Reply to SLAC strong in science/tech for neurodiverse DD with ADHD?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My DD is Asian American at a top private (not in the DC area), and has strong academics but struggles with ADHD/anxiety (her grades take a long time for her to achieve and a lot of effort). She gets extremely stressed out with multiple demands. She has difficulty reading social cues and enjoys a few small, very nerdy clubs.  She does not really socialize with friends outside of school - most of her social life is centered around structured activities/clubs in which she participates (but not as a leader or officer). She gets all A's or high B's in non-weighted, mostly regular type classes.  Her friends are nice nerd types.

We are looking for colleges that would be a good fit.  She seems to be interested in Tech/Science/Psych, but her hobbies are ALL 100% artsy (doodling, composing pop songs, singing in cafes, writing poetry). She does well with creative hobbies, but I don't think she could thrive writing a lot of long papers. Most processes, including the writing process, take her a long time. She has an almost photographic memory for weird facts and does will in trivia competitions.  DH and I are professor types; we can afford a private university, but then she is on her own after that.

The SLACs in the East or MidWest seem like a good fit, but she would like a school that has multiple STEM offerings that are not uber competitive (i.e, not full of hard core pre-med types).  But, she also has mostly Asian friends, and so there needs to be some diversity (not sure about sending her to Maine, for instance), and a diversity of Asian or minority students is good (i.e., not a campus where all the Asian students are international and have tons of $$$, for instance).  Bonus points if the school is near a major airport as we live in the South.[/quote]

I would probably stay away from colleges on a quarter system. I went to grad school at a college that had a quarter system, and it was quite a surprise to realize that if you get behind, you really have no time to recover. I would also consider your DD's learning style. What do you like about her HS now? For instance, my DS is a HS senior (also ADHD, mild anxiety, very smart) and does well in a highly supportive, rigorous, structured environment. His anxiety kicks in if he thinks he's missed an important assignment, didn't write down the due date, doesn't understand the expectations, etc. 
A robust tutoring center can be helpful- I've engaged tutors for my DS more for the purpose of taking some study pressure off and helping with time management vs. comprehension issues. 
Finally, I would not rule out a state flagship. My DS goes to a private HS and has had a lot of difficulty making friends-- he's not even the weirdest (said affectionately) kid there- it's just that if you don't find your group, there's not a lot of options. We went on a visit to UC Boulder-- and there were so many students of all varieties of personality and interests. Everyone we spoke to said it's a place where you can find your people, interests, etc. While DS will likely attend a different university of his major, he is set on a large, public university. [/quote]

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