College Planning for Gifted Students
By Sandra L. Berger
Prufrock Press Inc. (Waco, TX) 2006
$18.95, 231 pages, soft cover
Reviewed by Joe A. Edun
Counselor/College Adviser
Walter Johnson High School (MD)
This book focuses on college planning for gifted students with learning and other disabilities, such as Williams Syndrome, Asperger's Syndrome, dyslexia, and ADHD. The author details college planning timelines for these students from grades 7-12, providing vignettes on what makes them different.
Berger argues that since academic support developed at the high school level ends there, these students need to be self-advocates and be aware of the difficulties they will face when they decide to attend college. She recommends that gifted students and their parents investigate the support available at colleges of interest.
When underachieving gifted students apply to selective colleges, they risk being rejected, leaving them with the options of finding an internship or volunteer position or attending one of the following (page 41):
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A small private college with counseling support
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A community college that provides counseling
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An additional year at a private secondary school.
While the underachieving student's grades do not necessarily reflect his/her ability, Berger lists characteristics that may help identify such students (pages 38 and 39):
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Inattention
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Disorganization
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Careless or incomplete work
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Forgetting to turn in assignments
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Procrastination
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Classroom disruption
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Blaming others
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Making excuses
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Avoiding competition
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Reduced interest in learning.
The book is easy to read because it is written in clear language and organized into the following chapters, each building upon the previous chapter:
- College Planning
- Planning for Gifted Students
- The College Search
- Learning about Colleges
- The application process.
Gifted students who may not know what they want from a college will get help from Chapter Four, which forms the core of the book and where the author divides the college planning process into seven steps, starting with information gathering, which includes the use of college guides, talking to college reps and students and visiting colleges. The next step, planning and choosing, lists criteria from which students can choose when deciding where to apply. Students need to know how colleges evaluate applicants to help them decide if certain colleges are suitable for them.
Step Three is visiting colleges, which Berger divides into two stages. The first stage needs to include a guided tour, visiting campus buildings, eating in the dining halls, asking questions of admissions office staff, students and faculty, all of which help the prospective applicant decide if he/she will be happy on that campus.
She suggests a second visit, for two nights between January and April. This time, the visitor can experience the social and cultural atmosphere of the college and learn what is expected of its students. Observing how students dress, how they interact with each other and getting a feel for the campus community should be part of the goals for this second visit. It's an opportunity to ascertain if that college will help fulfill the applicant's academic and career goals.
Berger asks high school seniors to consider location, size, costs, retention rate, course offerings, academics, faculty, grading policies and student life issues. The collegeÕs policy on campus security, student health, help with study skills, and career guidance/internships merit close examination. Berger asks gifted students with disabilities to consider what provisions exist at the college to meet their academic, physical and social needs and to check its retention rate for students with disabilities.
The appendices at the end of the book include information on early entrance college programs, college planning web resources and the SAT and ACT. Students with learning difficulties and their parents will find this book a useful college planning resource.
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