Colleges for Animal Lovers

Our society is becoming increasingly animal friendly. By now, it seems that most people consider pets to be part of the family, rather than mere property as was once the case.  Consequently, it is becoming harder for some students to leave their pets to attend college away from home so some schools are responding by allowing animals in their dorm rooms!

Animal-friendly dorms
The most well-known dog-friendly dorm system is at Eckerd College in Florida.  (In order to avoid my usual long-windedness, I am going to just provide you with links to various programs instead of details about each one.  Another Florida college that is recently gaining attention is Stetson, whose current president brought the policy with her from Stephens College in Missouri.  There are a few other colleges as well, and you can find various lists by doing a websearch for "pet-friendly colleges" or something similar.

It's more common for colleges to allow cats in their dorms, as is the policy at big-brain schools MIT and CalTech.  And many, many colleges allow aquariums, reptiles and small caged mammals in their rooms now.   Just have your child check out their prospective colleges' "housing" or "residential life" pages.

Then there's Sweet Briar College in Virginia--you can't bring anything but an aquarium into your dorm room, but you can board your horse there!!

Animal-related clubs on campus
Below I've listed three examples of service-oriented animal-related clubs that would probably be of interest to young people who care deeply about animals and are seeking a means of associating with kindred spirits (not to mention some opportunities to snuggle with four-legged friends in the local area every once in a while):

Penn State (PA): Small and Exotic Animal Club
Becker College (MA): Animal Health Club (note: there is music on this homepage)
Lewis & Clark (OR): The Animal Club

If your son or daughter's first choice of college doesn't already have an animal-related club on campus, just remind them that every college has a procedure for starting new clubs and it's usually quite simple. Often, as few as five students can petition for club status, and then many schools will provide them with a meager budget to get started.  Not only will this fix your child's desire for participating in such a club, but being the founder of this type of group will look fantastic on their résumé.

And last but not least...

Animal-related majors
Some people love animals so much that they want to devote their careers to their care and handling, and these students can pursue one of the animal-related majors offered at so many colleges these days.  Their options include, but are not limited to:

• Veterinary medicine
• Veterinary technician school (often an associate's degree instead of a bachelor's degree)
• Zoology
• Animal science
• Wildlife management
• Livestock management

(There are also non-degree programs in animal training and grooming that might be appropriate for some students, especially those with special needs who won't be able successfully complete a university course of study.)

Two unique program that I would like to share with you are the Teaching Zoos at Santa Fe College in Florida (not New Mexico) and Moorpark College near Los Angeles.  I'm not sure if there is anything else quite like them in the whole country. They are hard to gain admissions to because of the high demand, and their programs are very rigorous--demanding long hours and unwavering dedication to the animals in their care because this is what is required of zoo handlers in the real world.

Here is a link to the American Association of Zoo Keepers' webpage with some additional exotic animal training options.

I hope this article has helped eradicate any misconceptions that your son or daughter going away to college means they have to live without that all-important human-animal bond.  We are fortunate to live in an era where society as a whole is beginning to realize how life sustaining and stabilizing the love of an animal truly is.

How's the Weather?

By now, seniors should have some decision letters rolling in, and I hope that some of them are acceptances.  There are so many factors to consider in making your final choice--financial  package, proximity to home, size, majors, reputation of the school, athletics. But there's one element many families overlook or underestimate that actually plays quite a big part in whether a student will stick out their time at a particular college: the weather. Or more specifically, how is the weather in relation to where they are living now?

Here is a chart I threw together for random colleges around the country:

College	Avg Annual High	Avg Annual Low	Avg Precipitation
UCLA	77	50	~17 inches
Evergreen (Olympia, WA)	77	31	~51 inches
Trinity U (San Antonio, TX)	95	37	~31 inches
Florida Atlantic (Boca Raton, FL)	91	56	~60 inches
Univ of Connecticut	78	16	~49 inches
Univ of Indianapolis	85	17	~40 inches

It's very common for students from the west coast to want to go to the east coast and vice versa, but all too often, when weather hasn't been taken into consideration, they end up coming home early--sometimes after only one year (if not sooner).  Kids from San Diego, West Palm Beach or Honolulu might think it's exciting to go to school in New York or Chicago, and indeed it is!  But when the snow and wind kick in they're often ready to throw in the towel that very first winter, and then the family has to scramble to come up with a Plan B.  Even areas with similar average precipitation rates can feel very different if a student is used to lots of rain but their new home has lots of snow instead, or if the humidity is significantly different.

A less-common problem, though not completely unheard of, is the student who enjoys the changing seasons (and perhaps the type of activities that accompany a good snowfall) and finds themself unhappy at a school in a year-round warmer, drier climate.

It's important to note the types of natural disasters that are common in each area, as well. Growing up with a pervasive threat of earthquakes is different than being used to an annual tornado or flood season.  Some students adapt readily but for others, having one incident of an unfamiliar natural disaster near their college can send them packing.  This is especially relevant since it seems that these events are happening with greater frequency and severity lately.

Also please consider whether your child shows symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder--a condition that causes people to sink into depression when they aren't exposed to enough sunlight on a regular basis.

There are so many things to consider when finding the "right match" for your child.  I hope you will choose to include weather-related conditions on your list of criteria.  It can only help to ensure that you are making the choice that will best set your child on the road to success.

College Alternatives for Young People on the Spectrum

Many young people on the Autism Spectrum are yearning for a college-like experience but don't truly have the skills necessary to participate in the regular college curriculum and social arena.  Fortunately, programs are starting to spring up on college campuses around the country that incorporate some elements of college life and education while focusing truly on the needs of this special population.  I will highlight a few here that seem to be worth checking out. (There are certainly more out there so if one of these doesn't suit your child, keep looking!)

NOTE: I am copying and pasting the blurbs from each program's website.

Mason LIFE (George  Mason University--Fairfax, VA)

The Mason LIFE Program is an innovative post-secondary program for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who desire a university experience in a supportive academic environment. The mission of the Mason LIFE Program is a dual purpose. The first is to provide a supportive academic environment for our students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The second is to supply an apprenticeship for George Mason University students. The Mason LIFE Program presents our George Mason students opportunities such as: instructor, resident advisor, internship, practicum, licensure, independent study, field work, mentor, Best Buddy, and volunteer to gain important experiences and knowledge to work successfully with students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Sometimes it's like talking to a wall

Yesterday afternoon the student I interviewed on December 22nd, Zack Rosenberg, came to promote Paul Smith's College to our cooking class (because PSC has a culinary program).  My reason for mentioning this is neither Zack nor Paul Smith's, however. I'm here to talk about how one of my senior students reacted.

After the presentation, during which he had asked several on-point questions, this student came to my office and said he wanted to keep talking about the school.  Unfortunately I had meetings for the rest of the day so I had to make him wait until this morning. When he came in, he said something I wasn't expecting to hear.  He said:

I didn't know there were small colleges.  I really had no idea.  I'm totally excited about looking at colleges now.


Mind you, I said SENIOR student.  Which means that a) he's way behind on any applications he might choose to submit, and b) I'm baffled about what the hell was he doing for the past several years while I, his parents, his older sister, his teachers and all of the college admissions reps who have visited the school have been telling him about various types of schools.  Perhaps you have had a similar experience.

Cut to the end: I spent most of today researching colleges with this young man and it seems that there are actually some viable options available to him, even at this late date.  And I am definitely delighted that he finally made the choice to take his post-high school life seriously because he has great potential.

I have no answers or insight to provide in this post, just this story to share in commiseration with all of you parents out there who feel like they are talking to a wall good deal of the time.  I suppose if there's anything positive I can say after this experience, it's that it reminded me that most of them do, eventually, hear what we're saying.

Asperger Initiative at Mercyhurst--Foundations Program

I was going to write about something else today but then got excited about a flyer that came in the mail, so this post is now dedicated to:

Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania has over two decades of experience working with students with learning differences.  They have decided once again to be pioneers in special needs higher education by creating the Foundations summer college-readiness program specifically for young people with Asperger's syndrome or High-Functioning Autism.

Program components include:

• Three weeks of room and board on the Mercyhurst campus.
• Social skills training specific to college life.
• A course worth three college credits, transferable to other colleges if desired.
• Skills tutorials provided by Mercyhurst Learning Differences staff.
• Instruction on daily living skills.
• Weekly community outings.
• Pre- and post-assessment reports sent to parents.

Foundations costs $3,200 for three weeks, inclusive of tuition, room/board and activities.  Though this price is prohibitive for many families, it is not out of line with other summer pre-college programs which don't even provide such intensive services for students on the Autism spectrum.

Please note that the program seems to be designed specifically for rising seniors, not recent high school grads.

Please check out the website for further information and an application.

Success Story: Zack R. (Part 1)

Every once in a while you meet a young(er) person who exemplifies all the things you hope are still alive in future generations: manners, ethics, ambition, humor, creativity, personal responsibility, healthy curiosity.  Well, the gentleman I interviewed for today's post has all those bases covered, as well as some ephemeral attributes that I can't quite put words to.

Upon meeting Zack Rosenberg (a proudly self-proclaimed nerd) it is hard to imagine anything but the self-assured, friendly, successful persona he presents today.  However, Zack's school years were not as smooth as one would wish for their precious little boy.  He was diagnosed with OCD and Tourette Syndrome early on and as he aged into puberty and adolescence, his symptoms grew out of control.

He attended various schools in the Los Angeles area with minimal success, but eventually he had the great fortune of finding the solution:  Glenholme School in Connecticut.  (I encourage you to check out their website.  Not only will you see an example of a best-practices secondary program, but you will be envious because odds are good that your high school wasn't this gorgeous and didn't incorporate an equestrian program.)

Zack was gracious enough to tell me about his experience of living away from home for the first time and what life has been like for him at the lovely Paul Smith's College--an even more gorgeous campus with another excellent, specialized program. (If nothing else, Zack has high aesthetic standards in living arrangements.)

Just to put his growth into perspective: Zack used to have literally debilitating tics and OCD symptoms; now he gives admissions presentations for his college and has interned two summers in a row at Marvel Comics in NYC.


Me: Hey Zack, thanks for letting me interview you.  I want to help parents get some insight about what it's like for kids today to leave the safety of their families and how they can best adjust.  Can you tell us about your experience moving away from home for the first time?

Zack: The move at the beginning was hard, but my family always reminded me that they were only a phone call away.  I was only a junior in high school, remember. It would have been worse if it hadn't been for my mother urging me to keep busy. As I have come to realize, my transition was incredibly smooth due to my involvement with school activities. Whether it was participating in events or joining clubs, I kept myself busy.  That way I had less time to over-think being away from home. So my suggestion for you parents is to encourage your child to get involved with campus life. Not only does it keep them busy, but that’s where they find their friends and people who have similar interests, and ultimately their support system.

Me: Even though you lived away from home for a couple years in high school, I'm sure the transition to dorm living was another change yet again because of the increased freedom. How would you describe dorm life?

Zack: Dorm life is dorm life. Everyone tells you to not succumb to peer pressure but that ain’t so easy. I just recommend you let your child find things out for themselves and live the college stuff.  I found real-life experience, trial-and-error, to be a better deterrent than my parents telling me I couldn't do this or that. Personally I love dorm life, and now I am a Head Resident Assistant for 5 buildings on my campus! In the dorms I found a group of people that I now call my second family, and I am incredibly thankful for the chance to have lived with such a wondrous array of people.

(Continued on December 24th)

A little bit about Jewish colleges, in honor of Chanukah

In honor of my Jewish students and friends on this first day of Chanukah, I've decided to use today's post to talk about colleges that serve the Jewish community in various ways.  I'm guessing that if you are Jewish, you've already heard about all of these schools, so this post is mostly intended to expand the awareness of my fellow goyim.


American Jewish University (Los Angeles, CA)

This is a school I've become intimately familiar with because I've toured a couple times and sent a few of my special ed students there...and they love it. AJU has a total undergrad population of approximately 120 students (yes, really) and all classes happen in one building, which also contains the cafeteria and administrative offices. They give lots of tuition assistance and the financial aid staff--all two of them--will sit down with prospective parents to help them fill out their FAFSA.

If you peek into the classrooms you will see 8-10 students meaningfully engaged in discursive learning with a passionate professor.  (The Jewish faith is known for encouraging dialogue and even argument about important topics.)  Around noon, everyone eats together in the kosher dining hall. During one of my tours, when discussing the meal plan, I made an offhand comment about "girls who don't eat."  The admissions counselor said very matter-of-factly, "We'd notice.  We don't let that happen here."  And I believe her. AJU is dedicated to building a family-like community and keeps its population small to facilitate this ideal.

Though the vast majority of their students are Jewish and the campus activities and calendar revolve around Jewish tradition, AJU offers a range of majors, such as Bioethics, Poli Sci and a joint BA/MBA program. They also have a well-respected graduate program in Non-Profit Management.


Yeshiva University (New York, NY)

I have never toured a Yeshiva campus (there are several around the country) but their mission seems clear to me: Bringing wisdom to life by combining the finest contemporary academic education with the timeless teachings of Torah. Male and female students study separately at Yeshiva in keeping with orthodox tradition. 

Yeshiva offers a wider range of majors than AJU--more comparable to a typical liberal arts college.  And according to their website, "The applicant’s character, personality and contribution to school and community life are (big) factors in the admission decision," along with SAT/ACT scores, essay and interview.

This school participates in a "Joint Israel" program, which encourages students to spend their post-high school year in Israel before beginning their freshman work at the college.


Year in Israel

Several of my male, special ed students have spent their first year out of high school in Israel before coming back to the U.S. to begin college.  They have all returned as changed men, and I do mean "men." During that year they seem to find their inner strength, their drive, their connection with their heritage, their sense of personal responsibility, and their identity.  I cannot honestly name another one-year program for young adults that demonstrates such consistently profound effects.  I'm not quite sure what goes on over there during that year but I suppose it's not for me to know, as long as my grads keep coming back as more mature, more focused versions of the boys that I shipped off a year earlier.


Large Numbers of Jewish Students On Campus

The U.S. universities that boast the highest number of Jewish students are:
NYU (New York, NY) #1 Private
Boston University (Boston, MA) #2 Private
University of Florida (Gainesville, FL) #1 Public
University of Central Florida (Orlando, FL) #2 Public

(I have to admit, the Florida schools surprised me, but you learn something every day, right?)

As a matter of pride, I want to note that one of my local schools, Santa Monica College, is the only community college to make the list of the top 30 schools for Jewish students in the whole country.


Hillel--Jewish Community On Campus

Last but not least, Hillel is an on-campus organization at most large colleges and many smaller colleges that offers Jewish students a built-in community for celebrating holidays and rituals, as well as providing a milieu in which students can bond with their peers.  The parent Hillel organization will even help with funding to establish a new program on campuses that don't currently have one.


I hope you have found this information, well, informative.  I will focus on unique educational opportunities for other segments of our population (e.g. Historically Black Colleges, men's and women's colleges) in the future.

11 Unusual College Majors

I currently work with a student (we'll call him Brad) who has wanted to be a gunsmith since he was 5 years old.  How a kindergartener from suburban Los Angeles got attached to the idea of gunsmithing is baffling to me and his parents, but as is the case with many special needs kids, he has never wavered.

Brad's parents and I have tried all the tricks to get him to expand his range of options, to no avail.  He's now a high school junior and the mother and I have both realized that I need to take my own advice and work with the kid's interests, even if they don't make sense to me.

Lo and behold, there are colleges that offer degrees in gunsmithing, and even right here in California.  The family has booked a trip to visit the schools to see which will be the best match and I now feel confident that things are going to work out fine for this young man.  Once again, a reminder to myself to just let the kid drive the process instead of trying to make them be what the adults think they should be.

Here are some other unusual majors offered by accredited colleges--listed alphabetically, not in order of weirdness.  (Most are far more unusual than gunsmithing, to be honest.)

1. Astrobiology--Arizona State University.  Yes, it is exactly what it sounds like: the search for life in the stars.  You probably know a young person for whom this major is a dream come true.
2. Automotive Restoration Technology--McPherson College.  Based on the popularity of TV shows about auto restoration and customization, it's a wonder that more colleges aren't offering this major yet.
3. Bagpiping--Carnegie Mellon University.  Apparently this unusual major is an homage to Andrew Carnegie's Scottish roots.
4. Bowling Industry Management--Vincennes University. This is an associate's degree, not a bachelor's degree, just to be clear.
5. EcoGastronomy--University of New Hampshire.  Combining sustainable agriculture, hospitality management and nutrition.
6. Equine Journalism--Wilson College. You can't get much more specialized or self-explanatory than this.
7. Ethnobotany--University of Hawai'i.  This major is described as an integration of biological and social science theories, though I'm still not quite sure what that means.
8. Expeditionary Studies--SUNY Plattsburgh.  You can focus on climbing, paddling or skiing, or combine all three.  Seriously, you can get a degree in that?
9. Missionary Aviation--Bob Jones University. This program provides "solid preparation for a missionary who can fly and maintain his aircraft."
10. Packaging--Michigan State University.  Though it sounds funny, this degree probably provides one with fantastic career potential.
11. Puppetry--University of Connecticut. It falls under their School of Fine Arts.  Really.

Let this list be inspiration and reassurance that whatever your child is interested in, there is most likely a college that offers higher education in the subject.  And if you really can't find one (or if they're all too far from home) there are many universities that now let students design their own majors.  It's a growing trend.  But that's a whole 'nother post, now isn't it?