Hi All,
I have a high school junior, and I'm seriously concerned about his college prospects. He is 2E - wicked smart but suffers from OCD and possibly also OCPD. His standardized tests are always in the top 1% as is his IQ. However, his GPA for the first two years of high school is not good. When I say not good, I don't mean, "OMG, he has a few Bs." I mean, his grades are all over the place. He has received 4 D's! His weighted GPA is in the lower half of his class, and his unweighted GPA is in the bottom quarter! I know his low grades don't reflect his learning/knowledge because he will get low grades in his AP classes and then do well on the exams with minimal self-studying (Ie. he got a D in APUSH class and then 5 on the AP exam).
It's so frustrating because, at every turn, teachers and the school either outright say or suggest that his poor grades mean the coursework is too difficult for him or he's lazy. I know neither is true. He works hard, but when the OCD gets in the way, it can make the simplest tasks take forever or become literally impossible. When he was diagnosed, I tried to get him an IEP but was denied. Even when teachers know about his OCD diagnosis, they still have the attitude that his problem is that he needs to "study more" or "try harder."
He wasn't diagnosed until a year ago. Although I knew something was wrong for many, many years and struggled to get the proper diagnosis - giftedness is excellent at masking things. He has a therapist but progress is slow and feels like wack-a-mole. Also, just because he has a therapist doesn't mean the OCD disappears and his grades improve overnight.
I feel that the damage has been done, and it's so incredibly hard not to be completely discouraged. Has anyone been in a similar situation?
Does anyone have any advice on what to do to improve his chances of getting into a decent college? Honestly, how will colleges view very high test scores but the bottom half of class weighted GPA? Will the application even get far enough for anyone to read the essay? I'm hoping someone here has some helpful advice.
