469- The College Application Guide for Neurodivergent Students
Sep 5, 2023
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Laura Barr, M.Ed., a counselor for neurodivergent college-bound students, provides guidance on the college application process for those with executive functioning challenges. Topics covered include advocating for neurodivergent students, planning and options, staying organized, evaluating potential colleges, the importance of asking questions, and finding passion.
Understanding the unique needs of neurodivergent students and assessing their readiness for college based on various criteria.
Navigating the college application process by starting early, setting realistic expectations, and researching and assessing colleges based on specific needs and goals.
Staying organized throughout the application process by creating systems, breaking tasks into smaller steps, and crafting a compelling application that showcases the student's strengths and potential contributions.
Deep dives
Understanding the College Application Process and Evaluating Colleges
The podcast episode discusses the college application process for neurodivergent students. The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding your student's needs and evaluating colleges based on available support services. It is crucial to start the process early and stay organized by creating systems to track applications, deadlines, and required documents. Overcoming procrastination is addressed by breaking tasks into smaller steps and setting realistic deadlines. Crafting a compelling application involves telling the student's unique story and showcasing their drive, diversity of experiences, and potential contributions to the college community. The speaker also encourages parents to play a supportive role and explore options like gap years or attending community college before transferring to a four-year institution. Overall, the focus is on empowering neurodivergent students and helping them find the right path to higher education.
Understanding Your Student and Assessing College Readiness
The podcast highlights the importance of understanding neurodivergent students and their unique needs. Students are encouraged to become experts on themselves by understanding their strengths, challenges, and college readiness. The criteria for assessing college readiness include academic achievements, social-emotional and mental health, personal awareness, daily living skills, independence, and developed interests and passions. Gathering both qualitative and quantitative data can help evaluate a student's readiness for college. The speaker also emphasizes the significance of building relationships with teachers and considers the role of parents in supporting their students' independence and life skills development.
Navigating the College Application Process and Creating a Realistic College List
The podcast explores the college application process and offers tips for navigating it successfully. It emphasizes the need to start early and break down the process into stages: early, middle, late, and solo expeditions. The importance of setting realistic expectations and building a balanced college list is highlighted. The speaker mentions different options such as specialized colleges for neurodiverse students, colleges with strong disability support services, and traditional colleges with inclusive philosophies. She also discusses the benefits and considerations of taking a gap year or attending community college before transferring. The podcast encourages students to research and assess colleges based on their specific needs and goals.
Staying Organized, Overcoming Procrastination, and Crafting a Compelling Application
The podcast provides tips for staying organized throughout the college application process. It suggests creating systems to keep track of applications, deadlines, and required documents. The speaker advises breaking tasks into smaller steps, setting realistic deadlines, and using strategies like task-doing and habit stacking to overcome procrastination. Crafting a compelling application involves telling stories that showcase the student's strengths, passions, and potential contributions to the college. The speaker also addresses the question of whether students should disclose their disability in their application and explains that it depends on the individual's story and the overall focus of the application. The importance of teacher recommendations and the growing significance of essays in the application process are also discussed.
Supportive Role of Caregivers and Building Confidence in Neurodivergent Students
The podcast highlights the supportive role of caregivers in the college application process. It emphasizes the need to find a balance between pushing students and prioritizing the parent-child relationship. Motivation techniques like tying rewards and perks to hitting application milestones are suggested. The speaker encourages caregivers to set high expectations, instill family values related to reaching for the stars, and provide mentors or outside support to boost confidence in neurodivergent students. The podcast also emphasizes the importance of celebrating the student's uniqueness and focusing on their strengths, rather than solely focusing on their challenges.
Laura Barr, M.Ed., counsels caregivers and neurodivergent college-bound students on factors to consider during a college search and how to make the process much less stressful for applicants with executive functioning challenges.
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