Catholic University?

Villanova-in Philly suburbs, about the same size as AU.

Are his scores any better than his grades? I would agree with PPs that you need to focus on the academic environment and where he is likely to get the support and help he needs. What about a year or two at a local community college to improve his record, and then transfer. Is he really ready to function on his own away from home at college in terms of getting academics under control? It could be a colossal waste of money and stressful for him to end up at a mediocre school with no appropriate services.

Anonymous wrote:DePaul in Chicago? Though it's a little bigger.

If he loves AU, I think he should consider going there even if it's closer than he'd like. He isn't going to find a mirror of AU in some other city in America.

OP here, he's only seen a handful of local schools, and one a little farther away where he went to camp. I'm sure that he'll find other schools that he likes as he looks farther afield. Which is good, because AU is hard to get into and crazy expensive.

DePaul in Chicago? Though it's a little bigger.

If he loves AU, I think he should consider going there even if it's closer than he'd like. He isn't going to find a mirror of AU in some other city in America.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cool, I hope it helps. And yes, Clark in MA, I thought the town was nice, but maybe too liberal artsy for him? While we're talking MA-- maybe Northeastern in Boston, too?

Me again, also check out West Chester university in PA. Cute suburban town. Not as competitive as AU.

Mediocre school, few support services.

If AU is a stretch for him then he won't be able to get into Northeastern or BU. They are both ranked #42 while AU is #71.

College of Charleston might be a good fit. It's right in the heart of Charleston, but does have a campus.

Honestly, IIWY, if support is necessary, I would start with schools that offer good support services, and go from there, and not start from the vantage of what he wants in college location.

Anonymous wrote:Cool, I hope it helps. And yes, Clark in MA, I thought the town was nice, but maybe too liberal artsy for him? While we're talking MA-- maybe Northeastern in Boston, too?

Me again, also check out West Chester university in PA. Cute suburban town. Not as competitive as AU.

OP here, I agree that AU is very good at student support, and think it would be a great fit, but I was probably underestimating when I said it was a stretch. It's probably not even a "high reach" for him. He says he wants to be "further than 2 metro stops from home", and I'm probably not going to try and dissuade him since I doubt he'd get in.

Au has very strong academic support department. About 20 staff members.

Drexel maybe. BU might be a stretch. Babson. College of Charleston. Xavier.

Cool, I hope it helps. And yes, Clark in MA, I thought the town was nice, but maybe too liberal artsy for him? While we're talking MA-- maybe Northeastern in Boston, too?

OP here,

Thanks! I'll look into those. Suny Bing is definitely out of reach grade wise. I should say that AU almost certainly is too. I just looked up Syracuse's scores and was surprised that the scores are lower. The kids I know who have gone there have all seemed really capable. I don't know Clark, do you mean the one in MA? We'll definitely explore that option.

What about suny binghampton, Clark or Syracuse?

Even though DS wants to go away for school, we've been looking at local colleges, trying to narrow down what DS wants before we pay for travel to see more distant schools. So far, AU is far and away DS's favorite. He likes the size of the school, and the fact that it's got a real campus, but is also close to public transportation that can take him a variety of places.

AU would probably be a stretch for him grade/test scores wise, and he needs a school that will offer decent accommodations for ADHD.

So what schools that are more than a few metro stops from home, offer a similar suburban type environment (I know AU is technically in the city, but Tenleytown still feels really suburban to me), a nice campus, and admissions that aren't too rigorous. He thinks he might want to major in business, or maybe IT, but could easily change his mind, so someplace where you aren't locked into a major would be fantastic.