<p>By way of encouragement, I would emphasize that the college search is a process and where a student lands May 1st of senior year may not be where they started. Visits, research and conversations make abstract variables more concrete and accessible. Many high schoolers don’t know exactly what will excite them about schools until they see a campus, talk to students, sit in on a class, etc. Likewise, reading a specific college’s requirements for a major can either create or extinguish interest. Being on a small campus may be more important to some students than having the widest range of courses possible; conversely someone else doesn’t care if “one professor knows their name at the end of 4 years” (quote from junior in high school). As parents, we tried to allow room for our kids to visit a range of realistic (budget and stats) options, so they could learn for themselves what factors should be at the top of their lists and gain the life skill of assessing situations. Ultimately, the school has to work for them. Applying to a various types of schools and then comparing specific options in April works for many.</p>
<p>Additional perspective: we have a recent graduate of a small, non-top 50 LAC. Our student is attending a top 5 grad school in desired field, while capable, hard-working peers gained acceptances to Duke engineering, Ivy league medical schools, etc. It does seem to be what you do with where you go- as long as you have access to the required curriculum. Seeing this unfold has been a real eye-opener for me.</p>
<p>Sounds like your DH really wants to do what is best and his desire for only big name schools comes out of fear. If I really thought a LAC would be better, I’d focus on having your kids make lists of criteria for what’s important to them in schools, and then visit a few of each type and attend the information sessions – preferably with your DH. The admissions people at top LAC’s do a very good job of selling the merits and explaining how it can be affordable. It’s true, though, that the vast majority of students end up at big State schools, so if that ends up being their choice, as long as they were educated about the alternatives, I’d be fine with it.</p>
<p>Every kid is different, even within a family.</p>
<p>I have two kids, both of whom majored in math-y fields (computer science for one and economics for the other) and both of whom chose large universities. But that’s where the similarities end. Neither would have been happy at the university the other one attended, and the two of them chose very different paths in terms of career plans and further education after getting a bachelor’s degree.</p>
<p>As for your husband’s preference for name schools, I don’t think it should be dismissed outright. Colleges that are well known, either nationally or in their own regions, often have excellent on-campus job recruiting. My kid #2, who attended a top-20 university, found an excellent job through on-campus recruiting, as did most of her friends, who were in a wide variety of majors. Thanks to on-campus recruiting, most had jobs lined up well before graduation. My kid #1, who attended a flagship state university, did not go through on-campus recruiting because his immediate destination was graduate school, but I have no doubt that he could have found a good job if he had tried – a large number of employers in our region recruit at that university, and he was in a practical, career-oriented major.</p>
<p>The other thing is - while D landed pretty quickly on liking smaller schools, S could have easily gone to either. He ED’d to a top 20 university and got in, but would have ED II’ed at an LAC that’s somewhere in the 30’s from a USNWR standpoint. I don’t think it’s productive to think of having to steer them into “only LAC’s” or “only unis.” Why does the thinking even have to go in that direction?</p>
<p>“Big name” is in the eye of the beholder. I totally get from a Texan perspective, Texas A&M is a “big name” and I don’t doubt that you can get valuable alum networking opportunities there and Texas is your oyster. Elsewhere - I’m not really convinced Texas A&M is a “big name,” other than that we’ve all heard of it through sports presence.
Which is fine - but don’t confuse Texas with the rest of the country.</p>
<p>My son is also considering A&M (but for engineering). However, I am not sure A&M is that much more respected than Austin College. For instance, I think the average SAT scores are actually higher at Austin than A&M. Although, A&M does have a good Computer Science program (top 50 nationally) and a great Aggie Network too. </p>
<p>As far as jobs are concerned, I believe he can always come to A&M, for graduate school ( information systems, MBA, CS etc ) depending on how his interests develop, for a label. Personally, I do not think the label is as important as finding a place that kids can call home at this stage of their life. The reasons they pick schools may seem trivial to others. For example, in the case of our son, he wants to attend a college that has a good shooting team because he likes to shoot skeet. So it would be A&M over UT for him. (Nationally they are both top 15 in engineering, and financially affordable, so it makes no difference which one he attends to us). </p>
<p>I dont know if it is relevant, but I am curious, are H and your brothers good friends who want your son to attend A&M so they can see the football games etc? If so, tell them it is about your son’s future and not about getting tickets to the Aggie games. :)</p>
<p>Oh dear. This means that Grandma and Grandpa will be entitled to a significant voice in the decision – along with anyone else they care to allow into the conversation. Take it from one who learned the hard way: It’s very, very hard on the child when their college choice becomes Topic A for the entire extended family.</p>
<p>Texas A&M probably has a bigger name in some subjects compared to others, which may affect on-campus recruiting that is specific by major. E.g. Texas A&M may be attractive to employers recruiting graduating seniors in engineering, but perhaps less so to those not specifically looking for engineering majors.</p>
<p>Also, large size may be more attractive to non-local recruiters, since going to a big school to recruit from a pool of a few hundred graduating seniors in a given major may be considered more worth the travel time and cost than going to a small school to recruit from a pool of fewer than ten graduating seniors in the major.</p>
<p>your child may find he wants to change his major after his first semster! you need to take a road trip! texas a & m is a great school. but, may not be a good fit for your child! I assume you live in TX, check out Rice and then hit the road get your son to choose a couple of places small/medium and large in size. throw a dart and a map and then check out schools in a 75 mile radius of that area. (random can lead to great things too) but, in the end your cash flow and your kids desire should be the main factors. I personally like LAC’s! but, I am not the one who you need to guide!
p.s. check out muhlenberg college in allentown PA it maybe a great fit!</p>
<p>DH isn’t a big fan of LAC’s in theory either. So I made sure he went with us on some LAC tours so he could watch D2s face light up & see the difference in her engagement level compared to when we’ve visited some big universities. That little stinker has him wrapped around her finger & I’m sure she’ll be quite articulate about where she prefers next Spring. His anti-LAC bias toned down considerably once he started hearing about things like graduate school placement and employment rates. Which really were his concerns.</p>
<p>A lot of people do not realize, but A&M is also one of the wealthiest colleges in America. It is very different than the school it was 20 years ago:</p>
<p>We already are not looking at the same schools for either one. They have completely different lists and majors. DD is not decided on a major, but it will likely be either in the liberal arts (maths/science specifically) or music. She has the background for both. She found out CMU will allow for a double major-sort of…called a BXA. My son is not even looking at CMU. He says he would love to, but…honestly…with his issues, I am thinking not. He did love TAMU, but, again…with his issues, I think he would never graduate. It is important to pick a school where he can get in, be happy at, AND, be successful. I wish wish wish there was help out there for kids with special needs-who are college bound.</p>
<p>My daughter, on the other hand, currently has WashU as her top pick, and then CMU, and Rice on her list, and Carleton. TAMU is her back up, but completely does not fit her personality.</p>
<p>Would she be happy to go there? If not, then she may want to be sure to find a safety that she likes (possibly other Texas public universities for which her rank provides assured admission, if you live in Texas?).</p>
<p>Yes, ^^, the Butler School of Music at UT + Austin generally have a lot more to offer musicians than TAMU + CS/Bryan. Both have fine math departments, of course. As does UNT, which is a music mecca for talented Texas students. … It is always wise to visit your home state schools earlier than later in the process so she is excited about one. Love thy safety and all that jazz!</p>
<p>I agree with UT Austin or N. Texas probably being a better fit for your daughter. Are your families Aggies (thus the loyalty)? Across Texas are plenty of families “divided” and they all do just fine. </p>
<p>We have spoken to several officials at Texas A and M about the services for students with disabilities. I strongly suggest that you reach out to them and ask questions. We are very impressed with what we heard. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that colleges and universities have to follow (as I understand it) far fewer rules that public k-12 schools do. A smaller school, on paper may seem like a better fit, simply because it is smaller, but the reality may be that they offer far less support and services. Additionally, if they don’t regularly offer accommodations, there may be an uphill battle to get them. </p>
<p>Are you in a major metropolitan area? Are there private high schools that serve students with learning disabilities? If so, you might consider contacting the college counselor at one of those schools and asking if you can pay him/her for a few hours of their time. In my experience, these counselors have a pretty good grasp of which schools work well with students who have disabilities.</p>
<p>Lastminutemom…I was very impressed with the disabilities office too. My son won’t be an automatic admit though. His SAT scores are excellent. IF he transferred back to a school that did not do class ranking, he could be an automatic admit, but he does not want to. That is fine. But, likely, he would need to go to community for a year before he could go to TAMU. AND, even with that, because he is a computer science major, there is not much he can take at community college that will apply to his degree. He already has AP credits that would cover the few core requirements that he would have. And he cannot get much for the maths or such that he would need. There still are courses he can take. But, if that route worked out, he would still need to do a full 4 years once he got to TAMU to get the actual computer science courses.</p>
<p>The reason he picked Austin College is that he wants to double major. He also wants to study abroad. He liked TAMU, but I suspect that was largely the fact that when he was born, my brother was in grad school there and promptly gave him an Aggie onsie to wear in the hospital. LOL…move on from there…he has shirts in every size up until a few years ago. My brother’s campus spirit lives on. THEN…his computer science teacher, an amazing teacher, is also an Aggie. Then when we visited the campus, everyone fell in love with TAMU. Even my daughter (who cannot go there due to her major, unless she drops music, which she won’t) fell in love.</p>
<p>There is definitely information out there about college for kids with disabilities. The “disability umbrella” has such a wide variety of situations under it, that it’s not meaningful to discuss it without specifics. But there are some big-name schools that are known for their special programs. The University of Arizona and Syracuse are two that immediately spring to mind.</p>
<p>I am specifically not commenting on whether a big-name school matters. I can see how it might, and also see how it might not.</p>
<p>About the grandparent input (if I can add four cents) – let’s not assume that all grandparents who offer money, will want input in school selection. I hope one day to be the kind of grandparent who can (a) help and (b) defer to the kid, the parents, and a good guidance counselor to make the smartest choice of school. If I offered to pay for someone’s eyeglasses or running shoes, I wouldn’t expect to pick them out – it’s too personal. Same with schools. If you really want to help, you want to see the person end up with what will work for them.</p>
<p>In the end for 99.9% of students it makes no difference at all where they go to undergrad. None. After they get their first job no one ever asks about their college. At that point it is about performance and recommendations, not the name on the piece of paper.</p>
<p>I’ve interviewed and hired 100s of people. The degree is a checkbox on the application nothing more.</p>
<p>Grad school name does matter, but that is another subject…</p>