<p>I am very stressed. I have two children going off to college at the same time. I also have younger children. Of the older two, one has some special needs (but is very smart) and the other does very well in school. The first one has excellent test scores, but low grades. He is straddling the 50th percentile line. It is frustrating because he will take AP classes and earn A’s on the finals, but never turn in his homework which results in low overall grades. He passes the AP tests too. </p>
<p>I feel clueless on the college front. I think my son would have the most success at a small college where there would be personal attention. But, I feel like he has little chance at earning scholarships due to the low grades. I do not know of any scholarships for kids with autism spectrum disorder (if you do, I would love to hear more) otherwise, that might help. When I put in on the financial aid calculator for the college I think he could be the most successful at, it leaves us having to pay more than we could afford. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, our daughter has excellent grades as well as good test scores. She is straddling the 10th percentile line.</p>
<p>My son is an automatic admit at most of the state universities and likes them. He is in love with Cornell College in Iowa due to the block program. I think he could do very well there. I am unsure if others have suggestions. I understand that the state universities might not have the best financial aid. His PSAT score was about 200 and he will be taking the SAT in a couple months so we will see where that lands. Also, we have moved a lot which may have left his grades lower.</p>
<p>Can anyone give me direction here? Thank you so much!!</p>
<p>Here are the options I am thinking for my son…
1)community college for 2 years and then state university
2)state university right away…he will have AP credit anyway and is a computer science major.
3) a smaller private school where he might be able to have more success</p>
<p>People will jump in to help on this but just to start things out - if he is to be a computer science major he may not find what he needs at a small private therefore 2 years at CC and then transfer might be the option that is best and the rest is moot. I don’t know that much about it except my S, a computer engineering/cs major ruled out small privates as not having what he needed. I might get corrected here.You are right that the state universities don’t give much aid and the privates may especially with 2 in at once but I would start with the major first and also there is much discussion on various threads about adjustment to college for autism spectrum disorder.
I think it is important to sort out issues and then see where there are intersections - first issue: major - does the school have what he needs for it?, second issue: finances, third issue: autism spectrum issues and fit, best chance for success, etc.
I recognize that the block system has some real appeal for certain types of learners but I have heard some drawbacks too so I would really research this.
One thing I do know is that with planning these things will and do work out - best of luck!</p>
<p>The reason for the small private school is because when he has had a mentor assigned, and teachers who know him, they tend to like him and his grades and success go up. The big state school, I am afraid, he will get lost in the classes and he will have no success. But I would love to hear from other parents too, who are in my situation, on what kind of school situation their child had the most success in.</p>
<p>I’m a big fan of community college, but unfortunately, it’s not ideal for the potential computer science major. The problem is, the community college is unlikely to have a good selection of the courses the CS major would be taking in his first two years.</p>
<p>I have a son on the autism spectrum as well. For him, a large university would be a disaster, so I can understand why it’s not an appealing choice.</p>
<p>Cornell College has a Computer Science major. The block program would be ideal for a kid on the autism spectrum who has trouble with organization, as many do. It sounds like an excellent choice.</p>
<p>The state university told us community college is not the place to start for a computer science major due to lack of appropriate course offerings. I had been wondering if that was accurate. Thanks!</p>