<p>Is it worth mentioning in an application if it is medically documented? Student has overcome dyslexia and achieved a top 10% ranking in class. Do you think it can have a positive/negative effect on the overall application? Or is it better not to mention anything?</p>
<p>I mentioned dyscalculia because I needed to explain a HUGE upward trend in my grades after diagnosis, which paid off pretty well since I got accepted everywhere I applied, and I even got some merit money at some schools. I think it could make a very good application essay if written well enough and if it is personalized enough to not be the same essay that every dyslexic writes. It isn’t as if there aren’t many successful dyslexics, so I think you run the risk of writing a pretty boring essay unless you are able to tell that story in a compelling enough manner to make it actually stand out.</p>
<p>Some people think you shouldn’t disclose at all for fear of discrimination unless strictly necessary, but I really don’t believe that adcoms are going to ignore your obviously proven potential just because of an LD.</p>
<p>Thanks very much. I know also a student who was followed by a psychologist for many years because of a family trauma. He mentioned it in the application by having the psychologist provide a well-written letter attesting the fact and reinforcing his capacities and intelligence. He eventually got accepted in a very good number of schools and some with a scholarship even if he did not request financial aid. He is a foreign student.
I was thinking of writing a standard application and maybe write an additional essay about his experience in overcoming dyslexia. By doing this, the application is not centered on his disability.</p>
<p>That is what I did for my application as well. I submitted an “additional information” essay.</p>