<p>im a curious parent of a child who has been diagnosed with adhd. although he is only in his sophmore year, we are discussing our options as to whether or not he wants to disclose his disability on the college applications he will submit - cal tech is his dream 1st choice school.</p>
<p>i would just like to know, if you have a disability, when you applied, did you fully disclose the disability? or did you choose not to mention it on the application and are just planning on getting resources when you start school? and of course what your outcome was, accepted, waitlisted or denied.</p>
<p>we are just struggling with whether or not we should disclose. there are so many mixed messages/info out there...i wish some admissions counselors could just tell me straight up.</p>
<p>Can o’ worms, isn’t it?? I am no authority on this, by any means, but my child did NOT disclose ADD on his apps. Nor did he have any accommodation to speak of during high school. Personally, I think if one had significant accommodations (extra time on tests, etc), then one really should disclose. But, it is not required.</p>
<p>Having said that, super top schools such as Caltech have SO many highly qualified students to choose from, they could easily choose someone without a disability over someone with one. I don’t know that they do that, but they easily could view an ADD or ADHD kid as being a riskier choice than another student. And, in truth, they are a bit riskier; some do great and some get overwhelmed. ADD and ADHD kids tend to need help with organizational skills, deadlines, and such. OTOH, these students can also have tremendous potential and think very creatively, which suits Techers well. </p>
<p>I don’t know if this helps with the OP’s question, but no one can tell you what to do for your particular student. It is a personal decision, which high school guidance counselors really should NOT answer for you. Also, FWIW, high school guidance counselors are great at middle-of-the-road students, and not so great with top scholars. So unless you are at a private prep school, you are better off coming to CC for advice!</p>
<p>I would think that legally they cannot discriminate against your son because of add/adhd. Would they in the application process, I really doubt it. My S is graduating this year and is a type 1 diabetic and even though it never really affecting anything we were sure to share this, just in case he did have any problems related. (Caltech seems to be inclusive rather than exclusive.)</p>
<p>As an aside I disagree with peachblossom (no offense), our boys public high school had a GC specifically for the gifted students and she helps them get into some of the best colleges in the country.</p>
<p>OP, there is extensive discussion of this top in the Learning Differences and Challenges - LD, ADHD thread–not specifically for Caltech but in general–you might want to take a look.</p>
<p>In my opinion, you should talk about ADHD under these two circumstances</p>
<p>1) If need special accommodation or something that they need to know up front (not the normal requirements which every college provides, something really significant or very unusual)
2) If you need to explain some performance issues or if you want to show how the student was able to triumph over adversity, in other words as an essay topic to explain a bad grade or how he got good grades in spite of it.</p>
<p>Will CalTech discriminate against a student who merely has ADHD. I do not think so. If the student has good grades, good scores etc, it proves that the student can handle it. If you are concerned he cannot handle it or may not be able to handle it, the best thing would be to visit and decide if it makes sense to apply. The only issue with ADHD is if he can keep up with the requirements, not that he has it or does not have it.</p>
<p>My general rule is that there is no point mentioning something that does not need to be mentioned. For example, if you mention ADHD without a context, and the student does not get in for other reasons (was not competitive enough for example) you might want be tempted to think that he did not get in due to ADHD. Again ADHD is not something that is unusual in top colleges and I am sure many ADHD students are admitted in CalTech.</p>
<p>My S has ADHD and was admitted to Caltech. There wasn’t really anywhere on the application to indicate his diagnosis, except as mazewanderer says… in an essay.</p>
<p>My S is attending a different school and again, he did not mention the ADHD, however, when he sent in the required physical, I made sure that the doctor documented the ADHD. S has not requested any support, but at least the school is aware of his diagnosis if he ever needs any support/accomodation. As well, he has documention and so if ever an issue comes up with his medication, he’s covered.</p>
<p>For my S, I suppose that possibly the mention of ADHD could have been an additional selling point, as he was also valedictorian and was successful in a number of endeavors, despite the ADHD. We let his success stand on its own.</p>
<p>my son does require accomodations and has since early elementary school, but they are just basic accomodations like extended time on tests and a keyboard for writing. </p>
<p>its very much a hard decision as to whether we mention it as he is a dedicated student with a 3.8UW gpa and while thats a great gpa, it doesnt stand up to averages at some of the schools he wants to apply to. he has yet to take the SAT or ACT, so i dont have a reference for that at this time.</p>
<p>we were really just wondering if we needed to explain his ‘lower’ gpa than the average.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t draw attention to a negative, especially in an attempt to excuse it. However… if he can show an upward trend and explain that he was on the wrong medication his freshman year, or that he didn’t have the right tools in place to be successful, but now is on track (and ability) to be successful with the high demands of an endless supply of work (as shown by…), then it might be worthwhile to mention, otherwise, IMO… no.</p>