I tend to lean toward LACs for those with premed intentions. But costs are an issue for most families, so that should be prioritized if there are cost constraints.
I agree with you that this student should focus on finding a school that has good ADHD support and is an overall good fit even without the sport (assuming athletic recruitment happens.) I defer to the parents and student as to what type of school/curriculum is the best fit based on the students learning style and areas that are growth opportunities in terms of exec functioning.
So D27 is a very strong math student (got a perfect score on the PSAT in Oct.) and also likes science. She is a twice exceptional hands-on learner. She took Anatomy & Physiology last semester and did her first dissections, which she LOVED. It gave her an “aha, I want to help people through medical care moment.” She has insanely great hands and always has - her chemistry teacher commented on it during back to school night. So, while I understand that many deviate from that plan, she wants to be in a place that will be good for that if that’s where she ends up focusing. Part of me thinks that architecture could be a good thing for her interests and hyperfocus as well, and marry her interests in math/physics and art well. So that’s another low lying area of interest to consider in “ensuring” that her choose your own adventure college experience will have adequate doors to walk through. As a learner, she excels in classes where she likes/respects the teacher and can connect with them. She is motivated and hard working in those spaces. She had As and a B+ in her core classes in 9th, Bs in Art and French, and Bio, which was very lab report heavy with a tough teacher and her first “real” science class. Last year she had an A in honors physics, Bs in AP Calc and Psych (As with weight), and a B+ in AP Stat (4.5 with weight). She got dinged with the C and C+ in Honors History (terrible teacher she struggled with all year who used his APUSH curriculum to teach), and Honors English, which she just missed more assignments in the “mid year” slump space than she could make back up after she pulled out of it. She has been the “0s or 100s” kid, but seems to be finally understanding . If she does the work, she does well. And in some spaces, not doing the work means you don’t know the material well enough so the best you can do is Bs. Up until this year, also, “college” has seemed a million years away to her so now that it is more concrete, she is way more motivated and working much more diligently. She has all As and a B+ this marking period. Her weighted GPA is a 3.9 at the moment (counting the classes from first marking period that are done with our block scheduling system), and by the end of this year, she should have a 3.5UW, 4.0W. To the very spot-on-the-money questions about scaffolding provided, we actually battle because she is constantly pushing to be independent, and we are trying to accommodate that wish while tolerating the chaos that reigns when we do - but her time blindness needs more tools than she is utilizing so I’m still doing a lot of prompting, and suggesting - “have you thought about when you need to leave to get to practice by X time? Or, maybe you could pack tonight so we can leave for X trip in a relaxed way knowing we have what we need?” She’s come a TREMENDOUS distance in the past 4 years, and each experience builds on the next. Her Smith summer experience was transformative - she lived alone, got to classes, made friends, and as I think I mentioned previously, did her own laundry before she packed herself back up at the end. She also dyed her hair pink, and got lost walking back from the grocery store one night when the light dropped more suddenly than she thought it would. I think she will do fine if she can keep her extra time for tests, and get the odd extension, which are her main accommodations (others, like the right to have fidgets, or chew gum, seem less relevant to college). Will definitely be exploring how the schools handle accommodations - she has been diagnosed for over 5 years so feel like she should be OK (I’ve heard there’s a small movement away from the “late diagnosed” kids they fear are manipulating the system.) Really appreciate the thoughts everyone is sharing - adding a few to the list.
Maybe add schools with architectural studies - Connecticut, Hobart, Ithaca, in case she goes down that path I believe Ithaca is aggressive financially but a tad bigger.
This way you have a school where she can tie in that interest, if it comes.
I wouldn’t call that a late diagnosis, to me late typically means a diagnosis in junior or senior year of HS. Regardless because her testing will be 6-7 years prior to the time she enrolls in college, she will likely need an entire new neuropsych work up before college accommodations will be granted (obviously something to research.) And once they are…she has to stay on top of things and talk to each prof at the beginning of every semester because accommodations aren’t ‘automatically’ granted at the college level. I echo those posters who have said she sounds great!
My free advice. Put medical school on the back burner for now. Find an undergrad with the right supports, and where your student will be happy and do well…that is affordable.
Many students don’t pick a major until after freshman year. And many also switch majors multiple times. Let your daughter explore college courses. She just might find something that piques her interest that is completely different than what she or you think her interests are now. That happens.
OP- ignore the chatter about “late diagnosed kids”. First of all, it’s not relevant to you, and second, your task is to guide your D to a college which works for her specific needs. She may or may not be “ok” at any given college (and frankly- with any given professor which is something you need to explore).
At any college there are going to be professors who bend over backwards to help a kid who got the flu, has a grandma dying of cancer, or got injured at a game and can’t focus while on muscle relaxants. Big, small, medium- you’ll find them everywhere. And then at these same colleges you’ve got the “by the book” professors. There’s a process for getting an extension, basically without a Dean’s intervention the deadlines are the deadlines.
That’s why her time management and self-advocacy skills are so important (and is why I suggested pulling back on your scaffolding now). Her ability to keep track of the drop/add dates, when a W becomes an F, the deadline for filing for an incomplete, etc. is going to become the key.
I know a lot of “0 or 100” kids. Maybe once she starts her visits (and a few days tagging along with a soccer team member to see how it works in real life) will help her visualize the skills she needs to work on…. It takes some kids a bit of time to adjust to the “every class has drudgery but until you master the drudgery you don’t get to the good stuff”.
I am going to return to the idea of getting more matches and safeties on the list. Some of the schools originally listed have single digit acceptance rates and as we all on CC know, even a very high stats kid isn’t guaranteed acceptance.
I agree with the advice to focus on fit. DC sounds like a great kid, and will thrive in an environment that is a good fit.
We are all now invested so you have to keep up posted!
Two that have not been mentioned (unless I missed it) are Sarah Lawrence College and LIU- CW Post on Long Island (I know a similar student who thrived there).
I would stop the prompting now, while it is still safe. Let her forget….and then be motivated to figure it out, help set up strategies for success etc. She is a junior and needs to be part of the plan.
If the band-aid is suddenly ripped off 17 months from now, you don’t know what will happen. Maybe it will work, maybe it won’t.
I think soccer is a positive. I also think some of the schools on your list are not realistic.
I am going to mention 2 schools that you might not like (too big, too far, too much of a safety, etc) but the supports are excellent: Miami University of Ohio, and Southern Connecticut State University. How do I know that the supports are excellent? Because the families, who I know very well, spent a LOT of time visiting and doing their research. These schools give merit.
The foundation needs to be strong first, and then she can fly.
If your daughter has an IEP or 504 Accommodation Plan at school, there should be a case manager, and a transition plan for after high school. This could include things like independent self advocacy, finishing and turning in work without reminders, etc. You should check with them for the plan.
Another thing to consider…if your daughter has executive functioning needs, perhaps hire an executive function coach…with the goal of reducing the need for one.
Even with accommodations in college, there will not be anyone there to remind her about assignments, or even tell the teaching staff about her accommodations. This all will be her responsibility. Good to establish those skills independently now…and a coach can help her figure out what system of organization works for her.
She has had a 504 since MS, and an IEP since this year. She has a class she is taking this semester for exec functioning. No clue if it’s helping as it seems to be used mostly as a study hall but there is an assigned “teacher” and they do have a curriculum they use- SMARTS i think it’s called?
Yes, thanks. I was contrasting her with late diagnosed students, apparently unclearly and poorly, to say that she should be OK because she ISN”T late diagnosed. She was reassessed for her IEP last year so, again, should be ok on the 3 year look back. My oldest has college accommodations so am familiar with how the services go. She has to book testing spaces, for example, well in advance of the exams so in some cases there’s EXTRA exec functioning needed to take advantage.
Then a transition plan for post high school is required as part of this IEP. Please check to see what is in it. You can ask the case manager to review this with you, and if you would like to see adjustments, you can request an IEP review meeting to discuss this.
