My son has had 3 seizures during high school. Thankfully, his condition is controlled with medication (but he has to take it religiously), and he has traveled extensively since having the seizures with no problem. He is currently a junior and will be applying to colleges in the fall. He is insistent on going out of state, and he has the grades/scores/ECs to get into some good colleges. He is our oldest, so we are new to this process. Should he discuss his seizures in his application or essay? Would revealing his condition hurt his chances or is he obligated to let them know in advance of his acceptance? We would of course tell them once he is accepted, but I don’t want to dupe anyone nor hurt his chances of getting into a school of his choice. His intended major is Biology with a Marine Science minor, and a school with a good international study program. His top school choices so far are UCSB, UCSD, UofGA, and UMiami, and his grades/scores fall within their acceptance ranges, and possibly honors college for UofGA. Personally, I’d rather he attend a smaller school where the professors would actually know him and his condition. I know that college brings about late nights, drinking and an unpredictable schedule that could lead to another seizure, but I don’t want to hold him back from realizing his full potential and dreams.
I suggest he not discuss the seizures. Let the schools accept or reject his applications on the merits. But I do think your son and your family should consider schools’ health and disability resources when deciding which schools he applies to.
I agree with rosered, there’s really no need, but after he’s accepted see what sort of recesses the school has.
Does Marine Science require any fieldwork that involves swimming? If it does, there might be problems.
Perhaps he (or you) could send an e-mail inquiring about this issue to several colleges with marine science programs that he doesn’t intend to apply to.
I have epilepsy. I can swim. I can also drive. My seizures are well controlled, and have been for 32 years. It sounds like this kid is on the way to well controlled seizures…but it’s only been a couple of years max since his last one…right?
I don’t think you need to disclose on the application. But I do think you should have a conversation with someone once he matriculates. You want to be sure that there is good medical care locally to the college. And there should be some plan in place in case he has a breakthrough seizure.
Thank you all for your responses. I esp. appreciate your perspective, thumper1. I’ve never seen a college application, so I wasn’t sure if it asked about medical conditions. He can swim with others around, but no scuba diving, neither of which are required for marine science study, though it is optional in some classes. His first seizure was in March 2014 after a very competitive tennis tournament, and I was reluctant to put him on medication due to the side effects. He had another one 10 months later, and we put him on the lowest dosage of Keppra XR. After a year he was finally able to drive, but had another seizure at school two weeks ago - it appears he missed his meds the night before (and no driving for another year). We upped the dosage and the doctors think he’s fine as long as he takes his meds. I have factored in medical facilities, nearness of friends and relatives to the colleges, nearby airports and campuses where cars are not necessary.
If he doesn’t mention it in the application, I guess he shouldn’t write about it in his personal essay either; however, I think he should. He has handled this all so great in spite of having to give up so much, i.e. driving, locks on doors, bathing, competitive tennis (he is still a top player on his high school state champ tennis team and an overall, all-state player, but the meds slow his reaction time too much for USTA regional level play). Despite his seizures, he traveled to Japan with PtoP, and last summer was a Rotary Exchange student to Italy; despite his meds he has maintained a 3.9uw/4.2w gpa; and because of the seizures he has volunteered almost 400hrs at a summer camp for disabled kids to remind himself he still has it pretty good. This summer he’s been accepted to a 3 week marine biology program at the Scripps Institute at UCSD (he’ll find out on April 1 if he made the more competitive Scholars Research program), so those people will know about his epilepsy. He doesn’t like to acknowledge his epilepsy, so he would be fine omitting it from any essays, but I think he has handled the adversity like a champ. Of course, I’m his mom.
My question is, does he not refer to his seizures in his essays either? Even if it shows how he overcame an adversity?
Overcoming adversity is not my favorite essay topic. I think it’s hard to write without sounding like you should get a break and that you are making excuses. But no question it can be well done. My feeling about essays is you try a few and see which one really sings. My younger son tried a couple of topics before he decided to write about something that he had started doing on a lark, but ended up taking more seriously than he expected to. He was able to show himself as both someone who could teach himself a new unusual skill, but he what really made the essay was that he laced it with his self deprecating sense of humor.
I am not making a suggestion either way, but something else to keep in mind - if your son makes a decision to NOT mention it, he will also need to decide if he wants to request that teachers//guidance counselor who are writing recommendations also NOT mention it.
Teachers and guidance personnel at schools can NOT mention health issues without a release from the family. It’s a clear violation of student rights. HIPAA.
There is no reason to be quite so paranoid about a college knowing about health issues during the application process. Promise. PM’ing you.
It is up to your son what he writes about. He can always write a short optional essay mentioning his epilepsy and have his main essay about something else, but he may not want to be defined by his health challenge and may not want to mention it at all.
With his permission and yours, the guidance counselor can mention the fact that your son has had a great attitude in the face of his medical challenge, and can be specific or not. Other recommenders can as well.
Once accepted, he should register with the disabilities office. You or he can write a letter for the MD to sign (often better than the MD writing it) and include a list of accommodations that would help. A single room or reduced course load can help if things are not going well (financial aid should cover extra time spent due to reduced course load), also extensions on projects, postponed exams, excused absences.
He will have to take letters from the disabilities office to his professors. The letters will not state his actual disability: that is up to him.
The standard for accommodation is a little different at colleges: they cannot pose an administrative or financial burden on the school or substantially change the academic program. But accommodations for your son should be fine.
The thing about epilepsy is that it takes the brain time to recover from a seizure. So it is not like many other health issues where you can catch up easily…the brain needs rest. He will do better if he makes sure to have a set bed time that is relatively early, and also try to get work done in advance so that if a seizure does happen, he is ahead of the game.
Sometimes a seizure disorder evolves a bit during these years and the college stresses can contribute. But from what you are describing, I think you can feel pretty good about his chances of having a good college experience.
Please understand that health issues like this are considered “disabilities” and are covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Does he have a 504 plan at school? A school cannot and will not discriminate in terms of admissions due to an applicant revealing a health issue.
I personally do not think a young person should have to make choices according to a health issue. Practically speaking, it’s nice to have good medical care nearby, and sometimes it helps to be closer to home But I think your son and others with health issues should choose themselves, the same way any other kid does, according to location, size, academics, extracurriculars, and “vibe.” But that’s me.
Thank you all for your opinions. It really helps to hear different points of view of this subject from people who have experience in these matters. I will also discuss it with his guidance counselor for her advice. His school has been great about his condition, and he does have a 504 plan that gives him more time for tests and projects if he needs it. Several teachers have told him they want to write college recs for him, so that helps his ego too (and a teenage boy who can’t drive needs all the ego strokes he can get). We may be spoiled by how cooperative his school is, and the real world may not be so understanding, so we will be mindful of that too. Thank you again.
The point of the essays is to give them reasons to want him on campus. Don’t get too wrapped up in taking the prompts really literally. If it were my kid, I would not have them write on that as a topic.
It is not a matter of the real world understanding, though I think the real world IS often understanding. It is a matter of what the law requires. You cannot rely on kindness in this world, it is true. Sometimes issues like discrimination or liability drive actions, but that does not mean that there isn’t real understanding as well.
But to state it again strongly: colleges do NOT reject anyone due to a health condition. It is illegal. Admissions will not discriminate against anyone with a medical problem.
(That said, if a student is a danger to self or others, that student is asked to take a leave: schools differ on their policies for reentering. This would not apply to a seizure disorder unless the student was having multiple seizures and not doing anything about it and unable to do work. Medical leaves do not mean the student has to withdraw from the school.)
The point is that your son should write about whatever he wants. If he mentions a seizure disorder ( a term many use instead of epilepsy I think) it won’t affect his chances, no, not at all. But he may very well have other things he wants to write about. Recommenders and GC can mention it if your son wants. If it is needed to explain absences, for instance.
Great that he has a 504. That will help with college disability offices.
@compmom has offered great advice. A concern that I have is in his choice of a marine science minor. A great bulk of the lab work at school is water based. He will be working in some difficult weather conditions, subject to varying weather conditions and long hours. Light will be reflecting on the water, he will have to keep well hydrated. Do you know what the cause and triggers are of his seizures? He will not be able to be SCUBA certified. While these are not unsurmountable conditions, they are things that have to be carefully monitored and once accepted into a program, it is vital that the professors be aware of his diagnosis. A college will not discriminate based upon a medical diagnosis, but it is not something that I would put on the application.
Agree with compmom that this shouldn’t affect his chances one bit. But a great main essay is a chance to sell yourself, how you think, what challenges you willingly take on and what that shows about you- not so much an explanation of a situation. If he chooses to use Addl Info to explain, that’s his decision. Or the GC can mention this and how wonderfully he copes, how well he springs back (resilience is a plus.) But use the main essay to his admissions advantage. Agree, the prompts don’t need to be taken so literally. If there are schools other than large publics, try to get an idea of what they value and look for and pick a topic that works for that. (You can preview the Common App and supps.)
I also agree how important it is to make sure college people around him know, so that, if there’s an event, whether in class or in the dorm, no time is wasted in getting him the right attention.
Sometimes I think it’s better to just write the essays you want to write and then see what prompts they work with. My younger son ended up using an essay he didn’t think worked as his main essay in a somewhat condensed version for answering a prompt about his favorite extracurricular. He had yet another essay he wrote for a Georgetown prompt that in a slightly altered version he also used at U of Chicago.
My son is deaf and hears with cochlear implants. He preferred to discuss his academic interest in his main essay, but he did mention it in the “extra information” section of the Common App. For a couple of colleges that asked a question about how he would fit in to the community, he used that paragraph for that section.
I agree and don’t think mentioning it would affect your son’s chances. But at the same time, I don’t think he needs to mention his seizures. I do totally get where you are coming from. In addition to being deaf, my son also gets migraines. I would prefer he stayed not too far away at a smaller school with smaller classes.
I would not mention it in essay or applications… BUT:
When applying to colleges consider:
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How will he get his medication? My daughter is on maintenance meds and there is a nearby pharmacy that delivers to the campus. Sounds good, right? But she has to make sure not to do it too close to when she needs refills…or forget to pick them up at the health center before they close, or if she has any questions for some reason can’t get a straight answer from the workers there ( I have tried too).
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What if he has a seizure? Would you ever need to go out to help out? How far away will he be? What hospitals/etc are near by? You may say “but he won’t”…but all of a sudden he is on his own…sleep habits will be different and will he be as religious about taking meds? What is he drinks alcohol? How will that affect things?
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Does he need any accommodations? If so, what can the disability office supply?
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How often does he need to visit a doctor? With my daughter, it is easy to pick her up and take her to a Dr. appt if she can’t schedule it on a break
5)And of course in general…think about how to talk to his roommate and RA about what to do if he has a seizure and how to recognize one.
I was someone who wrote about medical hardships in my admission essays. However, I did this because it fundamentally affected what I wanted to do with my degree/career.
IMO, that’s really the only reason one would want to bring up an illness/life event/etc. If it’s just something that happened or something that you live with, and doesn’t affect why you’re applying to X program/school, then it’s unnecessary.
If it is something that affected your grades during a semester (for example) then I would ask a GC or teacher to include it in a letter of rec.
First year at college is a little like training wheels. Make sure releases are signed, and you are listed as a representative with his insurance company. I dealt with Rx’s and insurance while my kid adjusted to being at college. She dealt with making and going to medical appointments. Disability office and other college administrators generally want to deal with the student, but support behind the scenes is crucial.
Parents differ on this, but just wanted to say that in my view, our kids with health challenges need a little extra time to get acclimated and need a little more continuation of parental support in dealing with all things medical. They will be on their own soon enough 