I’m hoping to learn more about how well certain colleges really do in supporting students who have ADHD/executive function accommodations. My son is looking only at small liberal arts colleges, and they all seem to say the right things in the campus visits/websites. Currently, he is planning to apply ED to Skidmore, but I feel uncertain about whether Skidmore has good resources/supports. He is now also considering ED for Dickinson, and my gut is that Dickinson is somewhat better in this arena. I would love to hear from any parent with experience especially with the following schools: Skidmore, Dickinson, Mulhenberg, F&M. I’d also love to hear if there are other schools he should consider. We live in Maryland, and he’s looking primarily at schools in Mid-Atlantic, Northeast.
I think Marist is very well known for it’s support. Hofstra as well although many say it’s a suitcase school. It has the PALS program. Adelphi also shows up on many lists.
I think if you have concerns, you need to talk to the schools - and not ED.
Take the time to get to know the schools. Ask to speak to other students taking advantages of the supports. Visit the offices and sit down with the staff or a staff member.
These are all schools that need kids far more than the kids need them. In other words, they’re accepting tons of kids outside of ED and don’t have great yields - so if ED is for an edge, you likely don’t need it. Dickinson, for example, admits over 3K, less than 10% of which were admitted through ED (and that includes hooked students).
Marist does offer excellent supports BUT: 1) it is a mid-sized university, not a LAC; 2) the school has a bit of a Catholic vibe if that is an issue; 3) there is a big commitment required on the part of the student (meetings multiple times a week); 4) there is a cost to this program (looks like $3,000/semester from a quick search). Hofstra and Adelphi are both to some extent commuter/suitcase schools and again, they are not LACs.
To the OP: Have you met with someone in the Office of Disability Services at each college? I think many schools have similar offerings.
The truth is much will depend on your son – I imagine you already know that he will need to be more proactive in college as compared to HS. For accommodations (ex. extra time on exams) the general protocol is that the Office of Disability Services will give your son a letter and he will need to make arrangements with each professor. For extra help, he will have to seek out professors during office hours, the writing center, etc.
I can’t speak to the specific schools on your list, though perhaps @arewethereyet.24 might have some insight on Skidmore?
If your son has a clear #1 that has remained consistent and that is affordable for your family, and he doesn’t care about seeing what other options may be available (and at what price), then I can understand the desire to ED. If that is not the case, however, then I would be wary of applying ED as seniors in high school are often known to change their minds.
As you indicated in your original post, so many schools say the right things before a student applies. But how is it once your son’s accepted and is looking for particular accommodations? Are they supportive and suggesting additional accommodations that could help him succeed, or are they trying to explain why most of your list should be eliminated? This is another reason why I’d be hesitant about submitting an ED application in your son’s case.
I’ll second @tsbna44’s suggestion to ask to be connected to current students receiving supports to see what their experience has been like, not just with the office of disabilities, but also with the professors (are the professors generally understanding, or do students repeatedly have to get the disability office’s help to have professors fulfill what are in the letters given to the professor at the start of course?).
Maryland’s McDaniel College has a reputation for offering great supports for its students. This page is marketing material, but I find that this consortium’s profile pages do a nice job of giving a better sense of a school than most websites: McDaniel College – Colleges That Change Lives
But apart from a liberal arts college, what is your son looking for from his college experience? Additionally, are there any schools on his list where he would be happy to attend, that are affordable for your family, and where he is extremely likely to be admitted? If not, finding those schools should be a priority.
Adding…my D wanted a LAC and we visited all of schools on the OP’s list (she ended up at a different LAC). I do understand the desire to ED as the acceptance rates are so much higher – some LACs in this range take close to half of their class in the early rounds.
The trick is one needs to have a clear top choice. We did second visits to D’s two top choices in the fall before she felt certain of her top choice school. If the OP’s S is between two schools, think about revisiting (and meeting with the Office of Disability Services if you haven’t done so already) before the ED deadline.
I think, one also has to realize - we give lablels such as LAC.
Well, Marist - about 5K undergrads - it has business, CS, and education.
Dickinson - has business, CS, and education.
Yes, Marist will be more pre professional in major (more business majors than other majors) but offerings wise are they truly that different?
When we say LAC - well most colleges have a college of Arts and Sciences….I don’t think the term LAC or if one isn’t an LAC in a ranking….that it’s a guardrail someone should use without investigating.
These schools with high end support services charge - so yes, I’d check affordability of course, but what are they doing extra vs. others that may not. But this all happens in discussion with each school’s support staff and perhaps current kids.
I have visited all of the schools on this thread and Marist definitely felt bigger. Marist was a contender for my S, who absolutely did not like LACs. YMMV.
Since the OP did not ask for additional college suggestions I suggest we stick to the question at hand.
Kids in Lizardboy’s school (for bright kids with LDs) who liked at Dickinson, also tended to like Conn. College. One of the kids who came back to speak at a forum did really well there and spoke highly of their support. The key was that you have to be proactive. We’ve also heard the same about St. Lawrence from another recent grad. A bunch went to Marist, but I haven’t heard their feedback. They used to send a lot of kids to Skidmore, but it hasn’t been as popular lately. (No fault of Skidmore. The popularity of certain schools just seems to change every few years).
Hello - my sophomore Skidkid with exec function issues has felt very supported, but is also thriving at this place that encourages intellectual engagement and has small classes with personal professors who will literally spot her across the green and yell hello (calling her by name). They accepted her 504 without any challenge or argument, but she has only ever used extra testing time. One of her accommodations related to using a laptop to be able to take notes, and some professors definitely don’t love that because they find it interferes with engagement and discussion – and overally, different professors have different interest in following supports, but it’s flexible I’d say. There is an accommodation center that has tons of help available based on needs. There is also peer tutoring, which first years are encouraged to use, setting a tone for freely getting assistance. Students enjoy being peer tutors as well. So not sure what the need is, but this school is 100% dedicated to supporting mental health. Their last investment dollars were spent on a Tennis & Wellness center, they have full time therapy dogs that have scheduled office hours, and the entire campus is on a beautiful wooded property that makes it feel almost like summer camp. We are 10/10 fans of Skidmore.