Are there any good options for C students?

Parents Forum
41

<p>My nephew was a C+ to B- student at public high school in the suburbs. He got accepted to Colby Sawyer in New Hampshire where he studied psychology. He graduated with honors and has now finished his MS and is now at Northeastern working on his PhD.</p>

<p>If the student wants to go to college and is willing to work, they can do it. I think often with boys, they are in their late teens before they figure out how to plan ahead and how to study. For kids like that, fitbwill be incredibly important.</p>

42

<p>Jazzii, the average GPA at Cortland and UB is definitely not a 2.3. More like a 3.5-3.7. I have friends with 3.4ish’s who were rejected from UB. </p>

<p>There are definitely colleges out there. Some of the SUNY’s do accept C-average students. Around my area, I know of many such students who now attend Buffalo State, being rejected from UB.</p>

43

<p>Actually the average GPA at Buffalo is around a 3.3. <a href=“http://apb.buffalo.edu/facts/cds/cds2010.pdf[/url]”>http://apb.buffalo.edu/facts/cds/cds2010.pdf&lt;/a&gt; The average at Cortland is below 3.0. <a href=“http://oira.cortland.edu/site/pdf_doc_xls/commondata/CDS02-03.pdf[/url]”>http://oira.cortland.edu/site/pdf_doc_xls/commondata/CDS02-03.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

44

<p>Due to the economic environment, the competition for acceptance into SUNY schools has increased tremendously. As a New Yorker, I know plenty of students with 3.4 GPA and decent SAT scores that have gotten rejected from Cortland and U Buffalo.</p>

45

<p>OOS students to Michigan state…2.4 and 2.8 with 26 and 27 ACT.</p>

46

<p>My junior son is a puzzle to me. He is very bright and tests well, but can’t bring himself to do homework or study for tests. Overall gpa is about 3.0, but his latest quarter he earned only a 2.38. In his junior year. I have been trying to encourage him and want him to find his own motivation and success and thought he was starting to “get it”. Now I am distraught over his tanking grades. I think cc would bore him, as high school apparently has, but I have little confidence that he will suddenly turn things around in college (although I know it is possible, given the rate of maturity in boys in particular). When asked what future goals and plans he has, he says he has none. I find this hard to believe, but maybe that’s because believing him would be more dire than I can face. He doesn’t have any diagnosed learning difficulties, although I suspect some. He is a fantastic reader but awful writer. Grasps things quickly but maybe not completely. He calls himself lazy and has been shown by testing to have very uneven learning patterns. Is he gap year material? College material? Any advise is surely welcome!</p>

47

<p>catpb: if this were my kid, I would do 3 things: 1) have him tested for LDs; 2) take him to a therapist (primarily to make sure there is no depression, but also for self-esteem issues); and 3) find him a writing tutor. And yes, a gap year might be very helpful, but much more so if you can figure out the root cause of the tanking grades and lack of motivation.</p>

48

<p>catpb-have you been on any college tours yet? If not, take him to a school you think he might like. Do NOT do the big formal info sessions, etc., just schedule a tour of the campus. Sometimes that is motivation to do better in high school, knowing that there is something better down the road.</p>

49

<p>A friend of mine’s DH is a very successful business man with a job with a major firm. THey do quite well. He always says that if he ever hits the lottery or makes a true windfall, he will fund scholarships for “C” students, as he was one one of them. He has plans on doing the such for his own alma mater when he gets their crew through college, at very least.</p>

<p>When former President George W Bush addressed his alma mater, at Choate Rosemary Hall, He said somethiing to the order of, “To all of you A and B students here today, I say, well done. To those of you who are C students, perhaps someday you too will become president of the United States.”</p>

50

<p>My Senior daughter will be graduating from a Catholic HS shortly, and has received no accomodations for her analytical processing LD. She struggles with math and science so although her transcript through Junior year reflects mostly B’s with a couple A’s… it is also peppered with C’s. She has done well in honors English & history over the years… but has not taken any AP’s. EC’s have mostly been school sports, but she has no intention of competing at the next level. Her first paying job will be this summer, but she has boatloads of volunteer hours/experiences accumulated over the past four years.</p>

<p>Her cumulative, unweighted GPA through Junior year was 2.8 and she scored a 1510 on all three parts of the SAT. We changed her ADHD Rx this fall, and she made the honor roll for the first time ever, all three quarters thus far…so she had some upward trend to report with her apps. She’s a very hard worker - very quiet and respectful - so I am assuming she had glowing recommendations. I thought her essay was well written - a bit quirky…but very much a reflection of who she is.</p>

<p>We weren’t sure how she would be received by AdComs, so we had her apply to 14 schools, to cast a wide net. She is undecided, so she looked at small Catholic LAC’s (her only ‘hook’), other private LAC’s, a couple state flagships and a 2nd tier state campus. </p>

<p>She was accepted at 11: University of New England (ME), Curry College (MA), University of ME (Orono), University of ME (Farmington), Sacred Heart University (CT), Alfred University (NY), Le Moyne College (NY), Adelphi (NY), Champlain College (VT), St. Michael’s College (VT), & University of Rhode Island.</p>

<p>She was waitlisted at two: Catholic University (DC), Assumption College (MA)</p>

<p>…and rejected outright, at Syracuse University. She received between $5,000 to $9,000/yr in grants (emerging scholar-type merit awards) and ‘discounts’ from five of them. </p>

<p>I am happy to report she is thrilled to be going to St. Michael’s College next fall.</p>

51

<p>Thanks, all for your advice. I had DS tested back in 6th grade (age 12) with the full battery of tests. Conclusion was that he had an unusually uneven pattern of learning (full adult abilities on spatial reasoning to 8 year old abilities to write). No LD’s were noted, and we were told his strengths would eventually compensate for his weaknesses and he would be above average. He has had a writing tutor since 6th grade, but this year she works with him remotely, and apparently not too effectively, as he just brought home a D+ in English. His English teacher thinks he can succeed in the class, if he’d turn in his work. DS gets stuck and doesn’t let anyone know. He doesn’t/won’t ask for help. I should mention he is a middle child sandwiched between 2 academically gifted siblings. He has been on a few college visits, starting with his sister’s search and now for him. I do think he could be somewhat depressed, but I don’t know how much, as he still functions.
He’s a great kid. No drug or alcohol consumed by him or his friends. He’s gotten his group of really bright guy friends off of video games and onto board games, but we catch him playing games online with friends when he should be studying. I think he likes the dopamine surge video games supply, over no rush from doing regular school work. His school counselor has been worthless; the school sees no reason to evaluate his situation. They’re taking the approach of watching him, until he graduates. I will call his pediatrician to ask for a reference to evaluate his mental state. I just don’t know what else I can do! Do test results for LD’s change over time? I didn’t think they do.</p>

52

<p>catpb, your son sounds like mine in many ways. We also did the full battery of tests – twice. The first tester said he was dyslexic and recommended a writing tutor with special ed experience. His private school put him in the “learning lab” class with a nutty teacher who said things like, “He is brilliant, he just has too many thoughts.” After working with my son for a few months, the tutor said he didn’t think my son was dyslexic, but that perhaps he had ADHD. Someone else with experience with special ed looked over the test results and saw no evidence of dyslexia.</p>

<p>I got him tested again. This time they said, no dyslexia, but he does have ADHD of the inattentive variety, also dysgraphia. Couldn’t get any accommodations from the school because he gets good grades in the classes he likes. </p>

<p>He’s muddled through high school with a B-/C+ average. His teachers all say, "he’s very smart but . . . . " He doesn’t pay attention, he doesn’t turn in work, he won’t ask for help, he socializes in class. He is incredibly disorganized. And also going through school in the shadow of his academic superstar sister who is only a year older. </p>

<p>Anyway, I don’t have any advice, just commiserating. My son is going to college next year, doesn’t want a gap year, doesn’t want the small nurturing LAC that I think is his best chance for success. We’ll just have to see how it goes. He might be on academic probation after his first semester, he might muddle through college the same way he’s gotten through high school, he might get his act together.</p>

53

<p>Did the school do the testing in 6th grade for your son? He has what I think would be termed “considerable scatter.” Do you have the difference between “verbal” and “performance.” (Some schools try to keep kids out of SPED because it costs money and because they want to keep their percentage of SPED students down. If the child is doing reasonably well, they will deny services, we have found.)</p>

<p>He sounds like he definitely has ADHD (possibly inattentive, but cannot tell from your post). This does not always come up in testing. If you see the family doctor, or go to an ADHD clinic, or a neuropsychologist, it can be diagnosed. Questionnaires and interviews play a big role in this diagnosis.</p>

<p>CatPB: Due to the “scatter” he may have other difficulties that might be definable by a good neuro-psych. You need fresh testing anyway at this point.</p>

<p>I have a child who was diagnosed after high school with ADHD. She has had mysterious problems reading since childhood, but tests well on all reading tests, since they have short passages with direct questions underneath. The diagnosis enabled her to get accommodations at college which have made all the difference. She does not use them unless necessary, and has turned in papers maybe 2 days late a few times, with no penalty.</p>

<p>Accommodations that might be available include single room, extensions on assignments, extra time on tests, that kind of thing.</p>

<p>Choosing a college wisely is also important. I would never be able to say enough good things about the school where my child is, in terms of their understanding and support. In return, she has produced hard work and wonderful results.</p>

54

<p>Alot of students don’t do well/don’t try in the classes that don’t interest them. </p>

<p>In HS I always perceived HS to be unimportant (no reason to be an over-acheiver in HS by doing A-quality busy work lol) and did the bare minimum. </p>

<p>But I always deemed college to be very important for my future and due to the money that was going into it. SO I ramped up my effort and got A’s in college (even with the busy work). </p>

<p>It’s all about the motivation and if a student does not feel that doing well in college is important, then they will not do well, guaranteed. I mean ask him/her, why (s)he really wants to go to college. TO hang out with friends/have fun is not a good reason unless you deem that social experience is worth the cost of attendance.</p>

55

<p>catpd - your son does sound a bit like mine. He does as well in any class as he puts his mind to. We got calls from teachers who really liked him and commented on his intelligence and personality, then advised us he was getting a “D” because he wasn’t handing in work. We would check and make sure he did the work…then he wouldn’t hand it in. I was beyond frustrated and so worried. He was on full Honor’s Track and managed to get himself tossed out. We tried everything - counseling for him and some sessions together (it helped), talking to MD doctor/having him examined, punishments (didn’t work that well…he didn’t care), heart-to-heart talks -… everything. He got a few “D” and we made him retake the semester on-line and bring the grade up. It wasn’t aptitude, it was attitude. H’s a sensitive person and feels things deeply. He was struggling big time.</p>

<p>While for each kid, it’s obviously a unique set of issues – I think a huge part of it is just immaturity. As the poster just before me commented…they don’t see any compelling reason to apply themselves or worry about it. It’s hard to grow into a man.</p>

<p>In his hs jr year, we sat down and had a serious talk about his options: college/work/military. We told him we knew how very smart he is and would respect his decision. We would pay for college and were “all-in” for helping him get that degree - IF he wanted to go get it — wherever he chose. But he would be standing on his own two feet and we were not going to let him play video/computer games and “free-load”. He briefly romanticized the military, and we had a few family/friends who are vets talk to him about the realities and best options. We found colleges for him that were viable and showed him many. </p>

<p>We really listened to him, and I was bracing myself to respect whatever choice he made. Thus far, things have worked out great. He chose to give college a chance, brought his grades up nicely and graduating hs in a few months. He’s going to a college that is a good fit for him… Good luck to you!</p>

56

<p>Thank you all for your compassion and wisdom! I agree he should be re-tested by a neuropsychologist. It will cost us, as our insurance is woefully lacking in this area, but there is too much at stake. We paid out of pocket for his initial screening in 6th grade, at a prestigious university. We live in an area with excellent public schools, but I have not figured out what they need to see or hear to agree to pay for testing! Instead they feel that DS has enough overall intelligence to ignore, as he is well-behaved, I guess. I definitely agree that a large component of his problem is attitude, not aptitude. Why he chooses to hurt himself, though, is beyond me! Why can’t he just suck it up, do the work and move on with life? Where is his pride in all of this? Another gripe I have is with the on-line grade books. I think our teachers hide behind this system. I have yet to have a teacher reach out to me to let me know DS isn’t completing assignments or has a free-falling grade. I am scared to check his grades and do so at progress report and report card times, when I suck it up and steel myself. For the past 7 years (starting in 5th grade), the end of the year is an unmitigated disaster, grade-wise. He circles down the drain with no attempt to get any help that would break his fall. Do I conclude from the lack of contact that his teachers don’t care and/or consider him a lost cause?</p>

57

<p>Look into University of Kansas.</p>

<p>Sigh, this thread hits way too close to home. I now have a 3.8 GPA right now second semester of Senior year… I started out with a 2.6 freshman year. It’s been quite a journey.</p>

58

<p>catpb–I think I could have written the description of your son word for word using my son as an example :D. We also had him tested and an outside agency with a psychologist and neurowhatever and as they were running down his scores they kept asking us just why we had him tested. He was off the charts for most areas and both doctors kind of sheepishly said, well, every once in a while we see a student that we don’t really have a classification for other than “lazy”. Since that is what DH and I figured was the case, we were not offended. He would ace every test, but fail to turn in much of his homework so his GPA was in the 2.8 range when he graduated from high school. </p>

<p>He went to college and is now gainfully employed if that helps any.</p>

59

<p>SteveMA, I am glad things turned out well for your son! There are plenty of days I wish I had a crystal ball! We have gone back and forth for years now on the laziness call. DS definitely thinks of himself as lazy, but I’ve come to the conclusion that his behavior takes a lot more energy than just doing the work in the first place. There are also plenty of places in his life where he isn’t lazy. He must find something that is too difficult or too de-motivating that prevents him from completing his assignments. I am not saying he doesn’t have lazy moments; don’t we all? Combine his attitude, lack of will, undefined academic obstacles and a little stubbornness, and I’ll show you grades that reflect utter helplessness and apathy.</p>

60

<p>catpb–I could show you our son’s transcript and I bet, without knowing him, you would be able to pick out the classes he liked and didn’t like–A’s in the 99-100% range for the first, C’s for the second (and only because he retains information well from lectures in class). You should see him go to town with his Beta testing for some computer game company. Try to get him to do something he doesn’t like, forget it. I have many, many gray hairs from that kid…but he’s still cute and we still love him.</p>