Reply to Having an underachieving student start at community college

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote]What are your thoughts on having a kid who is intelligent but has definite executive functioning issues or is otherwise underachieving attend community college for a year before transferring to a four year school? The student I have in mind has ADD and scored in the top 97th percentile on the PSAT (no discrepancies by section) with extended time but is a B+ student in a moderately difficult schedule. These grades are also currently slipping and to be honest aren't super impressive for the school they are coming from (current GPA is probably ~top quarter of the class). Said student is also minimally involved in extracurricular activities and spends a lot of time on the internet. I was also told that the student's guidance counselor doesn't think they'd get into the majority of colleges they originally wanted to attend (think top 30 or so USNWR level). I think the student's difficulties lie with either not studying enough or knowing their learning style, along with having poor time management skills. [/quote]

There are different levels of "underachieving" and this kid is only underachieving if you compare him to the typical applicant to the Top 30 USNWR schools.  It is unclear why you think that the alternative to attending one of these schools would be community college.  Community college is great for a number of different types of students - those with actual marginal grades (not B+), those who can't afford four years of tuition at a four-year school, those who feel they aren't ready to move out of the house, etc.  Community college doesn't really make a lot of sense for a kid who is maybe not driven to have straight As in every subject even though they could achieve those grades.

This kid sounds like my DC, who is a sophomore with ADD, 99% PSAT scores, does one EC, spends a lot of time on the Internet, and gets mostly A-/B+ grades without doing much work most of the time, especially in classes he doesn't like. The thought that he would have to go to CC has never even occurred to me.  My older DC had her own issues (anxiety, discipline problems), is not as bright, had worse grades, maybe 95% ACT scores, and went off to a 4 year school 2000 miles away where she is very happy, studying hard and doing well.  I'm sure the guidance counselor would have recommended community college for her, but the GC is basically a complete stranger and I place little value on her opinion. [/quote]

These profiles match my son. He is at a private high school, not the most rigorous one, but a good school where he can't fall through the cracks the way he would at our local huge public. I was disappointed he wasn't accepted into a more demanding high school, because in my opinion, a kid like this is always going to be a B or B= student. So better a B+ at a great school than a B+ at a so-so school.  [/quote]

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