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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I teach college. [b]The most important thing for any kid is to be sent from a place where they feel supported to a place where they feel like they belong.[/b] And those two places don't have to be very far apart. If last year was horrible (it was horrible for so, so many students, for so many different reasons), someplace far from home may or may not be the best choice right now, and that is ok either way. Your kid's well-being will be more important than prestige from the minute they arrive.

Ballpark the distance first, according to what is best for your family. Apply to a healthy number of schools (maybe 10-12), but have a good reason for each one you include on your list, and vary the types of institutions (big, small, public, private, religious, secular) as much as seems right for the kid. Get the applications in early in the season so that rolling admissions replies come back quickly. Have a list of backup schools that you can apply to later in the application season (watch their deadlines) if too many of the earlier responses are "no."

And have a backup plan that is discussed frequently, openly, and positively in case none of the applications produce results that you can all live with. Would your kid take a gap year? Seek out more or different work hours? Go full-time at an open-enrollment institution in the area? (This category includes our superb local community colleges, but is not confined to them.)

Seriously, I don't see those numbers as predicting against application-based college admission. I see the year-to-year change as reflecting the kinds of difficulties to which the OP alluded. (It might even be appropriate (ask the HS counselor responsible for college conversations) to include some discussion of those challenges in the application essays.) Continue the open-minded exploration of options, focus on the kid's well-being and resilience, keep the conversation focused on possibilities, and aim for a good fall semester of the senior year - which might be reflected more in the kid's personal successes than in any academic ones.[/quote]

NP. I love this!!! Thank you.
Our DC struggled through HS and has similar stats with OP. 
We chose not to do community college because we needed for DC the encompassing support that a community college may not be able to provide. 
We really liked McDaniel but DC chose a different school and found a place that DC feels at home in. First year during the pandemic was tough. Grades could have been better but there are a lot of intangibles, personal successes that have been more important than the grades.  [/quote]

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