Those following closely know that Soap and I went out to visit the University of Montana last weekend — with Monday and Tuesday thrown in for good measure. It seemed like it took forever to get there, then we were home before we knew it.
It was a very good visit. The mountains were terrific, though not the snow-capped mountains I wanted to see. The closest I got to those was a snapshot out the window of the plane…
Anyhow, the purpose of the trip wasn’t to quench my thirst for geographic protrusions; we had a whirlwind tour of the University, along with several meetings with key departments that would help us to decide how viable the school is for sustaining Sophia’s life and education.
We came away pretty pleased. On top of the 35-cent tour, we were able to meet with Housing, Admissions, Disabled Student Services, as well as a student organization called ADSUM that acts as an advocate/ombudsman for students with special needs on campus.
For this blog, I will spare you the blow-by-blow of the various people we talked to, and what we found out. But if you want to find out more of the excruciating detail, we will have one or two posts up at Meg’s blog called “Tuesday’s Child” at Unbreakable Journey. So check in there.
The short version of the story is, we didn’t find any deal-breakers at U of M, and as of right now it represents a strong fall-back position for Sophia. That may change, however. We had more meetings and have answered more questions for Montana than any other school on her radar. Once more schools undergo the same degree of scrutiny, they may drop down the ladder, moving Montana up. We’ll have to see.
From the parents’ perspective, however, this trip was great. We got a very good look at a decent school, and it passed the initial set of tests. This is promising not only for Montana, but for the other schools that have gotten this far in the screening process. If we did this well on the first one we looked at, we may find that other schools are comparable, or even better. We’re very encouraged that, whether it’s Montana or not, we will find a school that Sophia *loves* that will also suit her needs.
One down, five to go — Iowa, Minnesota, Colorado, Colorado State, and Northwestern. That’s before Thanksgiving, mind you. The hotel and rental car people are going to love me when this is all over…
Meg Currell 
If you like what you see...