Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I realize this is the DCUM bubble, but I don't understand the hand wringing over whether college would be appropriate. A 26 on the ACT is in the 82nd percentile - better than a majority of students who attend four year colleges.

I'm confused about this too. a 3.0 GPA means community college?

To those who expect their kid to go to an Ivy or top 10 school but then their kid ends up at a big state school because of the great "merit" which translates to they didn't get in where their parents expected them to

there are more people who have 3.0 than 4.0 and do just fine and actually enjoy life instead of living up to their parents expectations.

Second the recommendation of Towson. Had a nephew go there and have a great experience. Not too high pressure academically and a real "college" environment but not too far away. Also know folks who have had good experiences at Eckerd in Florida if he is willing to look at smaller places that are not traditional SLACs in the middle of the woods.

Second the recommendation of Towson. Had a nephew go there and have a great experience. Not too high pressure academically and a real "college" environment but not too far away. Also know folks who have had good experiences at Eckerd in Florida if he is willing to look at smaller places that are not traditional SLACs in the middle of the woods.

Anonymous wrote:OP- I struggled initially in college (suspect stealth ADD, my DS has ADHD). The key was

a) choosing a college close to home so that I could be home on the weekends. ADD isn't just an issue with academic achievement-- I notice with my DS that it's "load" in general- social, organizational, emotional, etc. Being able to decompress on the weekends if I needed (home cooking, just focusing on studying and sleeping) made it manageable.

b) I would consider an executive functioning coach for your DS--now and while he's in college. A coach can help him organize, plan, prioritize, etc. I think that can be one of the biggest challenges with a drastically increased workload and expectation.

OP here. Thanks for the helpful input. We'd love to have DS close to home, but he'd love to spread his wings. We have family all over the country, and figure he'll never be too far from a relative. Both DH and I went to colleges far from home, but I can see how it would have been pretty nice on occasion to have the option to go home on a Sunday for dinner and hanging out.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I realize this is the DCUM bubble, but I don't understand the hand wringing over whether college would be appropriate. A 26 on the ACT is in the 82nd percentile - better than a majority of students who attend four year colleges.

I'm confused about this too. a 3.0 GPA means community college?

OP here. I believe that my son's GPA would be lower than 3.0 without tutoring in 3 out of 6 classes. He especially struggles in math and the tutoring services are invaluable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My ADHD kid graduated from a public high school with a 2.6 GPA. He went to an SEC college and for whatever reason, college just kinda clicked with him. He didn’t get all As. But he did graduate and then went on to grad school. He is working on his a PhD now. He is 30 and a college professor. You just never know, OP. Some of these kids do really well once they figure out how to self-manage their ADHD. I would definitely not give up hope. My 30 year old is still ADHD as shi7. He still makes me crazy sometimes. He is married to a wonderful woman who is the complete opposite of him and very patient, thankfully. Right now he is doing great off medication. He does see a therapist once a week. Your son will get there!

Not OP but a higher ed professional. And yes! I see this!

This was me too although I'm 45. I floundered with ADHD in high school (this was back in very early days of it being a diagnosis) did ok (3.0) in college. I worked a few years, ended up in grad school at Hopkins and then Georgetown and have had a very successful professional career. It took me until about age 25 to figure out how to manage/organize myself.
However, it happened and I now juggle a busy job and 3 kids (as the default parent) and a crazy, vibrant life.

I also have to echo a previous poster: ONLY on DCUM and/or in NW DC do we question if someone with a 3.0 and standardized testing in the 82% should attend college. This area is nuts. We need to all step out of the bubble.

^^correcting typo....These are ALL GOOD SCHOOLS *DESPITE* WHAT SOME DCUMers MIGHT THINK. Not everyone can be the 4.2 GPA kids with perfect stats.

OP....are you in MD or VA? Here's my story...

My DD has ADD, General Anxiety and Dyscalculia (math disability)...had a 2.9 GPA when applying to college this past fall with a 1210 SAT and 28 ACT. ECs = 12 years of scouting/Gold Award + working and starting own business + volunteering. Doesn't play any sports or musical instruments.

Applied EA and was accepted to: Longwood, Radford, Roanoke
After 1st semester of Senior year improved grades and earned 3.0 GPA.
Applied EA and accepted after reporting 3.0 GPA to: UMW and Randolph-Macon
Applied EA but deferred: CNU (will hear by 3/15)

These are ALL GOOD SCHOOLS DISPUTE WHAT SOME DCUMers MIGHT THINK. Not everyone can be the 4.2 GPA kids with perfect stats.

We didn't venture OOS because DD wanted to stay close to home and financially we couldn't pay for OOS. My DD also knows they'd do better in smaller classes so focused on schools in the 5-10K range with exception of Roanoke and RMC which she found too small actually.

My recommendation....there are plenty of "schmedium" schools that are between 5,000-10,000 and I would check them out. I would honestly steer clear of any schools greater than 10K students - the first year is where classes are the largest in larger colleges - think 100+ students in an auditorium for a gen ed class. Your son could always go to a smaller school for first year and then transfer to a larger university.

Best of luck and remember....it's not where you go, but what you do with it....I know someone who went to Longwood undergrad and then to W&M for grad.

Also - you know your own kid best....would he do OK at a large school? Meaning...would he have discipline to stay on course and not get into too much trouble drinking and partying? I'm not saying that can't happen at smaller schools...but smaller schools will have less of the huge football/frat parties, etc. Less temptation if you get my drift. Does your son need more structure? That is better found at smaller schools.

OP- I struggled initially in college (suspect stealth ADD, my DS has ADHD). The key was

a) choosing a college close to home so that I could be home on the weekends. ADD isn't just an issue with academic achievement-- I notice with my DS that it's "load" in general- social, organizational, emotional, etc. Being able to decompress on the weekends if I needed (home cooking, just focusing on studying and sleeping) made it manageable.

b) I would consider an executive functioning coach for your DS--now and while he's in college. A coach can help him organize, plan, prioritize, etc. I think that can be one of the biggest challenges with a drastically increased workload and expectation.

If your DC is the kind of kid who fades out of classes after a short while--and has trouble getting through the entire term--consider Cornell College, a SLAC with a one course at a time approach.

Anonymous wrote:My ADHD kid graduated from a public high school with a 2.6 GPA. He went to an SEC college and for whatever reason, college just kinda clicked with him. He didn’t get all As. But he did graduate and then went on to grad school. He is working on his a PhD now. He is 30 and a college professor. You just never know, OP. Some of these kids do really well once they figure out how to self-manage their ADHD. I would definitely not give up hope. My 30 year old is still ADHD as shi7. He still makes me crazy sometimes. He is married to a wonderful woman who is the complete opposite of him and very patient, thankfully. Right now he is doing great off medication. He does see a therapist once a week. Your son will get there!

Not OP but a higher ed professional. And yes! I see this!

My ADHD kid graduated from a public high school with a 2.6 GPA. He went to an SEC college and for whatever reason, college just kinda clicked with him. He didn’t get all As. But he did graduate and then went on to grad school. He is working on his a PhD now. He is 30 and a college professor. You just never know, OP. Some of these kids do really well once they figure out how to self-manage their ADHD. I would definitely not give up hope. My 30 year old is still ADHD as shi7. He still makes me crazy sometimes. He is married to a wonderful woman who is the complete opposite of him and very patient, thankfully. Right now he is doing great off medication. He does see a therapist once a week. Your son will get there!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I realize this is the DCUM bubble, but I don't understand the hand wringing over whether college would be appropriate. A 26 on the ACT is in the 82nd percentile - better than a majority of students who attend four year colleges.

OP here. Thank you for your comment. I'm just guessing that, if he had not had extra time (time and a half), the score would have been lower. Extra time seems like a big advantage of something like the reading section, where you have time to go back and check the passage.

I'm 10:58. It isn't a special advantage. He needs the accommodation and is entitled to it. it is leveling the playing field. You definitely should look at larger schools if that is what your ds wants. He needs to be in an environment where he is happy. There are lots of lists online like best schools for adhd etc that you can google. Oh, I totally forgot - look at the SALT program at University of Arizona. I have heard great things about it. It may be a perfect fit for your ds if he wants a big school.

That is a BAD idea. He won't be happy after one semester. You need to put him in an environment where he can be successful, not fail.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I realize this is the DCUM bubble, but I don't understand the hand wringing over whether college would be appropriate. A 26 on the ACT is in the 82nd percentile - better than a majority of students who attend four year colleges.

OP here. Thank you for your comment. I'm just guessing that, if he had not had extra time (time and a half), the score would have been lower. Extra time seems like a big advantage of something like the reading section, where you have time to go back and check the passage.

I'm 10:58. It isn't a special advantage. He needs the accommodation and is entitled to it. it is leveling the playing field. You definitely should look at larger schools if that is what your ds wants. He needs to be in an environment where he is happy. There are lots of lists online like best schools for adhd etc that you can google. Oh, I totally forgot - look at the SALT program at University of Arizona. I have heard great things about it. It may be a perfect fit for your ds if he wants a big school.

Anonymous wrote:I realize this is the DCUM bubble, but I don't understand the hand wringing over whether college would be appropriate. A 26 on the ACT is in the 82nd percentile - better than a majority of students who attend four year colleges.

I'm confused about this too. a 3.0 GPA means community college?