AU is a very good school, and I would heartily recommend it for political science, international relations and other social sciences. Also journalism. But it is not strong in the humanities. OTOH, it is wonderfully supportive of students with learning disabilities.

American University is a lovely campus and great school.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, mention it. He needs support and if it’s not available/forthcoming, you need to know that upfront.

Catholic U is worth checking out, especially if he’s serious about Latin.

NO. Every admissions counsellor I have ever heard says not to mention this on the application.

The admissions people have NOTHING to do with support for learning disabilities/provision of accommodations. That is another department that can and should be approached after he is accepted.

No need for Admissions to have this information because you don't know what they would make of it.

JHU also requires everyone to live on campus and even if you got some exception, everyone else would be living on campus and a lot happens on campus so you’d be really left out.

Pp here. Also JHU is an intense environment.

I loved the school but it’s not for everyone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How far does he want to commute and does he want to commute by car/metro or just metro?

OP here. He hasn't thought that far, but we can look at both to begin with. For example: Johns Hopkins seems really bent on academics, but having driven that way myself in the mornings and seen a ton of risky weaving and accidents, I'm not sure it would be wise for him.

I’m a JHU graduate and I think it’s an amazing school but may not be the best fit for him. Relatively few kids studying the humanities, for one.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, mention it. He needs support and if it’s not available/forthcoming, you need to know that upfront.

Catholic U is worth checking out, especially if he’s serious about Latin.

OP can explore available services without disclosing in the application itself.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As any highly selective schools they get too many high stats so they are looking for other differentiators such as a highly developed or unique interest. See if your kid can qualify for TASP summer program, have him take National Latin exam or national Greek exam, have him study Ancient Greek, stuff like that

This comment is about Georgetown

Agree. He's got the stats, but the acceptance rate is 14%. Lots of kids have the stats.

Anonymous wrote:

OP here.

Thank you for your suggestions. Should he mention that he has an IEP, or learning disabilities, in his application? Will it hurt or hinder?

This is controversial, but I believe it hinders. Highlights a potential weakness. Since he already has great grades, the only possible benefit would be as an excuse for not enough ECs, though since the situation is likely to continue in college, disclosing tells admissions that he would be unlikely to be able to contribute on campus.

Yes, mention it. He needs support and if it’s not available/forthcoming, you need to know that upfront.

Catholic U is worth checking out, especially if he’s serious about Latin.

OP here.

Thank you for your suggestions. Should he mention that he has an IEP, or learning disabilities, in his application? Will it hurt or hinder?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How far does he want to commute and does he want to commute by car/metro or just metro?

OP here. He hasn't thought that far, but we can look at both to begin with. For example: Johns Hopkins seems really bent on academics, but having driven that way myself in the mornings and seen a ton of risky weaving and accidents, I'm not sure it would be wise for him.

He could train commute to JHU (via MARC). Depends on where you live.

Anonymous wrote:
OP here.

What additional items does Georgetown look for?

Also, is there a difference in the individual attention undergrads receive at all these local unis, or do they even get any? He doesn't want to get lost in the shuffle.

Gtown, as you might guess, would be a super reach, just due to low acceptance rates. They look for very high test scores and very high grades, very close to the top of the class (like top few kids, val/sal etc). It can't hurt to apply, go for it, but I would emphasize more realistic schools on the list.

He should definitely retest. Fall of junior year is too early to settle, to assume it's the best he can do. He has a whole year to increase his score. If he has time accommodations on ACT, he should retake that. If he does not have accommodations, he should try the SAT, which has more time per question and may be a better fit for a bright kid with some learning issues - you can find official practice tests online.

For more ECs, maybe for next summer, suggest getting a job that involves working at a business (retail, grocery, fast food, etc.), a step above neighborhood jobs.

If he can manage adding a school club that he's interested in, he should do so. As an aside, one activity that many people would not think of, but could be useful to explore, is speech and debate, though it's a bit late in the year right now. I have a STEM kid who got involved in speech and debate as a junior, bright kid with some issues, and it was a fantastic experience for him. The purpose would be skill development, and especially confidence-building, not award-winning.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How far does he want to commute and does he want to commute by car/metro or just metro?

OP here. He hasn't thought that far, but we can look at both to begin with. For example: Johns Hopkins seems really bent on academics, but having driven that way myself in the mornings and seen a ton of risky weaving and accidents, I'm not sure it would be wise for him.

He doesn’t have the stats for Hopkins and they require freshman to live on campus, so not a match.

UMD-College Park, American University, George Washington U.