In this episode, Vicki and Lynn sit down with Dr. Eric Endlich—clinical psychologist, author, and founder of Top College Consultants—to map a smarter path to college for neurodivergent and disabled students – and really, for everyone else, too. From decoding what colleges are legally required to provide to spotting truly comprehensive support programs, we break down how to verify services, assess campus culture, and avoid costly surprises. Dr. Endlich shares practical strategies to evaluate learning support, autism programs, executive function coaching, and peer mentoring, and why the “feel” of a campus—belonging, friendship, acceptance—matters as much as majors and location.

SUBSCRIBE VIA
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn Radio | iHeart Radio

Psychologist Dr. Eric Endlich, founder of Top College Consultants, joined us again in this episode to discuss practical strategies to evaluate colleges and why that gut feeling about a campus matters. Although Dr. Endlich often works with neurodiverse students, he  talked about learning support, coaching and mentoring – all topics that apply to all students.

In the episode, we also took some time to compare undergraduate and graduate school applications and how targeting coursework and real-world experience can make a difference. We also talked about AI and where it can ethically help with planning and organization. But we all also emphasized why students must not allow it to write their essays.

We covered some topics such as gap years and post-graduate options that can help build a student’s college readiness. Dr. Endlich also shared that important truth that college outcomes stem from what students do in college not just where they enroll. Having mentors, completing internships, and using campus resources often matter more than a college’s perceived prestige.

We talked with Dr. Endlich about his large database of “neurodiversity-friendly colleges,” what makes a college fall into this category, and why this information can be so helpful to students and parents. If you’d like to check it out you can find it on the Top College Consultants website here. 

We also learned more about Dr. Endlich’s book Older Autistic Adults in Their Own Words: The Lost Generation. The book grew out of a survey of 150 adults from around the world, over the age of 50, who are autistic. Parents may be interested in the book as they think about the future for their autistic child, or may even find validation for themselves if they are autistic.

As we often do, we asked Eric if there were any books he might recommend for those who like to read about related topics, and he suggested several:

Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools: Transforming Practices So All Students Feel Accepted & Supported  by Emily Kircher-Morris and Amanda Morin

Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania by Frank Bruni

and some of our favorites . . .anything by Jeff Selingo

There Is Life After College: What Parents and Students Should Know About Navigating School to Prepare for the Jobs of Tomorrow by Jeffrey Selingo

Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions by Jeffrey Selingo

Dream School: Finding the College That’s Right for You by Jeffrey Selingo

There was so much information to share we couldn’t fit it all into the length of one podcast. Here are some of Dr. Endlich’s articles and videos if you want to follow up on some of the topics we covered.

You can reach Dr. Endlich on the website – Eric@TopCollegeConsultants.com

Don’t forget that you can listen to all of our previous podcast episodes here or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

Let us know what you’d like to hear about on future podcasts! Leave a comment below or email us at podcast@collegeparentcentral.com.

Note: Some links in our post are for affiliate products. If you use our links, College Parent Central receives a small percentage of your purchase price. This does not change the cost to you.  We think it’s only fair to let you know that.