Returning to College Confidential after two years. My daughter, who loves math (and board games), enrolled at UC Berkeley, and did well academically for the first two years (mostly As, a few Bs). However, she is on the autism spectrum, and also came out as transgender during her junior year. Due primarily to her inability to make friends, she became severely depressed and her academic performance plummeted and she was “academically disqualified” from UC Berkeley. She has plans to take a year off to address her mental health and social skills, with plans to apply to transfer, as a rising junior, to another school. I am looking for recommendations for a relatively small, stem focused school, ideally with an autism support program. The most important feature would be a very small community in which she might be able to make friends. We are considering Rochester Institute of Technology, Willamette, St. Olaf, for example. The best option probably would be UCSB’s CCS (to which she had been admitted after high school), but due to technical requirements for transfers, I don’t think it will be logistically possible for her to seek to transfer there. Any recommendations would be appreciated!
I suggest you start here:
Typically, math is going to be a strong major at all kinds of colleges. Is she looking for a technical institute? Those tend to be more stem focused, but not necessarily the best option for a trans student.
It might be helpful if you could be more specific. What is her major? Is autism a big issue in her functioning? There are a lot of people on the spectrum who don’t necessarily need special support. Given the grades for her first two years of college, it seems academics aren’t the biggest issue. If support for autistic students is a must, along with being LGBTQ-friendly, you are looking at a more limited list. If the priority is to find a place where she can make friends and be accepted, focus on that first.
You said smaller, but UCSB and RIT aren’t necessarily small.
Budget? How did she do with a roommate (not to become friends necessarily, but just how did she cope with someone else in her space)? How much insight does she have into her social style and was she used to support in HS to help her navigate this??? Is she outgoing but presents as very quirky, or shy/less communicative???
Thanks for your response! My daughter does not need any academic support; what she needs is a supportive environment for making friends. She wants to major in math.
Regarding UCSB and RIT, both have smaller programs that would support her. RIT has a specific program that supports neurodiverse students, and claims it helps them match with employers looking to hire individuals on the spectrum. UCSB has the College of Creative Studies, which is a very small and supportive environment for students who are very advanced in a particular academic area. Several of my daughter’s friends attend CCS and are very happy there.
Marshall University, located in West Virginia, offers a college program for students with autism spectrum disorder. They also offer an undergraduate B.S. program in mathematics.
To be honest, I’ve never even heard of Marshall University before. I just discovered this through an online search. I would suggest checking with UCSB to confirm whether or not a transfer is possible, especially since your daughter has been previously admitted to the program. She would remain in the University of California system. I understand that she was academically disqualified recently but the first two years should count for something - does she qualify for an Associate of Arts or Science general degree with the accumulated credits? Some state schools allow this, perhaps not at the University of California.
Thanks for your questions! She did OK with a roommate for her first two years, but she found it very stressful. Moving forward, she really wants her own room.
She did not have support in HS with social skills, but it was a very small HS full of math-loving geeky types, and she was very happy there. She presents as very shy, unless you engage her in something she’s interested in: any math or science topic, linguistics, music, or board games.
Financially, we can afford any private school and are willing to pay for any extra supports she needs.
Reed is trans friendly and has good math. But it’s very much a fit school. UMN is trans friendly, and spectrum friendly, and has good math, but it’s huge.
Truthfully, I like the ones you’ve listed already, especially Willamette and RIT. Or if there is any way to remediate her record to make her eligible for a transfer to UCSB’s CCS…
My non binary kid also on the spectrum found their home at Chapman University. Might be worth a look.
Like yours, my kid was strong in math and science (and music) and was accepted to most UCs including UCLA. Upon visiting overnight at UCLA, they felt so anxious that they knew it was not the right environment for them.
At Chapman, my kid felt supported and nurtured by faculty and students, which was helpful as mine too was figuring out their gender identity during those first few years of college.
Chapman also has a fair amount of flexibility within the curriculum in its programs.
Not sure my non binary kid would feel at home in West Virginia. Especially if moving from California. Although I’ll admit I have not been there in person.
My son did very well at RIT. He would have been successful socially if Covid had not happened. He was starting to make friends . They do offer help to neurodiverse students in finding co-ops and jobs. I was very happy with his experience there and would recommend.
You mentioned that your daughter did well academically during the first 2 years, then her academic performance plummeted during the year that she came out. This makes me wonder whether the primary driver more involves the autism or coming out, which would influence what types of colleges and steps would best increase chance of success.
That said, I am also on the spectrum and a fellow lover of math and board games. I expect there is a connection between all 3 of these, with the appeal to optimization and problem solving via logic in an environment of well defined rules. Friendships might come easier in an environment where there is more clearly defined expectations and structure like above. For example, it might be easier to make new friends in a board game club (many colleges have several) than talk to random people in her dorm.
West Virginia state laws are hostile to transgender people, according to West Virginia - Movement Advancement Project .
How advanced in math is she? Is she advanced and interested enough to want to take graduate level math courses and participate in graduate level math research as an undergraduate? If so, that may suggest favoring schools where the math department offers a PhD program in math.
Dear sdl0625: Thank you so much for your response. This is the type of information that I’ve been looking for. Did your son participate in any of the supports for neurodiverse students?
I’m very sorry that Covid hampered his college experience!
I appreciate the response! We will do more research on Willamette, RIT, and researching any flexibility at UCSB’s CCS. (She was admitted to CCS after HS and almost chose that program; hindsight is 20/20!)
Thank you for your response! She is very advanced in math (passed Calculus in the 7th grade and took many advanced math classes after that) and that is the reason she chose Cal (lots of great undergraduate and graduate math!) but now our primary goal is a smaller, supportive environment where it’s easier to make friends, with math as the second priority – even if it means no graduate math classes available.
Yes, I appreciate that observation! She will likely want to stay in a state that is more trans friendly.
You are indeed correct! She has participated in the Boardgames and Mahjong clubs at UC Berkeley, and those were her only social connections. She enjoyed them, but could never make the next step to making friends with the kids she met in those clubs.
Sorry to hear about your daughter’s situation. Please be aware of the following if looking further into UCSB CCS.
Students who were previously enrolled at a UC campus and want to transfer to a different UC campus must be in good academic standing (last term and/or cumulative UC GPA of 2.00 or above) at their prior UC campus to be considered for transfer admission, even if that UC campus is not their last school of attendance.
I would confirm with UCSB.
What math has she already completed? If she has already completed substantial upper level (college junior and senior level) math courses, then whatever college she heads to should have enough of a selection of math courses of interest that she has not already completed.
Or is she also interested in math adjacent subjects like statistics, computer science, physics, operations research, or (mathematical) economics, that she may not have already taken? If so, check for offerings in those areas.
Wesleyan in CT is very trans-friendly, and, due to its grad program in Mathematics, will have plenty of advanced courses and research opportunities for your daughter to enjoy.
It’s also reasonably close to NYC, where she might also find additional off-campus community/support.