Not sure if it’s been mentioned, but Guilford College (in Greensboro, NC) has a good reputation for being really supportive of students on the autism spectrum. They’re a CTCL school, also. Not sure what their language program is like.
As a home schooled student, your son might find that colleges will want for him to submit test scores, even if the college has a test optional policy. So I’d recommend inquiring about that with the admissions department at the different schools you’re looking into.
I consider the transcript pretty average in rigor, but I do wonder about the math element. Is precalc really that essential when you have a kid who has shown deep interest and rigor in other areas (world languages)? Would taking AP statistics instead of Pre-Calc be the thing that makes the house of cards crumble at a school like Dickinson? Or UVA ? Perhaps the SAT score could be/will be the linchpin here.
I am a little resistant to having him take precalc for the sake of checking the box when he could fill that space on his transcript with a math that may be more interesting short-term and useful long-term. Maybe I just got off scot-free, but I didn’t take a single math class at William and Mary, and I never took calculus in high school.
Perhaps it would benefit us to evaluate a few colleges that are highest on his list to see whether it appears that precalc would give him an uber-edge over AP stats in their admissions process.
Thank you! I think Guilford didn’t have enough French-but I’ll have to double check that. It would be a very convenient choice and the right size!
We do plan to submit test scores. He hasn’t taken the SAT yet, but he tends to be a wicked good standardized test-taker, and we are planning to do a prep course and spend some time with a local tutor, so I suspect he’ll get a score that’s worth submitting….time will tell! As homeschoolers I do think this helps “legitimize” the transcript, although his grades come from accredited outside providers, so that also helps.
As mentioned up-thread, we can afford more (without loans), we’re simply trying to strategize to see if we don’t have to pay more. UVA is not out of the financial running, but if they insist on precalc, they may be out of the academic running! TBD….
Take a look at Earlham. They have French and Francophone Studies, study abroad, good merit, and excellent teaching. And a very welcoming, warm atmosphere to boot!
I think the top schools now expect more rigor on math than they did a generation ago. Back in our day, having had any calculus at all (i.e. Calculus AB) was considered rigorous. Even just having taken Pre-Calc was considered good. Now at these top schools, there are many applicants who have taken both Calc BC and AP Stats (or beyond.)
That said, I agree that a student (especially a male student) who has demonstrated interest and accomplishments in humanities is increasingly rare, and this would be a point in his favor.
Going from Algebra 2 to Stats is not the typical college-prep sequence, and may raise some questions at highly selective schools. But I doubt it will handicap him at LACs that are not the “elite” ones.
I think not taking pre calc will be limiting many, but not all schools.
If you can afford more, you might add schools such as - staying within 6 hours of Roanoke - these all offer French (whereas many I looked at don’t).
Centre College - 6 hr 12
Washington College - 5 hours - should bring big merit
Goucher - 4 hours 30 - should bring merit
Wooster - 6 hours 8 mins - should bring merit
Ursinsus - 5 hours 50 - should bring deep merit
Others should weigh in on math and other rigor - but these should all come in below Dickinson - but if you want to spend $30K, I think UMW and see if CNU program is strong enough n French enough hits the spot. It’s a very good university overall.
Dickinson admitted 43% - but 37% of men. Not a ton of ED so that’s good.
Here’s what Dickinson says:
The minimum requirement for entrance to Dickinson is the satisfactory completion of a secondary-school program of at least 16 units, including four units of English, two (preferably three) units of one foreign language, three units of natural science (at least two with labs), two units of social science and three units of college-preparatory mathematics. The remaining units should be within these academic areas. Most applicants to Dickinson offer more than the minimal requirements.
And four of English, social studies, and sciences. And he is fine with foreign language. His theater might fulfill any fine arts recommendations.
But really…does he have 4 each in English, Math, social studies and sciences?
These would be my suggestions to be a competitive applicant…most students applying will have these recommended courses…regardless of their intended college major.
Dickinson does seem like a great fit, and unlike some of the others suggested they do offer merit- I agree it is unlikely to get to under 30k though. I have no idea about their French programs but you could look at some of the smaller MD publics (salisbury, St Marys, Frostburg, Towson) or Goucher.
This has all been very helpful as we register for classes next year and build our list! I’ve added Centre for sure and am going to look at others. Virginia has some smaller LACs that I don’t know as much about (Randolph Macon, etc). I think environment matters a lot to him—quirky smart student body would be a good fit. He’s gifted & loves long conversations about deep issues, philosophy, etc, and I suspect he can find similarly-minded students at any school but some will be more full of these types of kids than others.
I don’t want to belabor the math point, but wanted to share some stats.
For Wesleyan class of 2028, 85% of admitted students had calculus. (They don’t say what proportion had pre-calc.) Most schools don’t share this detail, but I would expect highly selective schools show similar numbers. For selective schools, I would also expect most students have taken pre-calc.
I agree, but I think he needs pre-calc to cash that chit in, even at selective schools (defined as less than 50% acceptance rate.) It would be entirely appropriate for this student to ask AOs at the colleges on his list and/or presenters at admissions sessions what level of math they expect. Even better to ask what proportion of admits have pre-calc (or calc.)
Given the desire for super strong french program -that’s going to be the concern at many schools although Macon has. But given your desired budget, any reason you’re eschewing the smaller VA publics like UMW? It’s a very good school as is CNU - a more regional W&M.
I would worry less about study abroad - it can be done through any school - even not yours. My Charleston daughter went on a Nebraska program. So if the school you choose doesn’t have an agreement with a French university, you’ll simply go to an affiliate.
Based on what you just described and your son will definitely get into Randolph Macon - it’s a safety for most everyone - but I don’t think it’s the quirky smart student body you seek.
Mary Washington is absolutely on the list to visit! I’m actually very fond of it because my mother went there. I think it has potential, and they’ve got a few nice automatic/admission scholarships, I think.
When chancing students, I will generally use these categories:
Extremely Likely (80-99+%)
Likely (60-79%)
Toss-Up (40-59%)
Lower Probability (20-39%)
Low Probability (less than 20%)
With this level of rigor (assuming he takes environmental science next year and I am thirding or whatevering that he definitely needs 4 years of English), I suspect that for schools I would have otherwise classified as Lower or Low Probability would be one category lower in probability than I would have otherwise based upon his GPA and test scores. For the schools I would have classified in the toss-up category, it might have an impact of about a 1/2 category (meaning that if it was a toss-up leaning towards likely it would be probably remain a toss-up, but if it was a toss-up leaning towards lower probability, it would be a lower probability now).
That said, not everyone is interested in schools that are low or lower probability admits for even the strongest students. It may be that the school is just not of interest, or it could be that those schools simply will not be affordable (due to a lack of merit aid and not qualifying for sufficient financial aid).
So there then raises the point about what your family is willing and able to afford, what kind of school experience your son wants to have, and then how significant is it for him to increase the rigor his senior year. If raising the rigor would be harmful to his well-being, then I certainly would not do so. If it wouldn’t be harmful to him, however, then I’d think about how important it would be to have additional options senior year. If he (or your family) are undecided about whether to target schools that are low or lower probability schools for even the strongest candidate, then he can always increase his rigor and then decide later that he’s not interested in them.
