<p>Would love to hear thoughts on this dilemma. My daughter struggled through her freshman and first half of sophomore year and ended up with low Bs. Midway through sophomore year, she was diagnosed with ADHD and went on medication. She has been on the honor roll ever since. She is finishing her very demanding junior year with an A- average and her combined SAT scores are 2130. </p>
<p>Here's my question: In her college applications, how should her college applicatons address her weak grades and her subsquent "recovery." My gut instinct is to not let on that she is on medication, but her guidance counsellor seems to think it's the best way to explain her weak early grades.</p>
<p>That's a tricky question, as my inclination is to stay away from "negativity" on applications. It's risky and you never know how it will be perceived. The good news is that she has upward movement, & they really like that. </p>
<p>Alot also depends on what schools she's applying to, & what GPA they're looking for. If she's really far off, then you almost have nothing to loose by explaining her low GPA in 9th grade, focusing on the positive of the junior year. Maybe that's something the GC can discuss in his recommendation, focusing on the positive strides she's made.</p>
<p>thanks guys, this is helpful. the gc will do as I ask. he says he'd never reveal anything a parent isn't totally comfortable revealling. My instinct is that he (and my daughter) can just explain that she wasn't fully engaged when she first started high school (boy is that true!!!) and then, when she kicked into gear, she earned the grades that reflect her true ability.</p>
<p>We had a similar situation. Initially, I thought it should be the basis of his essay because it was such a life changing event in so many ways but had been told by lots of people to keep mum. We ultimately chose to have the GC "reveal" this information so it didn't appear that we were making a big deal out of it. The school he was applying to is very GPA oriented. I may not be remembering perfectly, but I think he was a 4.01 at time of college application, with a 3.0 something freshman and sophomore but 4.59 junior year after medication (and doing same senior year with a number of A+s). The typical cutoff for students out of our school for the college of his choice has been 4.3+ weighted (9-12). With his 4.01, he got in ED. Several friends with GPA's in the 4.2 range (otherwise identical looking in our view in terms of ECs, SATs, etc.) did not get accepted. Someone looking at his stats will definitely see our S as an outlier, but the answer was the ADD (no H in his personality). </p>
<p>In his case, I doubt he would have gotten in if admissions did not have this info. We kept our S off medication for many, many years out of an anti-med bias. When I think of what we put him through due to our prejudice, it makes me ill. Yet, many admissions officers may feel the same as we did prior to our experience. It is hard to predict.</p>
<p>I am so glad that your D is doing better - I helped a girl with an application recently with a similar situation (only she turned out to be ADHD and not very bright!). On her college application she did not explain her poor performance in 9th grade but rather focused mainly on the good (all be it few) grades on her transcript. I agree with MomOfTwoTeens about staying clear of "negativity". I also agree that since her grades have shown a trend toward improvement that there is no need to explain. Another thing to consider is that some people might view an expaination, however valid, as an excuse for poor grades. I would stay away from anything that would be viewed as your D trying to "blame" the grades on something - even though I don't think this is what she would be doing and I totally empathize with her situation - it is just that some people do not think the same way that I do!</p>
<p>My DS is a senior and will be entering college (a great small LAC) in the fall. DS has ADD, slow processing speed, and difficulties with executive functioning. Although all of his professional evaluations called for extended time, since we are part of an umbrella homeschool program, College Board would not grant him extended time. An educational consultant estimated that the denial cost our son approximately 150-200 points on the SAT. The score put DS very close to the 25th percentile at his chosen school. We chose to have a college consultant that we work with disclose our son's disability and his lack of accommodations. The school admitted that with that additional info, they saw our DS in a different light...and believed his unaccommodated scores to be quite good under the circumstances. He was admitted EA.</p>
<p>The advice I would give is to disclose if to do otherwise would given an incorrect view of your child. I'm not sure I would be comfortable saying that my child wasn't engaged in his early years...rather than disclosing his disability as the cause of his early problems. The former speaks to maturity and attitude, while the latter speaks to a condition at the time not under control. I prefer my child to be seen as he is. An institution that would view my child negatively when considering the facts of the situation would not be a place I would want my child to attend. If my child has a documented disability, I would hope the entire institution would speak with one voice in support of a child making progress against ADD, or any other disability. If admissions is welcoming and understanding, it might lead me to believe that there would be a great support system at the school that would be there for my child as the struggle with ADD, etc. continues at the college level.</p>
<p>thanks for the input. I definitely see the value of revealing fully what a student's issues are, but at the same time, I worry that an admissions officer may think -- why bother accepting a kid with any issues at all when we can get 10 others without these issues. </p>
<p>Frankly, i think my daughter's ADHD (she also really doesn't have the H, but that's her official diagnosis) is her stength as well as her weakness. She's a really quirky, creative kid who thinks outside the box and looks at life from a slightly different angle. I really believe that once she is out of a high school setting, where everyone is expected to sit still for six hous a day and take the same classes she will be able to pursue what interests her and will excell at that. </p>
<p>The challenge for her will be getting into a school where she will thrive. We're not completely sure what kind of school that is -- and whether or not she will be a competitive candidate once we figure out what that is. (Her 3.2 gpa is on a scale of 4. I'm a little confused by how students can have gpa's above 4. is another scale used?)</p>
<p>when students have a gpa above 4.- then they are taking classes that are weighted- AP or honors classes.
My D school didn't weight- she also disclosed she had ADD because- she took SATs at a time when accomodations were noted on scores & also because she also has learning differences that we needed to have accomodations/support for.
Colleges that are not generally noted for having learning support services, may actually have decent support-
She graduated Monday from Reed college with a degree in biology</p>
<p>I would address this on the application. The explanation can be simple. Your D had a medical problem which affected her grades. That issue is now resolved. It is not necessary to mention specifics.</p>
<p>emeraldkity4 A huge congrats to you and your Dear Daughter!
My son also has ADD and LD and I never thought to not disclose it. We probably will look for schools that have support so it would be documented anyway.
It is a huge part of who he is and the explanation makes his transcript make sense.</p>
<p>I'd have the GC address it. Something along the lines of "early in her high school career, Amy Applicant had some focus/concentration/medical issues (pick one) which she addressed and sought help for. As you can see from her academic record, once those issues were addressed her grades improved and she has proven herself more than capable of succeeding in difficult courses." Go on to focus on all the positive things that your daughter brings to the table, providing a brief but accurate insight into what affected her early grades. Let the rest of her application be to highlight the person she is now and will be at that college.</p>
<p>thanks all for the input. this is so helpful. i esp. appreciate fredo's language and will make sure her gc says something to that effect. </p>
<p>i also agree that we want D in a school where she will be accepted and appreciated for who she is, but I don't think her "ADD" diagnosis really define her. She definitely has focus issues, especially when it comes to focusing on stuff she finds dull and boring. But I really think once she's in a college setting where she can schedule her own classes and chose the ones that interest her, it won't be the issue it is in a rigid prep school. But who knows? She's never been an easy kid when it comes to school, but in real life stuff, she's got everything it takes to succeed.</p>
<p>oh, and i forgot to add for emeraldkity4, congratulations on your daughter's graduation. reed is actually one of the schools my daughter's GC suggested, and I love everything about it except that it seems so far from home. Are there other colleges like that further east?</p>
<p>I am a child clinical psychologist and I always recommend having the guidance counselor address it, rather than having the essay or the rest of the app about it. it looks negative and whiny.</p>