Can ya'll help make a college visit list?

[Dmmetler]

We're trying to put together a list of schools to visit for M this year.  M's "safety" is that TN has a program for 2 years of tuition-free community college, but I'd like her to see what's out there, even if it's for where she transfers after an associate's. She's scheduled to graduate in 2024. She is diagnosed with dysautonomia, POTS, and myoclonic epilepsy. 

 

M has mediocre grades right now due to medical issues last year, and is going into junior year with about a 2.5. We hope that she'll be able to take some college classes next year DE, which would help the GPA and also give her a more supported start. She hasn't taken the ACT yet. 

 

She really likes New Orleans and has family in Louisiana. She wants to stay fairly close to home. She also has family in Arkansas. She likes music and would like to continue that in college, so a school with a lot of opportunities there for a music minor or just doing a lot of classes as extracurriculars would be good. 

 

She doesn't know what she wants to major in. Honestly, the ideal field would probably be something that would be possible to do part time or on a flexible schedule to accommodate medical needs. She loves writing, music, art and animals. She used to volunteer at a vet clinic, but can't handle that now. Math has been much, much harder for her since the got sick, so a major that is too math heavy isn't good. 

 

If she lives on campus, the ideal housing situation would be something where she'd have suitemates or a roommate, so just in case she needs help there is someone more likely to notice, but also have private space so she could rest as needed.  A compact campus would be good. And it needs to be a school with good support for kids with medical needsand disabilities, and that understands hidden disabilities. 

 

We're planning to visit the University of Memphis, which I suspect will be too big, and Christian Brothers, which I suspect will be too expensive. She wants to visit UNO and Tulane, both of which will probably be both too big and too expensive (and Tulane is so much a reach that it might as well be on Mars, but taking a few days to go to New Orleans to visit schools would probably be a fun trip). Since I have to go back and forth to Atlanta fairly often since L is there and doesn't have a car, we can easily arrange to visit almost anywhere in TN, AL, MS, or GA and have it be on the way. 

 

Does anyone have any suggestions that we should consider? 

 

[J-rap]

I'm not here to suggest a college, but for our dd who didn't know what to major in and knew that it for sure wouldn't be math or science, communications was a good choice.  It opened the doors to a lot of different things, surprisingly, and had a lot of hands-on experience that served her well.  (Getting her used to speaking in front of an audience, for example.)  

[Dmmetler]

and it might have an artistic piece, which might appeal. 

[BusyMom5]

I'd suggest seeing a few nearby schools to get a better idea of what she wants in terms of size, dorms, and distance from home.  It sounds like she may need to be by family for support.  I'd draw a radius 2-3 hours from home, and start there. Don't rule out technical training programs, they might be a good fit.  If TN has the 2 free years of CC or tech school, that's hard to beat with her GPA.  She can probably get in other places,  but cost will be a factor.  

I know your older daughter was a very competitive student and you had a lot of options (mine, too).  But with a kid who isn't as competitive and isn't sure what they want to do,  the landscape changes a lot.  My second has no desire to go far or to a big school or even look in depth at programs.  She wants a very basic college, small, lots of outdoor space and the option to have her own room (seriously this is huge for her).  It isn't necessary to do all the traveling and looking,  so don't feel bad if you just stay close and try CC. Mine is going to A-State and is very happy with her one and done application process.  We have gone on 2 tours and went to a private Honors Day a few weeks ago that included sitting in on classes and even more in-depth tours of the departments and facilities.  Everything there feels very manageable to her- the driving,  size, private rooms, class size,  friendliness.  Its been a much easier process than with kid #1!  

Good luck!  

[matrips]

I know nothing about the school except it is small and is promoting very low tuition.  Kids and parents seem to like it.  Western Carolina University.  It seems close to TN if that’s your home state.

[plansrme]

We have a family friend at University of the Ozarks (not to be confused with College of the Ozarks, which is a different school in a different state), and she describes it as having an artsy vibe, very creative, but small and nurturing. She LOVES it. She is a good student, but English is not her native language, and her grades there are excellent, which makes me think it is not crazy-difficult.

In Atlanta, have you considered Oglethorpe? Covenant? Covenant is probably on your way to Atlanta.

[Farrar]

That GPA is really tough. Even some 80%+ acceptance schools will say no. Will she have a half decent SAT score? That, plus her chronic medical conditions might help a lot.

 

[ScoutTN]

Would any of the TN regional U’s be options for her? 

 

[Dmmetler]

45 minutes ago, ScoutTN said:

Would any of the TN regional U’s be options for her? 

 

Possibly, and I want to look at a couple. Realistically, U Memphis is probably the strongest music program among the regionals, but is probably too big, I think MTSU or UTM would be a better fit as far as campus structure (as would TN Tech). 

[Dmmetler]

12 hours ago, Farrar said:

That GPA is really tough. Even some 80%+ acceptance schools will say no. Will she have a half decent SAT score? That, plus her chronic medical conditions might help a lot.

 

She hasn't taken it yet. We had planned to do so last year,but all the medical stuff hit and she just wasn't physically in good shape. Hoping for the Dec Date, if we get accommodations approved.  She should do well on the English/Reading side, and possibly the science on the ACT. Math really depends-she struggles a lot with visual stuff and fatigue in math. 

[teachermom2834]

19 minutes ago, Dmmetler said:

Possibly, and I want to look at a couple. Realistically, U Memphis is probably the strongest music program among the regionals, but is probably too big, I think MTSU or UTM would be a better fit as far as campus structure (as would TN Tech). 

I think the regional schools are kind of great for the kids that maybe didn’t do very well in high school but are ready for a fresh start in college. Some good programs there, affordable, accessible admissions wise, traditional college campus life for those that want that while not so hard to get into or be successful that it is out of reach for regular kids. My kids have applied to MTSU and Tn Tech and didn’t end up there but they were solid options. I’d be looking at those for sure. 

I have no familiarity with Memphis but I did have to attend an event at Martin once. That is the one place I have told my dd is off limits. Way too remote for me. I hope to never have to go there again- I’m even telling her no to applying to Governor’s school there. Not sure I would really stick to that but Martin is definitely a niche school. I do have a friend who loved it and her kids all went there from all the way across the state and thought it was the best place on Earth though. So to each their own but that is my story about UTM. 🙂

[ScoutTN]

28 minutes ago, Dmmetler said:

Possibly, and I want to look at a couple. Realistically, U Memphis is probably the strongest music program among the regionals, but is probably too big, I think MTSU or UTM would be a better fit as far as campus structure (as would TN Tech). 

We know a student majoring in music at MTSU and absolutely loving it! If y’all visit and want to meet her, let me know. 

[Dmmetler]

2 minutes ago, teachermom2834 said:

I think the regional schools are kind of great for the kids that maybe didn’t do very well in high school but are ready for a fresh start in college. Some good programs there, affordable, accessible admissions wise, traditional college campus life for those that want that while not so hard to get into or be successful that it is out of reach for regular kids. My kids have applied to MTSU and Tn Tech and didn’t end up there but they were solid options. I’d be looking at those for sure. 

I have no familiarity with Memphis but I did have to attend an event at Martin once. That is the one place I have told my dd is off limits. Way too remote for me. I hope to never have to go there again- I’m even telling her no to applying to Governor’s school there. Not sure I would really stick to that but Martin is definitely a niche school. I do have a friend who loved it and her kids all went there from all the way across the state and thought it was the best place on Earth though. So to each their own but that is my story about UTM. 🙂

My concern about Martin is medical care. Having said that, I have a very good impression of the faculty (Martin is the one school in TN that actively brings buses of undergrads to conferences to give them research exposure, vs only sending students who are actively presenting.). And it’s the closest other than Memphis proper. 
 

U Memphis and UTC are both urban schools, and it tends to lead to spread out campuses because as the school grows, they have to work around existing development. Not  a big problem for most students, but would really be an issue for a kid who struggles with fatigue. (UTK would have similar issues just due to campus size, but M would be unlikely to be accepted regardless. And L really disliked UTK due to the bio program being so grad focused, so I suspect that’s rubbed off a bit). 

 

L liked MTSU, but a big part of that was that literally half the bio faculty are herpetologists currently. The fact that they tend to house the fine arts governors school is a good sign. 

[teachermom2834]

Yeah I wouldn’t recommend UTK to anyone with any kind of challenges really. My ds absolutely loves it there but the overcrowding issue is real and now they are going to have the football effect. They had to house kids way off campus in hotels and last year my fit healthy freshman had issues with the distance his dorm was from class (over hills). Not easy to navigate at all. But you obviously know that.

I am local to UTC but know nothing about it as my kids never looked there and we haven’t lived here that long. I do know it is right downtown but didn’t realized it was spread out much. I do think Chattanooga has a good arts scene for a city its size so that is something and definitely lots of hospitals right there. If she is interested in anything with animals the zoo there is little but my dd volunteers there and they have lots of opportunities for students. It’s one of those things where it’s just a dinky little zoo but the upside of that is that it is really easy to get in and get involved and not like competing for an internship at the San Diego Zoo or something. Anyways- that’s my little plug for Chattanooga. We moved here very reluctantly but it’s grown on me and dd is starting to really identify with the quirky/artsy/laid back vibe. 

Edited November 4, 2022 by teachermom2834

[bibiche]

Is Millsaps too far? Small and very supportive, with some excellent professors.

[ScoutTN]

The UTC campus is very compact and walkable. We were there two weeks ago for the tour. 
 

[ScoutTN]

10 hours ago, bibiche said:

Is Millsaps too far? Small and very supportive, with some excellent professors.

But Jackson, MS is not a great place to live, imo. 

Btdt. Happy to live elsewhere. Lovely people, but a poor state and an unsafe city. The crime rate in Jackson is terrible.
 

The Millsaps campus is pretty though. 

Edited November 5, 2022 by ScoutTN

[bibiche]

1 hour ago, ScoutTN said:

But Jackson, MS is not a great place to live, imo. 

Btdt. Happy to live elsewhere. Lovely people, but a poor state and an unsafe city.

Obviously, I know some people who disagree with you as they’re quite happy at Millsaps, but good to have other opinions. 🙂

Edited November 5, 2022 by bibiche

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Asbury? 

[Bootsie]

From what you describe, I wouldn't think that UNO was a great match.  I had a friend who was a music professor there, but left a number of years ago.  It also sounds like Loyola, which is right next door to Tulane, might be a better match than Tulane.  I have known several people who really like Milsaps, but they were all in business.  I don't know if it is too far from where you are looking, but of the schools in Louisiana, Centenary in Shreveport might be a possibility.  

[JanetC]

If there is more than one community college nearby, visit them just like the four-year schools. Different schools have different "vibes" even at the CC level and may have different offerings. (Near me, they all have the basic transfer degree programs, but each school has slightly different sets of career track programs.)

[Dmmetler]

On 11/5/2022 at 11:46 PM, JanetC said:

If there is more than one community college nearby, visit them just like the four-year schools. Different schools have different "vibes" even at the CC level and may have different offerings. (Near me, they all have the basic transfer degree programs, but each school has slightly different sets of career track programs.)

Unfortunately the others nearby are over state lines, so the automatic state scholarship that pays tuition doesn't apply. There is a technical college, but it doesn't offer programs designed for transfer.