My Son’s Next College Destination
I’m happy to share the news that my son is transferring to Drexel University in Philadelphia, where he plans to major in math with an actuarial science minor.
How He Got Here
My son graduated high school during the pandemic shutdown in 2021. He went through the college application process in his senior year and even put down a deposit, but he never had the chance to do any college tours. After some reflection, he felt he wasn’t ready yet for college. Instead, he did a gap year at Tivnu, which proved to be a wonderful experience for him.
After Tivnu, he wanted help navigating the college experience due to his neurodiversity. This led him to CIP in Berkeley, where he could get professional support to enhance the skills he needs for college and life. CIP works with students attending Berkeley City College (BCC), so he started CIP in 2022 and BCC in 2023. While at BCC, he worked part-time, first as a law firm file clerk and then as a math tutor. He completed his Associates’ degree in math this semester.
The Drexel Decision
As a transfer destination, Drexel stood out on several fronts. First, it has leaned into support for neurodiverse students, which gave us some comfort that he could succeed there without CIP’s support.
Second, Drexel’s co-op program will help my son build the kind of work experience and professional identity that can help him make his next move after graduation. Drexel’s neurodiversity support includes help with the job placement function, which will surely benefit him, and which reduces the risk of him bouncing back home post-graduation (a common outcome for many college students nowadays, especially neurodiverse ones).
Third, the math department seemed like a good fit. The math department was big enough to provide all of the options my son will want, but the total number of math majors and the associated class sizes were small enough that students appeared to get personal attention from the professors.
Finally, I was impressed with the overall vibe at Drexel. It has all the resources my son will need, but it is not as overwhelming and impersonal as a big public university. The students we met with were focused on their professional development goals. The Jewish community seemed acceptable (we looked at Drexel’s Title VI complaint but could not validate the concerns).
Drexel’s main competition for my son’s enrollment was UC Berkeley. UC Berkeley is such a compelling option: his mom and 3 of his grandparents are alums, the city of Berkeley is a wonderful (if complicated) college town that he already knows well, he could continue his neurodiversity support with CIP, and it has better weather and is closer to home compared to Philadelphia.
And yet, the UC Berkeley transfer admit day was not great for him. For me, the standout feature was that the Berkeley speakers repeatedly hyped how students should feel honored that they got admitted to such a prestigious school, but not one speaker talked about employment outcomes. It was like job placement considerations were a non-priority to the institution. (I know that’s not true, but the silence loudly communicated that message). UC Berkeley provides stats about employment outcomes by year and major (yay for transparency), and the numbers for their math department were not comforting. A number of other red and yellow flags arose during the day, such as transfer students’ difficulties enrolling in upper-division math classes and getting dorm rooms. And, of course, UC Berkeley is a complicated community, especially for Jews.
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My son made a major adult decision moving across the country to a new community, a new time zone, and a lot more weather drama. I am proud of him for creating great transfer options for himself, navigating the transfer decision-making process smartly, and being willing to take some risks. #ProudDad #ProudDrexelDad.