Anonymous wrote:[Yes, I can also post this in the special needs forum, but please also let me post here (where there are more parents with older kids )] --

Our DD is age 17, and is an 11th grader at an independent school in the DC area (not a top 3). We are biased, but we think he's a great kid. He is involved in sports and scouting, he helps out at home, has a lot of friends, and keeps us laughing with his great sense of humor.

He has ADD (which we observed way back in pre-school), and just this year started taking Vyvanse (ADD medication) for attention (since the difficulty of school really seems to have ramped up in 11th grade). He is eligible for accommodations like extra time in school, but does not like or want to use his accommodations. He genuinely finds school to be a challenge -- it does not come easy to him.

He has a tutor for 3 of his 6 classes, and has a 3.0 GPA. (This GPA has been consistent since 9th grade. In middle school, when grading was a bit more lenient, he had a 3.5 GPA). His GPA seems like a fair representation of his motivation and abilities. We believe his GPA would be lower without the tutoring.

He got a 26 on the ACT (with extra time).

He's obviously NOT going to apply to top colleges. We're thinking he can get into one of the lower-ranked colleges, and have a decent experience there. And we'd plan to pay for tutoring in college -- this would be critical (based on his experience with high school). We'll be full pay wherever he goes.

My question is -- do you think he has the aptitude to go to college based on these stats (3.0 GPA with tutoring in 3 of the 6 classes, and 26 ACT with extra time)? As his parents, we do think so, and want him to have the college experience and credential. And after graduation, he would obviously NOT be applying for jobs in highly competitive fields. Instead, he'd go into a field that is suited to his talents (maybe even something that does not require a college degree). Our worry is that he'll go away to college, realize that the work is much more difficult than in HS, and not feel like he's capable of completing a degree.

Please be kind and compassionate with any responses. Thank you in advance.

Anonymous wrote:[Yes, I can also post this in the special needs forum, but please also let me post here (where there are more parents with older kids )] --

Our DD is age 17, and is an 11th grader at an independent school in the DC area (not a top 3). We are biased, but we think he's a great kid. He is involved in sports and scouting, he helps out at home, has a lot of friends, and keeps us laughing with his great sense of humor.

He has ADD (which we observed way back in pre-school), and just this year started taking Vyvanse (ADD medication) for attention (since the difficulty of school really seems to have ramped up in 11th grade). He is eligible for accommodations like extra time in school, but does not like or want to use his accommodations. He genuinely finds school to be a challenge -- it does not come easy to him.

He has a tutor for 3 of his 6 classes, and has a 3.0 GPA. (This GPA has been consistent since 9th grade. In middle school, when grading was a bit more lenient, he had a 3.5 GPA). His GPA seems like a fair representation of his motivation and abilities. We believe his GPA would be lower without the tutoring.

He got a 26 on the ACT (with extra time).

He's obviously NOT going to apply to top colleges. We're thinking he can get into one of the lower-ranked colleges, and have a decent experience there. And we'd plan to pay for tutoring in college -- this would be critical (based on his experience with high school). We'll be full pay wherever he goes.

My question is -- do you think he has the aptitude to go to college based on these stats (3.0 GPA with tutoring in 3 of the 6 classes, and 26 ACT with extra time)? As his parents, we do think so, and want him to have the college experience and credential. And after graduation, he would obviously NOT be applying for jobs in highly competitive fields. Instead, he'd go into a field that is suited to his talents (maybe even something that does not require a college degree). Our worry is that he'll go away to college, realize that the work is much more difficult than in HS, and not feel like he's capable of completing a degree.

Please be kind and compassionate with any responses. Thank you in advance.

Anonymous wrote:[Yes, I can also post this in the special needs forum, but please also let me post here (where there are more parents with older kids )] --

Our DD is age 17, and is an 11th grader at an independent school in the DC area (not a top 3). We are biased, but we think he's a great kid. He is involved in sports and scouting, he helps out at home, has a lot of friends, and keeps us laughing with his great sense of humor.

He has ADD (which we observed way back in pre-school), and just this year started taking Vyvanse (ADD medication) for attention (since the difficulty of school really seems to have ramped up in 11th grade). He is eligible for accommodations like extra time in school, but does not like or want to use his accommodations. He genuinely finds school to be a challenge -- it does not come easy to him.

He has a tutor for 3 of his 6 classes, and has a 3.0 GPA. (This GPA has been consistent since 9th grade. In middle school, when grading was a bit more lenient, he had a 3.5 GPA). His GPA seems like a fair representation of his motivation and abilities. We believe his GPA would be lower without the tutoring.

He got a 26 on the ACT (with extra time).

He's obviously NOT going to apply to top colleges. We're thinking he can get into one of the lower-ranked colleges, and have a decent experience there. And we'd plan to pay for tutoring in college -- this would be critical (based on his experience with high school). We'll be full pay wherever he goes.

My question is -- do you think he has the aptitude to go to college based on these stats (3.0 GPA with tutoring in 3 of the 6 classes, and 26 ACT with extra time)? As his parents, we do think so, and want him to have the college experience and credential. And after graduation, he would obviously NOT be applying for jobs in highly competitive fields. Instead, he'd go into a field that is suited to his talents (maybe even something that does not require a college degree). Our worry is that he'll go away to college, realize that the work is much more difficult than in HS, and not feel like he's capable of completing a degree.

Please be kind and compassionate with any responses. Thank you in advance.

Anonymous wrote:My child is in nearly the exact same position as yours OP. Here are some SLACs that our college counselor highly recommended for extra support, nurturing environment, relatively high retention rate for kids like ours: Highpoint University, Christopher Newport, McDaniel College, Goucher, Loyola MD, U of Miami, Furman, Eckerd, Elon, Denison. Good luck!!!

Anonymous wrote:Some of the CTCL colleges might work. (Some would be too hard.)

Anonymous wrote:

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:

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: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.