Home > Learning Difficulties > Special Education Community
Does anyone have any experience with Landmark College or Mitchell College ?
Maggaly February 7, 2009
My daughter has applied to a few colleges. The schools are either only for LD students (Landmark College in Putney, VT. ) or colleges that have strong support and tutoring services (Mitchell College in New London, CT.) We have visited both colleges, but I'm looking for any information I can get from parents whose children either went to one of these colleges or anyone who has any first hand information about either of these colleges and their programs.
Thank you for any information you can share with me.
dhfl143 February 7, 2009
Landmark has a good reputation. I have an acquanteance who went to landmark and he is doing quite well. I have read comments from the old SchwabLearning web site regarding Landmark, perhaps you would like to review them:
http://tinyurl.com/cplooa
I am persoanlly not familiar with Mitchell Colllege, but perhaps other may have input for you.
I would also like to take this opportunity to invite you to join and post at the Learning and Attention Difficulties group located here at GS:
http://community.greatschools.net/groups/1155446275
michellea February 8, 2009
Other than the comments that dhfl has linked you to, I have not direct feedback on these colleges - but in general, they are well-known to be supportive of students with LD.
If you are looking for a 4 year college, Curry College in Milton MA also has an extensive support program.46276
Maggaly February 8, 2009
Thanks for your replies. I am familiar with Landmark's good reputation and the fact that it is one of the only colleges specifically for students with LDs. I also know they work a lot with students who are ADD, and that is not my daughter's LD. I'm trying to find out what their success is with students who have difficulty writing college level work.
I did speak with the admissions dept at Curry College when we began the college search, and I sent the woman in charge my daughter's evaluations. She felt my daughter might need more tutoring time than the Curry Program provides, and suggested looking into Mitchell, so as of now, we're deciding between Mitchell and Landmark.
If she went to Landmark for 2 years (it's a 2 year school), she could possibly transfer to Curry or another school with some support after 2 years.
Mitchell is a four year college with a strong emphasis on internships.They also have a preschool on campus, and my daughter has been involved in the child development program at her high school, so that interests her a lot. My daughter has been in mainstream classes in high school, and done very well in math (Algebra II) and science, but I worry that her weak writing skills will affect her ability to do the work in many subjects besides English, where she's asked to write papers.46277
TransitnSuccs March 5, 2009
Both of them are fine schools. Landmark's program has a lower teacher to student ratio and you receive an associates degree after 4 years.
Mitchell is a great school that has a new summer program that I've heard good things about. I had a student go to Mitchell, and she found the support excellent.
Go to www.conquercollegewithld.com/forum.html to receive a free article on postsecondary transition.46280
Maggaly March 9, 2009
Thank you for your comments about Mitchell and Landmark Colleges. We visited Mitchell college this weekend, and my daughter sat in on 2 classes. She liked the classes and felt she ccould do the work there. The people in the Learning Resource Center think she will be able to .
I'm still concerned that she might need more of the type of teaching that Landmark does for her disabilities in expressive writing and abstract reasoning. While Mitchell would place her in the mainstream Enlgih 1001 class, Landmark might place her in their language intensive curriculum, which is not for credit!
Waiting to hear about scholarships and financial aid from both colleges, too!
I'm glad there are colleges that she can go to, but it's such a hard decision because each college has a different concept of how best to teach LD students.46281
michellea March 10, 2009
When we were looking at private LD schools for my son, we had a tough time choosing between two excellent schools that were very similar in mission, but differed slightly in approach.
We made the final decision based on culture, choosing the school that integrated arts and exercise into the daily curriculum, was open to technology as a compensatory strategy, and was set on a wooded campus. Four years later, I feel we made the right choice.
It is a tough decision, weighing the trade-offs and strengths of each school. How exciting you have two schools that seem to fit! Sounds like you can't go wrong no matter which way you go. Best of luck.46282
beachwalker March 10, 2009
My son is attending Landmark College right now. It is a fabulous school for him. He is ADHD with issues related to executive functioning. He is relieved to be surrounded by students with the same issues and teachers who know what he needs to succeed.
There is some misinformation on this thread about how long a student attends the college. Students attend anywhere from 1 to 3 years depending on their ability to read at college level when they enter. (Some of the students are dyslexic also.) If all goes well, my son will graduate with an AA degree after 2 years and will transfer to a 4 year school to complete his BA degree. Not all students stay to complete their AA. Some move on to a 4 year school after one year. Their credits transfer with them. You do not start all over again at a four year college.
My son attended a small liberal arts school with a good reputation for supporting special needs kids his first year out of high school. After going through that first year unsuccessfully we learned what he really needed to succeed. I have since learned there are many small private schools out there that advertise themselves as special needs friendly but do not offer the expert level of services he really needed. The school is full of kids who had the same experience.
Landmark is famous for their ADHD research institute associated with the college. High school teachers come to the institute to be trained. Many of the students have other diagnosis which commonly come along with ADHD.
Some of the things that we now realize as essential were professors specially trained to teach experientially, laptop technology for reading and writing for every student (every text book downloaded to his own computer from day one of the semester,) personalized coaching services (how to get to class on time, how not to lose term papers, how to take care of ones health etc.) psychological counseling services, academic advising that promotes independence, professional tutors(not peer tutors) available day and night, and a structure in place so when things go wrong someone catches it before it gets out of control (forgotten assignment, missed class or appointment.) Their objective is to get the student to a point where he doesn't need this level of support when he leaves the school. He will hopefully have the skills to be able to fend for himself and live up to his or her potential.
My son is very bright...high SAT's etc....but he will tell you he has never worked so hard in his life. Landmark is a very good school for him. It really pushes him. No one is let off the hook for any assignment, but they will make personalized accomodations to help a student achieve a level of excellence that is expected at a college level.
There are only 500 students there but they are from all over the country and the world. It has been a fascinating experience for him and for us to meet the students and the families. Talk about networking! It is great to meet and share experiences with families who have had similar journeys with their kids. I have found the Dads particularly are happy to talk to other fathers who been down this path.
Note that Landmark offers an interesting summer program for ADHD highschool students preparing for college. It is a great way to see if this school is for you. There are plenty of kids who did the summer program after graduating high school and then decided to attend full time in September. Check out their website. I think it is called "The Bridge program."
Good luck and hang in there.46283
Maggaly March 10, 2009
Beachwalker,
I'm so glad you responded to my post. It's very hard to find other parents of students who have attended these schools, as the schools are so small. I know that Landmark has an excellent program for students who are ADD, but I'd like any information you can give me on what you know about students who are LD, but not necessarily ADD.
My daughter, as I've said previously, has an expressive writing disability and has trouble with higher level comprehension. She went to a school for students "who learn differntly" for 6 years, where she really learned how to be organized and get her assignments in on time, etc., so those are not her issues. In fact, she is often annoyed by ADD type students who are constantly distracting in her classes. That's why I wonder if Landmark's student body is primarily ADD students,and if she really fits in there. Also, the student body is 80% male, and I wonder how the girls fit in there.
I realize it is probably the only school in the country that might be able to teach her how to write at a college level. Also, she can decode very well, but doesn't understand literature or other text material that is outside of her frames of reference. She is quite good in math and has been getting A's in a college prep earth science class in high school (she's in a regular high school).
Do you know any parents of students who had similar LDs as my daughter and how their son or daughter did at Landmark? What college is your son attending now?
I'd love to have my daughter "try out" Landmark and then make our decision, but the reality is, we have to put out deposit in either Landmark or Mitchell college next month!
Thank you in advance for any more information you can give me.46284
Search Community
More in Special Education
- Special gifts for kids with LD
- Learning disabilities and educational testing
- Preparing for Your Journey Through the Special Education Maze
- No Child Left Behind and School Choice Opportunities in Special Education
- Special education: a practical primer
- Dyslexia and the education environment
- Understanding special education laws and rights
- Frequently Used Acronyms in Education
- Special education evaluation: An overview
- Busting some special education myths
