Please be kind & compassionate: 3.0 GPA with tutoring in 3 classes, & 26 ACT with extra time (ADD)

[Anonymous]

I'd get a lot of counselling to figure out the possible types of careers (and be open to the idea that they might not be "professional") before sending a kid with ADD away to college. The first kids to drop out or be tempted by the alternatives are the ones who feel lost and like they don't fit in. You should make sure your child knows why he is there and WANTS to be there. That might even mean a gap year, or forgoing college altogether.

[Anonymous]

I just saw on a neighborhood listserv that Walter Johnson High School PTSA is hosting an evening seminar finding the right college for students with learning differences. It will be on March 23 form 7-8:30 in the cafeteria.

[Anonymous]

One thing to keep in mind about ADD kids is they sometimes grow up to have much less of an attention deficit than they had as teens. I myself was went through this. For me, a big state U was ok, and I went to an Ivy grad program. But I started getting more organized and better at time management in .my late teens.

Although a state U can work, state U environments are also conducive to complete academic melt downs. For this reason, I'd check out some of the LACs that are known for giving individual attention.

If you got on the USNWR list and focused on the LACs ranked 50 to 150 or 200, you'd find may good choices. Most of the CTCL colleges are in that group.

[Anonymous]

Sorry about the typos. I guess I still have ADD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd get a lot of counselling to figure out the possible types of careers (and be open to the idea that they might not be "professional") before sending a kid with ADD away to college. The first kids to drop out or be tempted by the alternatives are the ones who feel lost and like they don't fit in. You should make sure your child knows why he is there and WANTS to be there. That might even mean a gap year, or forgoing college altogether.

+100. If someone struggles in college for these reasons, they should know why they are there. Get career counseling —it just talk about and figure out a goal— and work back from there. There are thousands of expensive small private schools that will take your money and give your child A’s in anthropology classes. It’s a huge disservice to them to not help them figure out where they are going. Those kids end up working Starbucks or retail or living in their parents’ houses.

If they struggle this much in school, figure out a career or vocational plan and work back from there. At least s/he’ll have a solid goal and motivation.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you to everyone who posted. Your advice has been invaluable. I hope I can return the favor by offering advice on topics where I have some good insights. Thank you again.

[Anonymous]

I read your post, OP, but not the responses for forgive me if posters already suggested but I recommend you look at McDaniel College in MD. It has excellent supports for students with learning differences and likely adhd/executive function deficiencies; it is not too far away so you could always drive up for the day if you want to check in or think he needs some hands on help; and lots of students there are involved with sports, which can be helpful from a social and time management perspective. Good luck to your son, he sounds great!

[Anonymous]

On what planet is a 3.0 and 26 ACT bad?? Good grief.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On what planet is a 3.0 and 26 ACT bad?? Good grief.

OP here. Thanks for your message. I think that those stats are normally fine, but for our DS, he has tutoring in 3 of his 6 classes, and I am pretty sure that his GPA would be lower without the tutoring support. Also, he had extra time on the ACT. I can't be sure, but it seems like that must be helpful, at least for the reading section where you have time to go back to the passage to check your answers.

[Anonymous]

OP, have you looked at the SALT program at the University of Arizona? It may work for your son.

[Anonymous]

Your son is a VERY high risk to drop or fail out. How will you force a young man to go to class and use tutors at college? You can’t. Who’s going to micro manage his workload? He can and will do whatever he wants.

If he can get in, I’d recommend a co-op college like Kettering University, where it’s basically free because you work and make money in corporate internships every other quarter. The access to real jobs can motivate kids like your son who struggle to remain academically motivated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On what planet is a 3.0 and 26 ACT bad?? Good grief.

The AVERAGE American 12th grader has an A average GPA in 2020. Grade inflation is insane. So a low B average is really suspect — especially since we know that’s with parents micromanaging and the luxury of multiple tutors.

[Anonymous]

I’d take a good look at Elon and High Point.

For whatever it’s worth, a friend of mine in law school had ADDz. She just had to work a lot harder than the rest of us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On what planet is a 3.0 and 26 ACT bad?? Good grief.

The AVERAGE American 12th grader has an A average GPA in 2020. Grade inflation is insane. So a low B average is really suspect — especially since we know that’s with parents micromanaging and the luxury of multiple tutors.

Interesting. I am a new poster to this thread.

My son was rejected at Christopher Newport (one of the schools suggested to OP upthread.) He had a 3.2 GPA and 30 ACT. He was an Eagle Scout and a few other ECs (but nothing extraordinary.)
No tutors or micromanaging, but maybe I should have...

[Anonymous]

A cousin is doing awesome at Highpoint. The parents are blown away by the level of support and the school's focus on preparing for post graduation.