How to figure out where to go to college

Post Reply New Topic

I want to go to college but I don't know where to apply. My family doesn't know either. I am pretty developmentally behind and it took me a while to graduate HS because of that. But I am pretty advanced academically and got good grades in the end. I also did well in some AP classes (I got 5s in the exam.)

I'm really scared socially. The academics have always been the easy part for me. It's the socializing and meeting people and generally functioning without melting down that is the hard part.

Are there any schools that people would recommend that have good support programs for people on the spectrum that are significantly developmentally behind and that hugely struggle with social stuff and bullying. I don't need major academic support. Most of what I need help with is outside the class room. I got a 1490 on the SATs (math and verbal combined). And I want to do engineering or science.

The issue is that disability services in a lot of colleges exist to support students in the classroom (mostly). If someone has issues taking notes or needs extra time on a test they are great. But if your needs are outside of the classroom and you need social help in much wider context, most disability services have little to offer. My mom and dad called about four state schools, and two private schools and asked about it. They even called a liberal arts college and got the same response.

I have taken some advanced math and science courses. I might need help in them but no more than an average student. I don't want to waste my talent. I worked really hard to get 6 APs - all of them 5s. And I learned to code by teaching myself.

I need help in the dorms, getting lunch, doing laundry, not being fearful when I have to meet new people, and not crying when I am stressed out. It is an entirely different thing. Mealtimes are also hard. Part of the issue is that I'm just really developmentally behind. I'm only really progressing at about 1/3 to a 1/2 of the typical rate. So I struggle with non academic things that a 5th grader would struggle at.

When I was in k through 12 I was lucky to be in a town that had amazing resources. I had a lot of support. I went to a special classroom and spent 4 more years in school. I just graduated this May. They gave me one on one support academically for the last few years which meant I didn't really fall behind it that area. And they found a grad student from a local college to teach more more advanced subjects like linear algebra, electronics, and someone else for English literature. But they also understood that I found a lot of things hard - like following a schedule or packing my bags or getting dressed.

The teacher in the special ed classroom also helped me get services after school as well. I spent a lot of time with OT and other services getting better at getting dressed and other similar things. And over the last 6 years I mastered things that my mom and dad thought I would never be able to do - like shaving. I'm working on getting better during mealtimes right now.

I could just stay at home and continue to get these services post HS. The trouble is that the agency I am set up from this point on wants me to go to a day program for the next few years. And that eventually they want me to work part time as someone who unpacks boxes at Walmart. They know I can do more but no one in my HS spent the time to figure out about college. They have great resources for low and mid intelligence autistic students but none for highly motivated high intelligence ones. They call it the "cliff edge". My physics teacher at HS was impressed about my getting a 5 on the physics AP and had me take college level physics beyond that. He said that if I wasn't autistic he would push me to apply to Duke, Johns Hopkins and Cornell and that I would probably get in.

My mom is really upset about the whole situation. She doesn't want me working in a dead end job for the rest of my life. But she knows I need a lot of support if I go to college. She took me to a community college this summer and registered me for 2 classes. She sat with me in the classroom and that really helped me out. And my cousin helped me the during the weekends. My parents even hired a special ed teacher for the summer to assist me as well. I got straight As in both classes. And they didn't need to help with doing the work - just everything else. I did need help with managing the schedule and figuring out what to study next etc. They helped me pack my bags etc.

My family does not have the time to continue this during the year. So I cannot take any more community college courses.

I once heard about some random program where they help you intensely. They have a special wing of a floor on a college dorm. They have specially trained councilors. And they take you out to the community and movies etc. They teach you how to walk safely in the street. But I don't know where they do it. I know you had to pay for it on top of the regular room and board (in addition to the tuition of course).

So if anyone knows where to go to get advice about this I would appreciate it. My parents have guardianship of me but they said they would agree to send me to a supported program where I could get a great degree and continue to get better developmentally. They think in 4 years time I would be able to handle some kind of job. And that if I went to grad school afterwards I would certainly be able to handle things once I graduated.

I understand that I'm not going to do to an amazing school like Duke or Cornell or Johns Hopkins even if I'm academically qualified. But I would hope to go a good state school.

I am part of a team working on a National Science Foundation funded project that supports autistic students transition from high school to college. The site is still a work in progress but you may find some helpful resources there.

The site is stairwaytostem.org

Thanks Emu Egg for the website. I haven't spent that much time going through every section. But I would hope you build something about specific college programs. From what I hear there is a huge difference in the autism friendliness of each college.

I know some people who are autistic just need some extra help. They could go to many programs. And that's great for them.

But if you are like me and need more than just a bit of extra help. it's really hard. I know my teachers in K-12 thought that after another 6 to 8 years I would be able to handle more things independently they don't think I'm anywhere near ready. And so my family has been looking for a "bridge program" that can be more realistic. Some of us are just not going to be independent at 18 or 22. But we will be mostly independent by 30 or 32.

And instead of just doing a dead end job or going to a day program we need something that acknowledges that we are but more developmentally behind but capable of academic success. Someone told me recently of a program where you do 4 years college in 6 years (at a slower pace) with extra social learning and other similar activities on the side. And you live in special accommodation with people to help you manage day to day things.

One of my HS teachers put it this way - imagine a 5th grader who is academically capable of first year college but not otherwise developed like an 18 year old. You wouldn't send them to a traditional program. But you might send them to something else to not waste their skills while they mature in other ways.

And I want to emphasize that if you got above a 1400 on the two subject SATs then community college is not really a good idea to transfer into a good school. And community colleges don't provide the individual attention that many autistic people would need anyway. Obviously community college will work for some people. And also for things like calculus and physics you simply do not learn enough in community college.

--------------------------

One other thing. I think I would be OK in engineering, but I dread the idea of pure science research. I have been told that in scientific research you have to "sell yourself" a lot. And you have to work well with others in a lab. What if they bully people with autism. That's not easy for a typical 18 year old. And you have to give poster sessions and present your work to other people. Sometimes the environment is very much "dog eat dog". So if there was a place that was a bit more safe in that regard it would help.

For example, if you are at a poster session and are afraid of talking to anyone it's very intimidating. My HS went on a class trip to a science event at a local college and I know I was petrified of all the people talking in a room when they was a huge poster session.

...

_________________
Renal kidney failure, congestive heart failure, COPD. Can't really get up from a floor position unhelped anymore:-(.
One of the walking wounded ~ SMASHED DOWN by life and age, now prevented from even expressing myself! SOB.
" Oh, no! First you have to PROVE you deserve to go away to college! " ~ My mother, 1978 (the heyday of Andy Gibb and Player). I would still like to go.
My life destroyed by Thorazine and Mellaril - and rape - and the Psychiatric/Industrial Complex. SOB:-(! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! !!

So, after school i have no idea about my future education and i my parents have no idea too. To my mind, you must answer the next question:" What is my passion?" or " What did i like to do in childhood?" and " In what sphere i want to grow?". Not necessary combine the answer, but you must got truly answer. After that i open university list and chosen the actually profession. Very often i wrote essay and different articles about future chose. I think this service [url=https:/[/url] will be useful for you. Thanks.

Really great article!

Where to go to college/university depends on a few different things:

1. What do you want to study?

2. How much can you afford to spend?

3. Where do you want to live?

4. What supports do you need?

It's a very complex issue.

If you have the strong academics I would recommend going to a strong academic school for the following reasons:

1) Strong academic schools tend to have larger endowments and greater resources for helping students.

2) The culture at strong academic schools will tend more "nerd" than "frat" (both can be found at any school, and they aren't mutually exclusive)

3) If you have a special interest in any kind of research, the research opportunities and quality will be significantly higher at strong academic schools.

Also if financially possible, you might want to consider a private school over a public school. To pull two similarly ranked schools from the US News report UC Berkeley and Emory are both strong schools with "nerd" cultures. The former is known for its brutal "sink or swim" culture, while the latter is known as a nice launching ground for law and medical degrees. Private schools tend to pay more attention to the well being of their students than public institutions.