We are deciding which college for my son. He will be an Elementary Education major to be a teacher. He has an IEP and currently gets supports at his HS for his learning disability. Will definitely need a school that offers tutoring / extra help / support for struggling students. We are from NY.
He is looking for a school that as a male student you can still have a social life if you are not in a fraternity. Has school spirit and lots of clubs/ activities lots going on campus. Good camus food. Ideally something with a nice college town that surrounds it.
He was very excited to get into University of Tampa - however he did not get admitted to this Fall’s semester but the Spring. (Which leaves what he will do in the Fall as he was planning to board. I was wondering if he could attend a local college and board there for the Fall - or would that then make him a transfer student at Tampa?)
In terms of cost - Penn State is the most expensive (~ 62K with everything and they do not give out merit money - or rarely do). Both Alabama and Tampa have not given out any merit scholarship info yet, I called yesterday and both schools said it would come out in late March…uug! I have no idea if either school is generous with Merritt $). Tampa is 49K with everything, as is Alabama).
Is he wanting to teach in NY? Wouldn’t a NY degree be better for that?
I would not consider Tampa - that’s me. It’s smaller - but it’s not known as academically rigorous. It has a ton of adjuncts - and well, it was the first my daughter took off her list after getting on the accepted student facebook and everyone was talking about getting high all the time.
Bama and Penn State are both fine schools. Yes, Bama has heavy greek but it’s easy to avoid.
Both are beautiful schools. PSU will obviously be easier transportation wise.
Was he TO at Bama? He didn’t get auto merit?
Which school will be best for his learning acommodations? That’s got to be really critical in this case?
Honestly - unless you can afford it and are not looking for an ROI, for an elementary degree, I’d say - none - and find a SUNY.
In general I’m not a fan of January starts – but it can work out. I think it is an easier transition to start in the fall with the majority of the class when everyone is figuring out college life together.
IMO he should research things like:
–Is there a school sponsored program to do first semester? Or is it recommended to take specific general ed classes at a CC?
–Is there an orientation for Jan starts?
–What would the dorm situation be? Will he get into a freshman dorm? An upperclass dorm? Any dorm?
–How is scheduling and academic advising handled?
–How are Jan starts integrated into campus life?
Also agree that if he has SUNY acceptances, those should merit strong consideration.
McDaniel College in Maryland may be affordable if you qualify for need based financial aid.
P.S. Just read your prior thread which shared that your son was admitted to the University of Arizona in Tucson with merit scholarship money. No brainier. He will love it.
I believe the SALT program at UAZ has an additional fee so that would have to be factored into the budget. Also, no idea of the process to get accepted into the program. But it does have an excellent reputation and should be researched and considered.
This sounds like going out of state just for the sake of going out of state. His OOS schools are all party schools with heavy Greek presence, which isn’t what he wants. A NY school will give him a much smoother path to a teaching career, and will save a ton of money for a kid who aspires to a not-extremely-lucrative career.
A good compromise could be to choose a SUNY that participates in the National Student Exchange. (The ones that do are Buffalo State, Stony Brook, Plattsburgh, and Potsdam. Also Queens College, CUNY.) From one of these, he could do a full year of domestic exchange at 'Bama, among quite a few other options, while paying the in-state SUNY cost. National Student Exchange - Find a Campus If he’s excited about Florida, FIU could be a good exchange destination.
As a student with accommodations himself, he might be interested in the dual elementary ed + special ed program at Potsdam.
I would make very, very tangible for him, what the incremental cost of his OOS schools could be used for, to enhance his life, other than paying potentially double for a not-superior education, in an environment that doesn’t even match what he says he wants, other than being OOS.
Another thing I’d consider for a kid with his interests and a strong itch to get out of state: deferring a year and doing one year before college with the Americorps City Year program, in another part of the country. This would give him direct experience in the classroom, and a break from familiar locales. If his heart is truly set on Tampa and you’re truly willing to pay for it, would they let him start in Fall 2026 if he deferred? (That is, of course, if the Trump Administration doesn’t euthanize Americorps.)
I come from a long line of NY teachers (I am not one). The benefits for teachers in NY are very good when compared to other states (especially in the South). It can be hard to get a teaching job in NY when coming from another state. The SUNY’s are excellent options for teaching (several were originally known as “teaching” colleges).
I would make sure he understands the differences between teaching benefits/salaries in NY and those in the states that he is looking to go to. There are other ways to have experiences outside of one’s home state. For any other major, I’d say get out of NY but for teaching, it’s one of the best states to be in.
Congrats on the acceptances and narrowing choices down to 3. Your family is ahead of the game!
I agree with others that spring starts must be vetted carefully to make sure that the student is fully integrated into the community. If he decides to do that option, it can be a great opportunity to travel, work, semester at sea, or do outward bound.
Both Penn state and Alabama have so many students and things to do, he will thrive without being Greek.
Did you look at Coastal Carolina? We are from NY as well. My sister graduated from there this past May and now teaches Kindergarten in Myrtle Beach. Her roommate teaches 4th grade in NJ and had no problems moving back there for a job. With merit, going to coastal was the same cost as a SUNY for her
An issue is that it sounds like he wants to go OOS at the expense of his career (to teach in NYS he needs a SUNY or, barring that, a state that has reciprocity) - was he admitted to any SUNY? Would they let him defer if he takes a gap year (someone mentioned City year)?
Perhaps a winning combination would be 2025 City year OOS->2026 SUNY Plattsburgh or Potsdam with NSE-> 2028 Junior year in the South → 2029 senior year with student teaching.
Note: was he admitted to Penn State University Park or a branch campus? Summer start?
The large universities, except for Arizona with their special program, will be very sink or swim.
Contact support services and ask what specific accomodations they have for someone with his IEP (which he won’t have at the university level). They may well only offer time and a half and/or a quiet room.
Make sure he chooses an Education Living Learning Community for his dorm regardless of where he goes (or if that isn’t offered, another LLC). Typically there’ll be embedded social and academic support.
Have him register with Support services as soon as you deposit - many kids with IEPs in HS want to show they’re “grown up” and can figure it out, except college is overwhelming for most freshmen and by the time they get around to it…
C of C was rah rah for hoops. But - the new coach is muted and more kids are following the old coach - now at Louisville - because he’s magnetic. Of course, that will change as new kids not tied to Pat Kelsey come in and love the current school.
Both my kids schools - and they (my kids) are so different as are the schools.
So I think you’ll find a clear winner amongst the two after comparing.
One is small, historical, in a tourist zone. Everything is right there - especially nightlife and luxury hotels, shopping, restaurants, and more. The other is large, suburban, and just beautiful - clean and manicured like Diseny.
I’ve seen Charleston on a list positively - but that means little.
I would definitely focus there with the two schools as well - and please ensure which school you choose will be supportive in the matter that you need.
Set up a meeting while you’re there.
I’d imagine that would be most important - the level of support, etc.
Thanks - Alabama has special education support for students on the spectrum - which my son is - for an additional 7K per year , he did not get any Meritt $ from Alabama but Charleston did give him 7K per year
