, but the question is, is your child ready. Many are accepting students they don't realistically except to be successful. I would have the kid live at home and try out college classes first with supports.

This here. There are many schools out there glad to accept your student and your money. There aren’t ever really guarantees as to how it will turn out career wise, but if you have the money and can get DC through undergrad debt-free, it will be valuable in many other ways.
That said, you are a long ways away from it being time to throw in the towel. So much can change from MS to high school. My son didn’t really start turning things around until junior year. He is a completely different kid compared to freshman year and now headed to SLAC next fall. It does seem that boys may tend to take more time to mature in this way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a neurodivergent DC currently in middle school who struggles to complete homework (and has low grades).

We are working on helping DC develop better homework habits. We think that as DC gets older and more mature that will help as well. However, we’re concerned that significant improvement won’t happen for a few years (JR or SR year).

Are there 4-year colleges that accept students with gpas of 2 (or lower) or would community college be the only option?

You have time to figure this out. I have a neurodivergent child and we had to figure it out.

Agendas, check-ins in the evenings, tutors, asking how things are going…in high school, dual-enrollment was the best option because most of his grade issues were related to sensory and social problems in the classroom. Our community college has online courses that he took in his room.

You need to come up with a plan as parents. A C/D student in middle school isn’t going to finish strong in high school. Community college or a job would be the option after graduation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have t read all four pages so apologies if this is duplicative info, but consider joining these FB groups:

Parents of College Bound Students with LDs, ADHD, and ASD
https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentsofcollegeboundstudentswithld/

College Advice for Awesomely Average Kids
https://www.facebook.com/groups/554159123294179/

I can’t see what’s on the Facebook page, but there are some colleges that have programs aimed at kids with significant intellectual disabilities as well as at academically minded neurodivergent kids. Example: https://mitchell.edu/thames/

I think that this is an area where parents who can afford it should look for a consultant.

[Anonymous]

Programs at Adelphi University and Curry are great for neurodivergent students who need extra support.
Dual-enrollment classes are such a blessing if your student has challenges in a traditional high school setting. Our son is going into college with 20 college credits. He was struggling in high school but did really well in the college courses.