<p>Junior S is bright, but he is not yet mature enough to realize that he has to work hard every day in order to get the grades he wants. He also has had a hard time emotionally dealing with a bad break up and his ex-gfs mental health issues (self-harm) resulting in plummeting grades, and in addition has had a hard time getting motivated for ACT/SAT, but will take ACT in April. Overall, a gap year/tech school/community college may be the best for him, but he will not consider the idea, so I am hoping for a college that will inspire and nurture him. He’s taken AP Chem and APUSH and will take AP Econ next semester. His other courses are either college prep or honors. I’m looking at OU, Dayton, Kent, Westminster ¶ but would appreciate any guidance at all. He’d like a school with school spirit.</p>
<p>I’d also love to know about any summer programs that would expose him to different careers (he prefers science but does not do well in math). He’s talked about engineering or business. </p>
<p>Possible summer program: Check out the IUP Summer Honors Program. I attended last year. It’s a fun experience and you get to take one course that’s like a college course and one that’s like an honors-discussion class like they do at IUP’s honors college. It may or may not be for him, but you could look at it in any case.</p>
<p>Try looking at Hiram. I have a friend with a son who is thriving there - he was also slower to bloom academically and is really kicking this higher education thing’s a** now.</p>
<p>Rose-Hulman Operation Catapult might still be taking apps, it is an engineering program. My D2 attended after her junior year. Mostly it helped her realize that she didn’t want to be an engineer (but that is helpful info in itself). And most of the kids there really loved it. I will say that it is pretty tough to be an engineering major if you don’t like math – there is a lot of math in the major no matter where you go. But possibly his math issues have more to do with self discipline than aptitude? If that is the case, then maybe a good engineering camp experience could motivate him.</p>
<p>Lauren - As a mom I would be very worried about my son getting wrapped up with GF’s mental health/self-harm issues. </p>
<p>Rather than look for a summer program to shop for a career, I wonder if your son might benefit from an experience that takes him out of his day-to-day life for a broader perspective to discover who he is without a dysfunctional GF. </p>
<p>My daughter had an amazing experience traveling to Guatemala for a 3-week language immersion/service learning program with Global Leadership Academy. She did it mostly to improve her Spanish language skills - but beyond that it was fabulous program which benefited her in many other ways. Coming from a very comfortable and privileged background, she came face-to-face with some harsh realities that I think helped motivate her by realizing not everyone has it so easy. </p>
<p>I’m sure there are many other great travel programs if this idea interests you - but the important point for me is that I don’t think your son is in a place right now to choose a career. Help him decide he wants to be successful in life, and not get dragged down into other people’s mental/emotional baggage. Once he’s in college he’ll have ample opportunity to investigate various career paths. </p>
<p>I am worried about everything. He refuses to talk about college at this point and I do think he is still talking to the ex-GF. I"ve been letting forcing college discussions slide until we get his ACT scores. It almost doesn’t make sense to visit colleges he can’t get into and his ACTs will give us an idea about his options. Hiram does look good - but it also seems like they would not be interested in a student with a 2.9/maybe 25? ACT? I’m just looking for a college option where the best can be nurtured out of him. I will look into a summer program abroad. I do think that would help as long as there is supervision and he won’t have options to head down another wrong path. </p>
<p>Hiram has an ACT range of 20 to 25 (middle 50%) so, yes, very easy admissions.</p>
<p>School spirit is an elusive thing. Football, in my opinion, is not school spirit and in fact has been proven to be detrimental to grades. So a football schools like Ohio State or Penn State is the last thing your son needs. </p>
<p>Personally, I love the University of Dayton, which has outstanding school spirit which is not based on football, although basketball is definitely part of it (even though I am not a basketball fan). The ACT range is 24 to 29, so I hope that he tests that well. Truth is that bright kids often do well on the ACT even when not motivated.</p>
<p>College spirit at St. Johns is a bit on the goofy side (in a good way). They have a croquet rivalry with the Naval Academy, for example, and usually win.</p>
<p>Hi there! My DS is the late-blooming boy who is thriving at Hiram. Not only is he doing well (Dean’s List!) but he’s truly inspired and pushing himself. I’d be glad to answer any questions you have.</p>
<p>LaurenTM - If you can, I would encourage you to do a range of school visits, even before knowing his standardized test scores. </p>
<p>College, to many kids, can be an abstract entity. By touring a variety of campuses, public vs. private, large vs. small, you can give him an idea of what it is that he is working toward.
I’ve seen many bright, but unmotivated kids turn their junior/senior year around, once they’ve visited and seen tangible proof of what’s at the end of their HS tunnel.</p>
<p>I support @hop … visiting schools is very important. If necessary, make them visit, even if you have to choose the school and when the visit occurs. Start out with colleges not far away, which can be driven to and back in one day. After a couple of visits, the kid will start to get energized. As “hop” says, college will no longer be abstract. The colleges do not even need to be especially appropriate for their interest or ability. The important thing is to make it concrete and real.</p>
<p>We would like him to visit schools but both because of the lack of a standardized test score, spring sport and his need to focus on his current academics we have not. I will take the next Saturday and try to visit a relatively nearby school just so he can get a flavor. He’s so resistant to the idea of making a decision, I’m almost afraid that his current attitude will cause him to reject everything. I have looked into the Global Leadership Adventures mentioned by someone - and that looks like an amazing possibility for him. It might be exactly what he needs to realize that there is so much more to life than texting in our little town. Thank you! </p>
<p>When visiting a school, it is not necessary to meet with the admissions department or any thing (unless you go to the trouble of going out of state, or something). The purpose of these first visits is to walk around and let him get a feel for the colleges. Also, to get him motivated, not make a decision. It is too early for that anyhow. Since he is still a junior, he has some time. Indeed, the summer is a pretty good time to visit colleges, especially for simply walking around. That’s all he really needs to do at this point. </p>
<p>A 2.9 is not bad, especially for a male looking at LACs with skewed m/f ratios. It’s even better if he can get the published GPA up to a 3.0 by the time applications roll around. </p>
<p>Some mostly Mid-Western suggestions beyond Hiram:
-Ripon
-Warren Wilson (really great option if he wants to combine a work and school environment)
-Cornell College (operates on the One Course at a Time model which could encourage focus)
-Bowling Green State (does not offer the personal attention of some smaller LACs although it’s larger and in state tuition)
-Creighton University (somewhat religious, plenty of sports derived school spirit)
-Earlham (probably a reach)
-Austin College (possibly a reach, somewhat concerned about getting classes)
-Hanover College (if he likes Earlham, he might like Hanover)
-Lake Forest College (in a wealthy suburb of Chicago which could present off campus opportunities)
-Truman State University (possibly a reach. Much larger than most of the other schools, and strong programs for B students in the humanities)
-Christopher Newport (medium sized VA public with mostly small classes, excellent dorms, and a primarily residential student body. May be too much of a reach for your son and/or not affordable)</p>
<p>A reach is definitely an issue. I’m going to assume he’ll get around a 25 or so on the ACTs. He does not want a super small school and wants a school with some school spirit. He has sort of a preppy personality - many people have said that Miami of Ohio would be good for him (but I’m not sure if he’ll get in). Are there other schools like Miami of Ohio in personality? We haven’t visited yet, so I’m not sure what that means. </p>
<p>Have an almost identical situation with my DS. It has been a real struggle. He needs a nurturing school that’s not too big but gives him options and opportunity to blossom. We’re looking at Kent, Ohio U, Case Western, Baldwin Wallace, Wittenburg, Pitt, Miami of Ohio. </p>