College Interviews Part 3- Coastal Carolina University LIFE (and overview by Tina)

Hi,

A couple of weeks ago we went to our last interview at Coastal Carolina University. It is in South Carolina near Myrtle Beach. Our drive down there was very windy. When we got there we walked around Broadway on the Beach and went to Planet Hollywood for dinner. I had a blue Spiderman milkshake. It was so much fun!!

The next day we went to the University where we met the program director and the students that are in the program. We went on a tour of the University with a nice student named Jamie. She is a student mentor. She told us all about the program while we were walking. After the tour, we went to the cafeteria, where we had lunch with the other students in the program. They were really nice and friendly. My mom had lunch with the program director.


Later in the day, I had my interview by myself. There were lots of people in the room. They asked me lots of questions. I was a little scared when I saw so many people, but it went well. They asked me what I was interested in. Then my mom went in the same room and talked to all the people. I sat and talked to the receptionist while my mom was in the interview.

Later that day, I went to Magicquest at Broadway on the Beach. It was a fun, but tiring day!


It was a really good trip. I enjoyed all my college interviews. The programs were all very interesting and the students. teachers, and mentors were all very nice. I really hope that I can go to one of the programs I interviewed at. I think it would make me more independent and ready to live life on my own!!!

Love,

Daniela

From Tina - I agree with Daniela that all of the programs we visited were very interesting. Each one was unique, but each also had similar goals - to, as Daniela said "make students more independent and ready to live lives on their own".

Coast Carolina's program was different than the first two programs in that it is a four year program. This past year was their first year of operating so they are still working out some of the components of their program. Their objectives are very similar to Clemson's but spread out over four years.

They do seem to give students a little less freedom to move about the campus, but again since this is the first year for the students and program, I would expect them to be providing more support initially.

The current students (four) either live locally and commute from home, or live on campus during the week and go home on the weekend. I am not sure how they would deal with an out of state student like Daniela, but the program director, Dr. Savage-Davis, said they are working on that issue.

The students are very integrated into campus life with strong involvement with the student mentors. They take classes separately and some together (modified and audited) with the regular student population. They go to many college activities, (as they also did at Clemson), including, plays, sports events, etc. Dr. Savage-Davis said the students have made a great deal of progress during the past year.

All three programs have an involved application and interview process. Each gave us such a wonderful opportunity to get a really clear picture of what their program offered. They welcomed and answered questions thoroughly and always answered my emails promptly (unlike some of the programs we initially pursued). I really appreciated their candor about the challenges their students have in negotiating this new frontier.

I would highly recommend all three programs for families who are interested in giving their children with intellectual disabilities the best chance to succeed in life. Not all students will be ready to undertake such a huge shift in their lives after finishing high school. Daniela wasn't ready last year when she graduated from high school. Give your students as many work, volunteer, and independent life experiences as possible before sending them away to school. It will give them and you the chance to see if they would have a good chance of succeeding away from home in a post-secondary program. Daniela has some friends who absolutely do not want to live away from home. Perhaps if your student feels this way, you will be fortunate enough to find a commuter program in your area. ( We are NOT that fortunate.)

Financing these programs is challenging. They are not inexpensive, especially if they are out of state. We did not save for college. Now we will have to really watch our funds to afford this for Daniela. She receives SSI which will definitely help. (Some states also offer funds for these programs through their Vocational Rehab services. Virginia, apparently, does not.) Daniela is applying for the PASS program through Social Security which would allow her to work and save funds for school without her SSI being severely penalized. Hopefully the Higher Education Opportunity Act will kick in shortly for these programs and students will be able to apply for the same federal grants, loans, etc. as regular college students. Check out the links on this blog for more info on the financial aspect.

We will fill you in more about Daniela's choice of program as we know more from Clemson and Coastal Carolina. She may not start start school this fall, but hopefully within the next year we'll be packing her up for college. What a momentous day that will be!!!

All the best,

Tina