I have a soon to be senior who is gt/ld. He did not do very well in school especially since he forgot to hand in homework or remember that he even had it (forgot to study for tests). He scored high on the sat’s but has a low gpa. How do you explain to a college why your grades are low and why it would be different in college. His doctor says that he does better in more challenging classes. He really wants to go to a 4 year school and has the intellect to do it but needs to let the colleges know that despite the poor grades.
Re: college admissions
Hello DAB:
What state do you live in?
If his SAT scores are ridiculously high and you absolutely want your child to attend a four-year university, then you should check to see if they have a scale with regards to SAT scores and GPAs. For example if he has a 1400 can his GPA be a 2.0.
It’s not shameful to start at a community college. Its great if you can attend a university live on campus etc for all of your undergraduate years but unfortunately that doesn’t happen for everyone.
Many community colleges offer honors course, which can be very challenging even at the community college level. To be honest if your son flounders at the community college level he probably won’t do so hot at the university level either.
He probably wants to attend a four-year school because all of his other friends are planning to go to one.
Sometimes colleges require an essay as part of the admissions process. He could use this essay to explain his situation and his desires for education. Also, you can look into a variety of state schools. For example, here in Michigan we have a least a dozen state four-year colleges. I would not rule out community college as a beginning step.
On my website, ( www.geocities.com/jnuttallphd ) I have written a document called “Tips for College”. This short Web page document outlines some things I learned while I went to college. I talk a bit about study strategies and technologies that are helpful when going to college.
Jim — Michigan