Hi guys,
I’m a senior studying in a college in South Dakota. In my 1st year, I had an accident in mu wrist and didn’t have money to treat it. So, the injury advances over year, and as I’m a senior now, my right arm (dominant arm) basically can function somewhere at 3/10 of a normal person. Which is worse is I’m an internationl student, which means no assistance whatsoever from the gov or anyone else.
I’ve managed to be in the top 1% of the honors college of my univ, which basically is the 1% of the 1%. I know some people will say that all univ in SD suck and everyone can be in the top 1%, but the main thing is, every public school faces the same curse: the “obligation” to admit pretty much everyone in, thus decreasing the ranking overall. The quality of my school’s profs is pretty good, with my dean from Purdue, my Math Dean from MIT, and some other profs from Univ of Chicago, Wisconsin Madison… So, the standard for us honors student is 100% different from that of normal folks.
I’m no mean bragging, just a lil information for people to judge, as I know there’s a horde of people better than me. Currently, I’m double major in Econ and Math, which prepare me for Ph.D. (Yes we can go straight to Ph.D.) I’m taking the GRE this June to complete my file, and I’m gonna apply to around 20 schools, some elite, some big, some average, and some safeties.
Now, the problem is, I have gap in my studying. I had to quit 2 semesters from school to prevent the injuries in my wrist (doctors said they’re permanent disability now) from being worse. I also have permanent nerve damages in my neck, which make my dominant arm convulses and loses control. Ph.D. Admissions will surely notice it. Should I mention my disability in my Statement of Purpose? I’ve heard of elite and big school admissions just look down on handicap, regarding people like us as scum and garbage or something similar. Will my disability reduce my chane to get in elite and big schools? Should I mention my disability in my SOP? If yes then how should I address it? If no then what should I explain?
Thank you so much guys.