S/o of dorm rooms thread; it all works out. :)

[Ginevra]

@Lori D. linked the motherlode college thread in the dorm thread and I see my thread about my son’s tragic standardized test scores lives on, lol. I had forgotten all about that, actually, but I thought this would be a very good opportunity to encourage any other parents out there who have a kid who struggles academically and/or who has LDs/ADD/processing speed issues, etc. 

Now - hopefully I don’t eat my words later, because he still has a year to go for completing his bachelor’s. But let me just tell you about my son. Not only was that episode of tragic test scores just a small blip that turned into nothing, but he is a finer young man than I hoped in my wildest dreams. He matured SOOOO much between the time I posted that and the end of his freshman year of college. He really blossomed intellectually. He talks about politics, history, science, health and technology with admirable insight and clearly a great deal of thought. 

He makes decent grades in college and some of his classes are quite complex. He is majoring in IT. He does pet care through a gig-type app and has vastly increased his knowledge of animal behavior. He manages interacting with the pet owners very well and is in strong demand with several regular customers and even numerous week-long boards. He manages his money well. He is attentive to his health and eating habits. He has a terrific girlfriend, who I am sure had a big influence over some of these good outcomes. 

Specifically re: those darn test scores: that was the ACT and the next attempt, he took SAT. He did much better (though still middle-of-the-road) on SAT than ACT. He did not take any further tests. He was accepted to every college he applied to. He is perfectly happy at an in-state public University. 

So there you have it. Don’t freak out about crappy test scores; chances are, this too shall pass. Thankfully, we all get a do-over. #proudmama #twodownonetogo 

[Rachel]

Thank you for this!

Bumping in case another parent needs to read this. 

[Faith-manor]

Wonderful, Quill!!! Yes, every parent and student needs to know that standardized tests do not define their future or who they become. It is just a blip in life.