We\u2019re talking about what we often call in the neurodivergent space, long runways, for our emerging young adults, specifically alternative paths for differently wired students who are graduating high school but may not either be ready for a \u201ctypical\u201d college experience or for whom college isn\u2019t part of the plan.\nWe do get a little update from Dave on the admissions landscape, but most of the this episode is dedicated to considering other options for students, including gap years, apprenticeships, taking a few classes at a community college, and most importantly, slowing the whole \u201claunching\u201d process down to support kids who would really benefit from extra time to develop and grow, recover from mental health challenges, destress, and more.\xa0\nAbout my guest:\nDavid L Marcus is a college admissions coach who loves helping students and parents find balance and joy. He has been a journalist, author and teacher \u2013 as well as a writing coach for CEOs.\nDavid wrote a book about college admissions, Acceptance (published by Penguin Books). He also wrote a book about struggling teens, What It Takes to Pull Me Through (published by Houghton Mifflin). He has appeared on the Today show and NPR\u2019s Morning Edition; he has spoken about education at conferences, schools, churches, and synagogues across the U.S. David is an honors graduate of Brown University. He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard. But he says classes at a community college changed his life.\n\nThings you'll learn:\n\nWhat has changed for students who are college bound now that we are through the pandemic\n\nHow the decision-making and admission process has changed for students and for colleges\n\nWhy gap years can be such a good option for some students and the different ways a gap year might look\n\nWhy community college might be a good starting point for neurodivergent kids\n\nOther options for kids who don\u2019t want to take the college route after high school\n\nAdvice for parents with kids close to the end of high school on how to support them after they graduate\n\n\nResources:\n\nDavid Marcus\u2019 website\n\n\nAcceptance: A Legendary Guidance Counselor Helps Seven Kids Find the Right Colleges\u2013and Find Themselves by David Marcus\n\n\nWhat It Takes To Pull Me Through: Four Troubled Teenagers And Fourteen Months That Transformed Them by David Marcus\n\n\nCollege Vetting, Admissions, & Accommodations for Differently Wired Students (Tilt Parenting Podcast)\n\n\nSeven Steps to College Success: A Pathway for Students with Disabilities by Elizabeth Hamblet\n\nGap Year Association\n\nCollege Autism Spectrum\n\nSupport the show\nConnect with Tilt Parenting\n\n\nVisit Tilt Parenting\n\nTake the free 7-Day Challenge\n\n\n\nRead a chapter of Differently Wired\n\n\nFollow Tilt on Twitter & Instagram\n\n\n\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices