Class of 2021 Results: Celebrate, Discuss, Support Here

Parents Forum
381

@Dolemite - Yes, you are correct on all counts.

I should have said that those boxes are weighted both within each category and among categories, with athletic recruits and large donors at the top of the pecking order (the individual students’ fates determined by the teams’ needs or how much $$ their families’ can cough up). Likewise, a Native American from North Dakota would most certainly score higher on the URM Box than a Mexican from California.

And yes, there is unfortunately a pervasive stigma regarding mental health issues in our society and academia is no exception, and you’re correct that it’s probably “safer” to talk about physical challenges than mental illness. But not all institutions are alike in dealing with physical challenges – there is no mandate to make all campus buildings ADA accessible (it’s only new buildings and buildings undergoing extensive renovation that ADA compliance even comes into play legally), and “accessible” can be a relative term.

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re: ADA compliant-I’m surprised that it’s not required. Our very old studio on campus is ada accessible, and it has NEVER been renovated (it looks like the church it used to be, down to the stained glass windows-they just replaced the pews with easels). They added the handicapped-accessible doors, which are really handy when you’re dragging in a huge canvas and don’t have a hand free, but it is otherwise untouched.

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I’m sure a lawyer can either correct me or provide a better explanation but it could also be different from state to state and possibly by city due to the litigious environment. Philadelphia seems to be much more up to ADA regulations due to the fact it’s much easier to win a monetary award here than in many places.

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Hopefully this info will help someone next year or beyond in some way who is looking at California schools. We were surprised by the consistency of the UC acceptances - we expected a random waitlist/rejection at a place or two.

Stats:
GPA: 4.0 UW
SAT: 1550
SAT Subjects: Math II 800, Physics 750
APs: World History, APUSH, Calc AB, Lang, Physics 1 (score of 5 on all). 5 APs + college calc senior year.
Awards: National Merit Finalist, District Honor Band
ECs: Music and Robotics
Essays: Excellent IMO. They wove a coherent narrative between his ECs, a challenge he overcame, and his academic interests. I believe these were key in the UC acceptances.
Ethnicity: White
Large public HS

Schools (applied to 8 schools, Mechanical Engineering at all):
UCLA: Accepted (Attending)
UCSB: Accepted w/Regents
UC Davis: Accepted w/Regents
UC Irvine: Accepted w/Regents
UCSD: Accepted
Cal Poly SLO: Accepted
Rejections: Stanford, USC

385

It’s an odd juxtaposition… one can indeed observe a great many accessible features on college campuses that are under-utilized; yet at the same time there can be significant barriers that are ignored unless someone mounts a legal challenge. (And that is how the ADA works - it doesn’t force anyone to be proactive - it only provides legal leverage if someone complains.) I have certainly noticed this at Rice - I have walked around the campus and observed that it appears that it would be a great campus for a wheelchair user, access-wise - yet I have seen only a tiny handful of mobility devices actually in use there. (The students I do know of who have utilized the accessible dorm rooms tend to be kids with medical challenges, who are in treatment at the nearby hospitals while going to college.)

Young people with physical disabilities aren’t nearly so rare as the population at most colleges and universities would lead one to believe. As with other under-represented demographics, the barriers that keep the numbers of disabled students low in higher ed begin whittling down the number of viable candidates long before the college admissions process begins. The financial burdens associated with physical disability are immense (you only need look at the thousands of people who resort to crowdfunding or participation in demeaning contests run by van-conversion companies to secure basic transportation), and the logistical obstacles to going away to college can be daunting. There is much more to making higher ed truly accessible and inclusive than merely satisfying the letter of the law with a few ramps and automatic doors.

Historically, it has been the state flagships - UC Berkeley, UW Madison, UIUC and others - that have set the bar for building, not only the trappings of accessibility, but a meaningful foundation of advocacy and critical mass in terms of a true community of students with disabilities on campus. In the past, many disabled students who could have gone to HYPS-etc. have chosen these schools instead because of the peer support and administrative awareness that these campuses offered. But today’s economic and political climate is eroding the financial support for disability services to an extent that those trade-offs aren’t as clear-cut as they used to be. The recent cuts at Berkeley, the acknowledged “birthplace of the disability civil rights movement”, are particularly disheartening. Ed Roberts must be rolling in his grave. And the fact that the majority of people reading this just thought, “Who’s Ed Roberts?” is proof in itself that the ADA has not brought with it a genuine awareness of disability rights and the history behind that movement.

To be clear, none of this is meant as commentary on @LoveTheBard 's D specifically (whom I heartily congratulate on her success); y’all just pushed my soapbox buttons. The bottom line is that the presence of high-achieving students with disabilities on our college campuses (elite and otherwise) should not be anywhere near as unusual as it is. As such, it is beyond fair that a highly qualified candidate with a disability should have an admissions advantage, just as with any other under-represented demographic. But at the same time, we should be thinking about WHY it is that such candidates are so unusual. Who is falling by the wayside in our educational system and in our society, such that just a few shining examples (most often with extraordinarily supportive families) are making it all the way to our top colleges and universities? That - and not the physical accessibility of the college campuses themselves - is where the ADA is failing to deliver on the spirit of its promises.

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@aquapt - I cannot like your post enough!!

FWIW, D found Rice to be among the more accessible – and accommodating – campuses she visited; it’s unfortunate that those accommodations are underutilized.

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Aquapt, stay on that soap box! Thank you for your eloquence and insight.

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And, of course, accessibility doesn’t just help those with permanent disabilities—automatic doors are amazing while one’s healing from blowing out a knee, curb cuts make life way better for anybody pushing strollers, and so on.

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Hope my info will help anyone who has a lower GPA, but better test scores.

Stats:
GPA: 3.5 UW/3.95 W (Roughly 3.62 UW/4.13 W with midyear grades)
SAT: 1480 (750 CRW, 710 M)
ACT: 33C (35 E, 34 M, 30 R, 33 SCI). 34 Super-Scored (35 E, 34 M, 32 R, 33 SCI)
SAT IIs: Math II 730
IB (HL and SLs): SL Mathematics, HL Biology, HL Psychology, HL Literature, SL History, SL German, SL Theory of Knowledge (I also took 10 Pre-IB courses total from 9th and 10th grade, along with other health and medicine, programming, and engineering elective classes)
Awards: PSAT Commended Scholar, HOSA Regional Bronze Medal for Medical Photography (2015)

ECs:
School Orchestra (2013-2017)
Politics Club (2016-2017) - Serve as the club secretary
HOSA (2013-15, 2016-2017) - Have held two separate leadership positions
FBLA (2013-15)
Student Council (2015-17)
UNICEF Club (2016-2017)
Key Club (2015-17)
HS Boys’ Tennis (2015-17)
JA (Junior Achievement) (2016-17)
NHS (2015-17)
Coding Club (2014-15, 2016-2017)
Statistics Club (2015-17)
Speech and Debate (2015-16)
Content creator at a local educational preparation center (2015-present)
One-week practicums at a major software provider and a major biomedical company (Summer 2016)

Essays: I spent a lot of time here; through my part-time job at an educational center, I was able to gain the help of an essay advisor, who has been nothing short of helpful and kind in my journey.

Ethnicity: Asian-American (Indian)
School Type: Public magnet
State: PA

Schools (applied for Bioengineering/Biomedical Engineering for all. I also applied for Business as a second choice major where applicable):

Accepted:
University of Pittsburgh (Honors College) ($2,000 merit)
The Ohio State University (Scholars) ($17,500 merit) (ATTENDING)
Pennsylvania State University
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Drexel University ($20,000 merit)
Case Western Reserve University ($18,000 merit)
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign (Accepted for Business Unassigned)
Boston University
North Carolina State University
University of Maryland

Waitlisted:
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Denied:
UNC Chapel Hill
Georgia Tech
Penn
Northwestern

(So, in the end, I decided on OSU. I’m getting a good financial package from them and they’re also a well-known engineering school. Also, I was accepted to Scholars, but I turned that down in favor of the Engineering House Learning Community. Lastly, I recently changed my major to Computer Science and Engineering. For future students, if you find yourself in a situation where your GPA is lower than you’d like, but your test scores are higher up, make sure to have solid ECs and essays. Spending time on those two factors can help you out greatly in the process. Also, don’t shirk work in your senior year; my senior midyear grades, in my eyes anyway, played a big part in me getting admitted to CWRU and Boston University. Try and get great letters of recommendation too.)

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My wife and I are thrilled to pay full freight for my Type 1 diabetic son to go to Rice. It helps, of course, that despite being painful, we can afford it. He had significant scholarship opportunities at some other schools, but his “fit” with Rice is just too good. The residential colleges with on-site resident professors and other dorm-based adult residents really made a difference to us. Plus, the proximity of the Texas Medical Center and more than one endocrinology physician groups is very comforting.

391

Great post @aquapt!

With regard to the legal requirements, of course individual jurisdictions may have their own rules, but in general you won’t find that institutions are required to retrofit their existing buildings and infrastructure to provide accessibility because that would impose a huge cost burden (and in some cases might run afoul of historical preservation statutes). It’s pretty typical for laws to require that only new construction or significant renovation is required to follow accessibility requirements. The idea is that eventually every old building (and crumbling sidewalk, etc.) will have to be renovated, so over time the entire landscape will become accessible.

392

@phokie My D also decided to go to Rice full pay because of the fit. She wanted the small size school, good academics, and the residential college system versus Greek life. it seems Rice is very stingy with merit especially for those that can swing full pay. We are not “thrilled” to pay the full freight, but we will do it. She also turned down money at other schools that were not as good a fit. My D is interested in pre med/psychology. Having the medical center steps from the campus for shadowing and internships is a plus. We are from Houston, so having my daughter’s treating physicians nearby is also a comfort. Like your son, she has some medical issues that need the attention of a specialist. She may have to find some $ or take out loans for med school but that is a long way down the road. We should start a CC thread for Rice parents similar to the Yale parents thread.

393

Thinking about physical vs mental disabilities, my question pertains to my sophomore rather than senior. Perhaps someone here knows, now that the process of college apps is done. My D19 has ADHD: should she disclose this on her apps, or not, since there is more of a stigma around mental health?

394

@JenJenJenJen don’t mention it.

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@JenJenJenJen There are colleges that pride themselves on catering (for lack of a better word) to students with different types of disabilities. If she is applying to one of them, I might highlight it in the app. Otherwise, I agree with @itsgettingreal17 and wouldn’t mention it.

http://www.collegemagazine.com/top-10-accommodating-schools-students-learning-disabilities/

http://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/20-incredible-colleges-for-special-needs-students/

http://www.collegechoice.net/50-best-disability-friendly-colleges-and-universities/

396

Okay, @itsgettingreal17 and @STEM2017 – good to know. Thanks.

397

@JenJenJenJen - I would only mention it in a few specific contexts, such as having to explain poor grades pre-diagnosis or the need for having a specialized schedule. I would put it in the additional information section.

398

OK, similar to @JenJenJenJen, my D20 is afflicted with something that may not be favorable on college apps. She’s adopted from Asia. Should she disclose? She won’t be applying to any elites, but the next tier down is a slight possibility for a reach.

399

@JenJenJenJen - my D has ADHD, and she made it a theme of her application… :slight_smile: At least she wrote a whole essay about it for the “anything else” question, and she told her recommenders they were free to talk about it.

My personal opinion is that there isn’t a stigma with ADHD. I think if anything, it helped my daughter on her apps, because it helps explain her grade (trend).

And to be honest - if a school penalizes her app because she has ADHD - that seems like it’s a school that is going to be less accommodating anyway, and you probably don’t want to go there.

400

ACT 32C (He decided not to spend more time on this and took the test last in June.)

Honors and APs all four years, including Calculus and Chemistry.

Strong language skill in English and special interest in Latin. National Latin Exam Cum Laude and school’s Departmental Distinction for World Languages, in addition to special Scholar’s diploma. Near perfect English and Writing scores on standard testing throughout schooling.

Strong essays.

Very well-liked, easy, and witty kid. I assume strong recs from Chemistry and Latin teacher.

College Counseling rec, don’t know. Small private school. She has nothing against him, but we are not an “important” family (eg Trustees.) He thinks the school is fair in appraising him. As his parent, I can’t be objective!

School is a tough grader profile: Finishing at 3.5 UW, no weight given for Honors or APs.

First horn in concert band (band all 4 years.) Other music instruction, including international.

Volunteered in science programs with young children and National Park Service.

Applied to biology/premed departments.

URM Latino 3rd generation (and WASP mixed heritage.)

No financial need required nor help requested.

Accepted: UMass Amherst (+18,000;) Fordham (+18,000;) Fairfield (+18,000;) U of Connecticut (+14,000;) Connecticut College (+15,000)

Guaranteed Transfer: Boston University

Waitlisted: Boston College (didn’t make the cut)

Rejected: Columbia University, Vassar

Going to: Connecticut College

After puzzling out complaints online about Fordham’s premed; deciding Fairfield’s “too close;” and revisiting ConnColl with its warm reception of students, faculty, and spectacular weather on that gorgeous campus, he chose.

We had no idea how to pitch this cycle. Too high? Too low? No idea. Seems we got it right by trying high and low and matches. Pretty much on target.

His only restriction was being within a reasonable commute of homebase. (Not for every weekend but maybe monthly–we are a close family.) Plus, we are New Englanders and he saw no good reason to leave the schools here for PA or farther.