So I recently got in to Michigan in the EA round, and I will be attending (OOS).
However, I can’t shake the idea that I cheated my way into Michigan and that I on my own can’t get in from my head.
I have ADHD, and so I take Medicine everyday, and i believe this is responsible for my academic success and I alone have not done much to get here. Without my meds, I would probably never have a chance of getting into Michigan, but here I am. Not because of me, but because of my meds.
Your meds didn’t get you a high ACT/SAT and GPA – they allowed you to fulfill your potential. It’s not as if the meds made you better than you were capable – or if someone w/o your condition taking the same meds would have performed better.
You’re being needlessly harsh on yourself. Be grateful for the state of pharmacology which allows you to perform unshackled from your ADHD. No one will care. Your future boss won’t care. You’ve earned your accolades from your hard labor. Chill and ready yourself for Ann Arbor. It’s a great place.
Are you equating your meds to Performance Enhancing drugs like steroids or EPO in sports? Is that why you have these feeling of cheating?
Congratulations on your acceptance! Under no circumstances did you cheat your way into Michigan because you took medication that was prescribed to put you on an equal playing field. Without your medication it would have likely been very difficult for you to get through HS, let alone college. The medication helped you to perform to your potential- it did not create potential that was not there.
The purpose of medication is to assure that you had the ability to start at home plate along with the others, and not in the parking lot struggling to get there. You have earned this- congrats!
“Your meds didn’t get you a high ACT/SAT and GPA – they allowed you to fulfill your potential. It’s not as if the meds made you better than you were capable – or if someone w/o your condition taking the same meds would have performed better.”
That is simply not a true statement. There are plenty of medical studies that show diminished but still real effects on performance enhancing effects of ritalin/adderall in non-ADHD people.
The whole learning disability thing is the seriously abused loophole during my time at Michigan. Kids know which no-insurance doctor to go to who would diagnose them with learning disability, which qualify them for double-time for test/exams. This was very prevalent in COE. When every class is graded on a curve, it is effectively cheating.
Considering it’s illegal for any college to know whether you’re on prescribed meds, all you did was follow the law.
Think about it conversely. You couldn’t help having a learning disability, so if you didn’t take meds, you would not have gotten into Michigan, and that would be unfair. Meds empower you to overcome your ADHD and allow you to get the education you deserve!
Best of luck, and GO BLUE!!!
Three out of the six people in my daughter’s apartment at UMich have ADHD and take meds. Another one has dyslexia and gets extra time on tests and does not use a scantron answer sheet.
The thought is that taking meds/getting accommodations levels the playing field for students who really do have a diagnosed disability. If you don’t have a disability, then it is cheating.
the fact that you feel bad about it probably means that you shouldn’t feel bad about it
Your transcript was the single most important factor in your app, and your obvious motivation and diligence over three and a half years cannot possibly be all due to meds.
Also, doing SCEA was a good strategy for you.
So enjoy your acceptance! Congrats!
You deserve your acceptance. Congratulations!
@bearcats But since OP legitimately has the medical condition of ADHD he does not fall in the category of studies you cite. There is no indication he was abusing any loophole. Congratulations OP on your achievement!
Saying that meds are responsible for your success is like crediting the pen for a Shakespeare sonnet. Move on, send in that acceptance and we’ll see you in Ann Arbor next year!
I am in the same place as you, 30 years later. I was not medicated until 40. You would do equally well but suffer much more to get there…and enjoy none of it. It is a godsend to know the issue and fix it. You are worthy. Enjoy it.
Yes adderall helped you get into college. No that does not make you a bad person. As you get older you will learn that life is about seizing opportunities to better yourself that others do not have available to them. Do you feel like a terrible person because you received a quality HS education although a large portion of people in the world do not have the option to do so? Unfortunately you can’t allow yourself to.
I also don’t believe ADHD is an actual disability that can be “diagnosed” but is simple a sliding scale of attentiveness( And yes I was diagnosed and take adderall) and therefore think anyone on adderall has an “unfair” advantage over their equally intelligent undiagnosed counterparts.
You DID do it on your own and are there because of you! It seems like you are feeling a little doubtful right now. It might help if you talked with someone in person about how you feel. I encourage you to share your thoughts with a family member, teacher, counselor, etc… Hopefully they will help you realize you are absolutely worthy!
I think you have no reason to fret. People think that meds have a different effect on ADHD patients than on normal ones but it’s not the case, everyone experiences similar “benefits”. The problem is that when normal people take meds they have a very high chance of side effects. What med was it if I may ask?
@ChapStick123 Vyvanse
This seems like an incredibly weird post. Paired with your posts about your grades suddenly falling, I have to wonder if something else is going on? Do you WANT to go to UMich? Because if you’re personally having second thoughts…it’s a really good time to address that. Is there somewhere you wish you were going instead? Might not be a bad idea to seek a little counseling on the feelings you’re experiencing and what might be going on in your life.