Colleges for late bloomer DS?

[Anonymous]

Son finally has close to an A average — but he’s a junior. Total GPA will be a 3.4 if we’re lucky, it’s at 3.1 now. SAT around 1350, may go higher. Very smart kid who struggled with ADD. Intellectually, hangs out with smartest kids in his school. Wants to go somewhere for pre-med, ideally within five hours of DC. Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

Elon, JMU, VCU.

[Anonymous]

Pitt, Temple, VCU (good pre-med program).

[Anonymous]

OP - these are all on the list. Thanks! Keep the suggestions coming! I just wonder if he will have enough intellectual challenge at these schools to keep that ADD brain lit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - these are all on the list. Thanks! Keep the suggestions coming! I just wonder if he will have enough intellectual challenge at these schools to keep that ADD brain lit.

I hear you OP. I have a similar kid and the challenge is to find a highly intellectual environment without the high pressure (at least for my DC, but mine is more humanities focused).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - these are all on the list. Thanks! Keep the suggestions coming! I just wonder if he will have enough intellectual challenge at these schools to keep that ADD brain lit.

Sure.

[Anonymous]

PreMed or Bio or Chem isn’t easy anywhere and it isn’t low pressure anywhere. Both Pitt and VCU allow you to start Med school there early.

Add CWRU to those listed above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PreMed or Bio or Chem isn’t easy anywhere and it isn’t low pressure anywhere. Both Pitt and VCU allow you to start Med school there early.

Add CWRU to those listed above.

Realize you need to apply directly to VCU and Pitt’s 7 MD or early admit MD programs, and they are super competitive. My kid is at TJ, which sends kids into direct admit MD programs, including Pitt and VCU, every year and it is much, much, much harder than getting into the underlying school.

Case is also going to be a real reach school with those stats— especially is premed or science, because Case looks at prospective major. Case has become a hot commodity lately, because they give generous merit aid to donut home kids.

OP— your kid doesn’t have the stats of UNC-CH OOS, but East Carolina University has excellent pre-med as well. I’m from NC. It’s definitely the NC State School you want to target, if you look South instead of North.

Otherwise, agree Pitt and VCU are good targets with the stats. In Ohio, Wooster would be a good match. Excellent grad school admissions.

And OP— I wouldn’t worry about your kid being too smart. I’m sure he is smart. But, I think you are discounting how tough the college admissions landscape is. You really want to pull up Naviance and take a look. For reference, I am looking at Case as a target, and VCU and Pitt as safeties for my TJ kid, w/ a 1520 SAT, 800s on the Math and Physics subject test and 4.1W. There are lots of very bright kids attending these schools.

Also, if your kid is a late bloomer Op, have you considered a gap year to give him the extra time to mature and work on executive functioning before starting college? He can fudge with “upward trend” for college admissions, but med school admission is unforgiving. He’ll want to be able to start off on the right foot.

[Anonymous]

Pitt and Case aren’t really in reach with those stats. JMU maybe, VCU yes, but would be a reach for the pre-med program.

[Anonymous]

Have him work on test prep this summer - maybe consider the ACT too - so he can raise his score. Make sure he's getting accommodation for his ADD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pitt and Case aren’t really in reach with those stats. JMU maybe, VCU yes, but would be a reach for the pre-med program.

Not gonna happen for the 7 year med program at VCU, which is very selective. Very possible to to pre-med the old fashioned way.

And wow. Is Pitt really out of reach at 3.4/1350? It’s brutal out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have him work on test prep this summer - maybe consider the ACT too - so he can raise his score. Make sure he's getting accommodation for his ADD.

This. Your kid still has time to get his 1350 up to at least a 1450, which is very doable for a bright kid. If he can’t, he probably isn’t hack pre-med.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have him work on test prep this summer - maybe consider the ACT too - so he can raise his score. Make sure he's getting accommodation for his ADD.

This. Your kid still has time to get his 1350 up to at least a 1450, which is very doable for a bright kid. If he can’t, he probably isn’t hack pre-med.

Can’t hack. Ugghh. I apparently isn’t hack typing. SMH.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PreMed or Bio or Chem isn’t easy anywhere and it isn’t low pressure anywhere. Both Pitt and VCU allow you to start Med school there early.

Add CWRU to those listed above.

Realize you need to apply directly to VCU and Pitt’s 7 MD or early admit MD programs, and they are super competitive. My kid is at TJ, which sends kids into direct admit MD programs, including Pitt and VCU, every year and it is much, much, much harder than getting into the underlying school.

Case is also going to be a real reach school with those stats— especially is premed or science, because Case looks at prospective major. Case has become a hot commodity lately, because they give generous merit aid to donut home kids.

OP— your kid doesn’t have the stats of UNC-CH OOS, but East Carolina University has excellent pre-med as well. I’m from NC. It’s definitely the NC State School you want to target, if you look South instead of North.

Otherwise, agree Pitt and VCU are good targets with the stats. In Ohio, Wooster would be a good match. Excellent grad school admissions.

And OP— I wouldn’t worry about your kid being too smart. I’m sure he is smart. But, I think you are discounting how tough the college admissions landscape is. You really want to pull up Naviance and take a look. For reference, I am looking at Case as a target, and VCU and Pitt as safeties for my TJ kid, w/ a 1520 SAT, 800s on the Math and Physics subject test and 4.1W. There are lots of very bright kids attending these schools.

Also, if your kid is a late bloomer Op, have you considered a gap year to give him the extra time to mature and work on executive functioning before starting college? He can fudge with “upward trend” for college admissions, but med school admission is unforgiving. He’ll want to be able to start off on the right foot.

+1

Look at Colleges That Change Lives schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pitt and Case aren’t really in reach with those stats. JMU maybe, VCU yes, but would be a reach for the pre-med program.

Not gonna happen for the 7 year med program at VCU, which is very selective. Very possible to to pre-med the old fashioned way.

And wow. Is Pitt really out of reach at 3.4/1350? It’s brutal out there.

Yes.