My daughter goes to what is supposedly a very good school and has really struggled all year. She made all A’s the first semester but only after dropping two classes and pass/failing another. We thought it was just a bad semester because she got to school two weeks late and had a hard time adjusting to the new school. However this semester she will end up (most likely) with three A’s, two D’s, and an F. I definitely thought she was smarter than that. Her depression has definitely gotten worse with the bad grades. She transfered to this university from another one where she had a 4.0 GPA. She is an athlete and only chose this school to be a part of the cross country and track team and the academics have really taken a toll on her athletics. She also is dyslexic and despite much effort on her part it seems that the teachers are not willing to work with her to make the courses doable. She says that the material is easy but the volume of material she has to know for each test is enormous. Because her everyday homework takes so long, she doesn’t have time to study for the tests until the night before while everyone else begins studying a week in advance. On the other hand, she also feels like she is definitely one of the dumbest people there. She transferred from her first school because she didn’t like how cold it was all year there, but she liked the academics much better there than at her current school and she was able to keep up with her athletics. She is worried that she is not smart enough for the school and her bad grades will affect her ability to get into graduate school or medical school. I am worried because I hate to see her so depressed and seeing her throw away everything she has worked for in athletics to try to pass her classes (which is what she really cares about most). She doesn’t want to have to transfer again, but it may be the best option. Did she get in over her head at Rice? Should she look at trying to transfer back to her old school or a new school completely?
**I forgot to mention that the A’s are from general graduation requirements and the D’s and F’s are from her major requirements.
she may be in over her head at Rice, simply because it IS known for its rigor. That said, I say she should drop X country right now and and take a leave of absence next semester to step back and take care of her mental health situation. That should be priority #1. She can use this time to see if she can transfer back, which I think would be the best option, or figure out how to survive at Rice if that is not possible.
DS transferred from USC to Chicago, but went back to USC after one qtr. He was a scholarship student at USC, and they did want him back. He was able to return because “technically” he had asked USC for a leave of absence, to preserve his scholarship. He was lucky.
In general, College is MUCH HARDER than HS, even for the brightest student, but anyone who has a LD has it much harder. College is often where the smartest LD kids can hit a wall and have to start making choices.
Med school may not be in the cards for her, unless she can get great grades and MCAT scores and that will be difficult. Only about 50 % of applicants are accepted at med schools.
She may have to adjust her hopes- perhaps to nursing or some other area that does not have such a high threshold.
You state: However this semester she will end up (most likely) with three A’s, two D’s, and an F
How many classes is she taking this semester? If that’s 6 classes, it seems like a lot!
Is she taking advantage of academic support programs? Time management programs?
http://oaa.rice.edu/academic-support/
I also noticed on the school’s website that there is special advising for athletes: http://oaa.rice.edu/athletics/
Is cross country paying for her school costs? If so, dropping it may mean a big bill for you?
Sounds like her grades may disqualify her from playing anyway.
Yes, the school is too hard for her.
Why is she taking 6 classes? At Rice, it’d be normal to take 4, 5 at most.
The problem isn’t Rice, but her major - she’s not in over her head in her gen ed classes since she’s getting A’s. She just chose the wrong major. It happens all the time. Why not major in one of the subjects where she’s getting A’s?
It sounds like she had a hard time adjusting to Rice first semester and then tried to catch up second semester and may have overloaded her schedule. Did she really take six classes? That’s a heavy load by any standard; and if she had sports obligations on top of that, no wonder she crashed at Rice.
Saying she’s not smart enough is a bit harsh, even for me, but I would say she needs guidance in choosing courses, figuring out courseload balance, and maybe time management.
How is it that she started the semester TWO WEEKS LATE? Why on earth didn’t she just wait and start second semester?
She needs at least a semester off to clear her head, and get the depression under control. Then she needs to get solid advice on the best ways to work with the disabilities office wherever it is that she does go to college when she goes back. Yes, some professors are better at dealing with LDs than others, but it isn’t the student’s sole responsibility to work out the appropriate accommodations. That is at least partly the responsibility of the disabilities office.
Looking back at the earlier threads started under this name, which were presumably started by your D, it seems highly unlikely that she isn’t smart enough to succeed at Rice. She seemed to be mostly concerned with swimming at that point, which she said was non-negotiable, now she only chose Rice because of track/cross country? She also said that she was a highly-ranked triathlete in her age group.
Were her scores and grades in HS and at her first U attained with accommodations? Is she not getting accommodations at Rice?
Apparently she already took a gap year for some reason? Then she started late–putting her behind the 8th ball, and with dyslexia also…no wonder she struggled.
And she only transferred because it was cold?!
Seems to me that this student is very capable, academically and athletically, but that a lot of poor and/or rash decisions have been made. (Was she REALLY taking 6 courses this semester, or was 6 the total for the year given the ones she dropped first semester?)
I don’t know what to advise, frankly. If she’s going to stay at Rice, at the very least, I think that she needs to devote the summer to getting her head together. A therapist, possibly medication… If she is getting Ds and Fs in her major courses, she is in the WRONG major. She needs to think about this over the summer and go back in the fall–it sounds likely that she will be on academic probation–with a new major in something that interests her that she can succeed in, and a realistic schedule. I’d say that her priority should be getting through college with a decent GPA. She can do serious triathlete training later. She can do a post grad premed program later. Foundation first.
She is taking too many classes. Being an athlete is tough, and she needs to give herself a break and not do too much.
Also, very intelligent kids who are dyslexic can cope with their LD for a long time but it is hard and exhausting. I would have her evaluated for ADHD if you haven’t previously. Dyslexia and ADHD (especially inattention) often co-exist. Having a professional explain to your daughters the strengths and weakness associated with dyslexia can be helpful, so she can work toward a major that takes advantage of her sharp mind.
Can you go to the school and have a meeting with school staff and your daughter? You need to figure out a plan to move forward.
Dyslexics aren’t less intelligent than other people so switching to another, less rigorous major may not be necessary. She may not be in the wrong classes, just too many classes at once. It’s important to understand her learning style and adapt her schedule so it suits her. Dylexics aren’t visual learners, yet most college courses are taught that way, so dyslexics need to arrange their schedule in the way that works best for them. That may mean focusing on classes, not sports. It could mean taking fewer intensive courses at once, not working an outside job, and paying for an extra semester.
We have several dyslexics in our family and all are doing really well. One recently graduated with honors (and a double major) from a private college in CT, another is attending Bowdoin, and a 3rd is attending Boston University, so it’s possible to attend a rigorous university and do well. But you have to approach it wisely.
I am closing this thread, since it appears that the student is posing as a parent - that’s not allowed.
Even if the student were sharing the account with a parent (which I can tell is not the case), that’s not allowed, either.