College Support Programs

Choosing a College for Students with Learning Challenges

June 13, 2013

Choosing a College for Students with Learning Challenges

College is accessible to students with learning challenges, however, students and parents must carefully research colleges and universities as the level of support widely varies among institutions. In the article, “Stepping Up to the Challenge,” New York Times reporter Tara Parker-Pope writes about the transition from high school to college for students with ADHD. She notes that not only must students balance the physical and medical demands of making the transition, students must carefully choose the college or university they will attend based on the support services offered. The National Alliance on Mental Illness website provides information for obtaining accommodations in college, understanding your rights, and preparing for college. The U.S. News and World Reports article by Kim Clark, “8 Steps for Learning Disabled Students Who Want to Go to College,” provides other helpful tips for parents and students.

You may find the following websites helpful in identifying colleges with the best support programs for students with Learning Disabilities.

Refer toThe K&W Guide to Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities or Attention Deficit Disorderfor additional assistance in identifying colleges. The following listing includes colleges known for providing a broad range of support programs:

Organizations providing information, support, and clinical expertise:

Additional resources and links:

Special Needs Scholarships

Identifying special needs scholarships simply requires performing an Internet search on the type of need, for example, “scholarships for students with autism” yields 1,130,000 results on Google. “Scholarships for students with adhd” yields 323,000 results.

It is critically important for parents and students to get an early start in their college planning efforts. Students will need to visit the colleges and parents should carefully assess the support programs and associated costs.

November 7, 2012

InLikeMe is dedicated to helping high school students (and their parents) define, pursue and realize their college admissions goals.

The mission of InLikeMe.com is to help students and parents navigate the road to affordable, high-quality, post-secondary education. To accomplish this, InLikeMe.com provides information, strategies and resources on a wide range of college-bound areas including: curriculum, entrance exams, finding the right schools, summer programs, community service, enrichment, student aid, scholarships, developing your “hook”, athletes, international students, and more.

The Founder and Publisher of InLikeMe is Lynn Radlauer Lubell, a graduate of MIT who also earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is an independent college consultant and the Founder of Admission By Design.  She is a professional member of  IECA, a member of HECA, and a featured speaker.

Lynn believes that every student should have the opportunity to pursue the higher education that is right for them.  She is pleased to share her passion for education, along with the knowledge, insight and resources she has developed as a college consultant, admissions interviewer, and information geek through InLikeMe.com.

As a Guide to the College Guides, InLikeMe is centered at the intersection of college planning, selection, admissions testing and financial aid with a focus on helping you find your “right fit” schools and develop a strategy to get admitted. Specifically, InLikeMe is a hub for the college-bound, a site packed full of information, commentary and advice along with direct links to hundreds of resources and tools.

InLikeMe was founded to overcome frustration with the fragmented nature of the college planning and application process. There are numerous resources, advisory services and commercial web sites with varying levels of quality and relevance.  But, until InLikeMe was launched in 2008 none tied it all together in one practical, easy-to-use site.

Does InLikeMe provide links to for-profit sites?   Yes, because some candidates really do require or would benefit from access to certain types of guidance, testing or assistance that are just not available from school or community resources.   But we go much further in terms of identifying cost-free resources, explaining how they can be useful and how they can fit into a sensible and reasonable plan.

The college application process is rife with confusion, anxiety and misinformation. This extends from evaluating colleges, to finding financial aid, to thinking about where a student would find a strong “fit”.  InLikeMe can be invaluable in helping to sort through these impediments, managing all the information, constructing action plans for each year of high school, and in thinking about how a college candidate can position him or herself to get all that they can out of the college experience.

 

Education Quest Foundation

November 7, 2012

Headquartered in Lincoln, EducationQuest Foundation is a nonprofit organization with a mission to improve access to higher education in Nebraska – and proud sponsor of theKnowHow2GONebraska campaign.

We fulfill our mission through free college planning services, outreach services, need-based scholarship programs, and college access grants.

EducationQuest has locations in Lincoln, Kearney, andOmaha, Nebraska.

 

Davis United World College Scholars Program

November 7, 2012

The Davis United World College Scholars Program is the world’s largest, privately funded, international scholarship program—supporting over 2,500 undergraduates from 146 nations.

The program was launched in 2000, providing grants to selected American colleges and universities to support United World College graduates who matriculated at these schools. The first schools in the pilot group were Colby College, College of the Atlantic, Middlebury College, Princeton University, and Wellesley College.

Over its lifetime, the Davis UWC Scholars Program has greatly expanded beyond its original pilot colleges and universities and now includes the 90 institutions.

 

Ohio College Access Network

November 7, 2012

Our mission is to increase the number of Ohioans who access and complete a post-secondary credential.

We work to accomplish this mission by providing support for practitioners, entities, organizations, and collaborations through training and professional development opportunities, program coordination, and advocacy at both the state and federal levels.

 

Pennsylvania College Access Program

November 7, 2012

Pennsylvania College Access Program
The Pennsylvania College Access Program is a nonprofit statewide educational workforce development outreach program working to provide assistance to individuals completing applications for college, business and technical schools. PA CAP assists individuals who might otherwise never have the opportunity to attend or graduate from college.

What We provide
PA CAP provides assistance in completing applications for colleges, business and technical schools and the completion of financial aid applications (FAFSA). We also assist individuals in clearing the default on their student loans, enabling them to complete their education.

 

College Center’s Programs in Practice

November 7, 2012

Across the country, community-based organizations and college access programs are working with youth to promote a college-bound culture among first-generation and traditionally underserved student populations.

CSO College Center’s Programs in Practice portal provides a searchable database and spotlight profiles to recognize and promote the good work of leading college access programs, community-based organizations, educational resources centers, and scholarship foundations nationally.

Students and Counselors can search the database to learn of organizations operating in your area. Take advantage of local college preparation progams and scholarship opportunities.

Colleges and Nonprofit Practitioners can use Programs in Practice as a resource to survey the landscape of CBOs and access programs nationally. Find organizations to partner with in promoting college opportunities or learn about successful models to replicate best practices in your efforts.

 

National College Access Program Directory

November 7, 2012

This national directory of college access programs is a free online resource for students, parents, counselors, and researchers and those operating college access programs. To find a program in the directory or add/update program data, follow the links below.

Access College Foundation

November 7, 2012

The ACCESS College Foundation is committed to the betterment of our students and to providing them with the tools necessary to be successful in their educational endeavors. Our goal is to ensure they are able to make informed decisions about postsecondary education and to provide academic, financial, and personal support while in college. ACCESS uses a collaboration of human and financial resources to help students realize their dream of becoming a college graduate

Philadelphia Education Fund

November 7, 2012

The College Access Program can help you get READY, get SET and GO to college!

Many students and adults throughout the Philadelphia region dream of advancing their education but often find their resources limited. Through our College Access Program, we offer FREE services that can help you achieve your educational dreams.

Created in 1990, the College Access Program is Philadelphia’s largest and most broadly based college assistance program. The College Access Program helps make a college education accessible to anyone interested in pursuing higher education regardless of age, grade level, or location. It serves individuals by providing direct services to middle and high school students from select partner schools and offering individualized support at one of our two community-based College Access Centers.