<p>Hi,
I was wondering how much colleges take LDs/ADHD (assuming you mention them in your application) into consideration when looking at your gpa</p>
<p>My unweighted gpa is not great (3.38, when not taking 9th grade into account 3.43) and the college I want to get into is very competitive. So, unweighted at least, my gpa is not in the ballpark average range. Weighted, it's better (3.88) because I took 9 AP classes throughout hs but still not stellar. </p>
<p>The reason that my gpa is so low is because in 9th grade I was diagnosed with ADHD and for 9th and 10th grade, struggled significantly with learning how to work around my LD and find strategies that worked for me and benefited my grades. 11th grade was better, but not great. </p>
<p>Will the college I'm applying to (William & Mary, btw) take these factors into consideration when viewing my gpa? How much of an impact will it have on their decision?? </p>
<p>I know that LDs/ADHD are not hooks for a college, but are more explanatory for subpar performance issues. </p>
<p>Other drawbacks on my application might be the fact that I did not take AP Calc or physics in hs (but I took AP Stats and AP Environmental Science instead), but other than that my SAT scores are very good (2100, 1320 CR&M; and I'm retaking in October to boost my math score), I took a rigorous courseload, lots of ECs, visited the college and interviewed, will likely write good essays, and am applying ED.</p>
<p>Bump!
Also, I forgot to mention that I’m planning to go into government, english, history, something like that. Perhaps that will make the decision to not take calc and physics less of an issue?</p>
<p>I will take a stab at this. The short answer is yes, they will take it into consideration. There are many differing views on whether or under what circumstances you should disclose a disability. DS disclosed because he was applying to top schools and his GPA was 3.68 for EA schools and 3.7 for RD schools. He had mostly excellent test scores, had passed 13 APs and had 6 SATIIs with scores over 710. He also had a lot of national awards and had strong, unique essays. In other words, with the exception of his GPA and writing scores, he was “in the range” for the schools he applied to. </p>
<p>I am positive the schools he applied to took his disclosure into consideration–in both directions. DSs LD is writing-related. He actually only wanted to apply to four schools. I made him apply to 10 (three of his four top choices were Top 25 schools, and I just wasn’t as sure as he was about his chances). He was accepted by three of his four favorite schools. The one that rejected him (Yale) has strong writing requirements. They also have much stronger supports for Dyslexics than Dysgraphic’s, from what I have read. The other schools that he was rejected from have strong writing requirements or core requirements and weren’t good fits for him, either. So, I’m sure they took his disclosure into consideration when they were determining whether he was a good fit for their school.</p>
<p>I am relatively unfamiliar with W and M. I don’t know about their core requirements, their support system for ADHD students, etc. My guess, though, is that they will consider how your disability will affect your ability to succeed at their school. I would look into how well they support students with time management, organizational and planning problems. If they want you at their school, they will take you–LD and all–and will give you credit for working hard to improve your coping skills. If they don’t feel it’s a good fit for you, they won’t accept you. If you choose not to disclose, you go in as an applicant with a low (for them) GPA and hope that the rest of your application supports an acceptance decision. </p>
<p>Good luck! I hope you’ll check back in and let us all know what you decided to do and how it went. There are few people who follow up to help future inquirers understand the pulse in admissions for LD students applying to selective schools. Hope you’ll check back in!</p>
<p>i have adhd. what i have heard is that you are taking a chance if you mention it. first of all, a lot of people don’t believe that adhd is a real disorder, so if whoever is grading your essay is one of those people, that would hurt your chances.</p>
<p>the main point of the essay is show optimism, work ethic, your personality, etc. talk about how you overcame your disorder and focus on how it shaped who you are, and don’t make it sound like it is an excuse for bad grades. i wasn’t diagnosed until i was 18, but i still maintained straight As throughout high school, but it was very difficult.</p>