<p>I have been diagnosed with learning disorder that is a mix of ADD and a perceptual based learning disability in math which has inhibited my performance in high school especially in math which I failed a year of.</p>
<p>So I was wondering which liberal arts colleges and universities are most LD friendly in terms of admissions?</p>
<p>Could someone help me out please?</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>I would look for schools that take other things into consideration besides grades and test scores.
Those who consider community service and essays for example.
You might look at these schools that make test scores optional or they don't accept.
Optional</a> List | FairTest</p>
<p>There are several good reference books that list colleges with LD services- your local library may have copies of them.</p>
<p>I'm not sure about admissions, but here are the opionions on good LD colleges from two prominent guides:</p>
<p>This guide makes some mention of L/D admissions in some of the college descriptions, but not many. Web sites may be more informative.</p>
<p>What is your strength(s)? Look for schools that emphasize your strengths! If you arent going to be a computer science major or math major, its not that big a deal. You WILL get into college. And also, remember that you can go to a second or third tier school for a year and you buckle down and work hard (maybe with tutoring) after one year of excellent college grades you can transfer to your dream school. It happens ALL the time! Its not ONE BITE AT THE APPLE. You have to strategize. </p>
<p>What are your passions? History? Art? Music? Sports? Business? Communications? etc. Be confident in yourself, relax a bit (which doesnt mean slack off, it just means dont beat yourself up, be proud and do your best). Everyone develops differently at different stages of their lives. </p>
<p>You will be fine. So keep a going and GOOD LUCK!</p>
<p>Politics, History, and the Social Sciences is what I absolutely love and what I excel at to answer your question.</p>
<p>I had heard of the website 'Colleges that Change Lives' and just saw it mentioned on another post, and decided to visit. I thought it was great and have already added several new possibilities for my son to his list that he can review. </p>
<p>Sadly many are far away, and many are also private, with high tuitions. That's okay; I never did have paying off my mortgage as a number one priority anyway ;)
Great way to find those unique colleges that aren't necessarily mentioned on CC very often, too. </p>
<p>Here's the link:<br>
Colleges</a> That Change Lives</p>
<p>From our college visits a few schools stood out. Oberlin, Goucher and Beloit seemed especially easy to work with for LD kids.</p>
<p>As I understand it, at least a couple of years ago, if a student applying to UCB identified himself as LD, particularly if this had some impact on the academic record (as with your math issue), the application would be considered by a panel well-versed in LD issues that would take a more holistic approach. If your other stats would make you competitive for Berkeley, this might be a way to go. </p>
<p>I wonder which, if any, other colleges take this formal approach to evaluating applications of self-identified LD applicants. Does anyone know the answer to this? It would be so great if some of the admissions officers on CC would let us know how their colleges handle this!</p>
<p>In general, and in terms of my own kid's decision, I agree with non-disclosure -- but this was a situation in which accommodation was used throughout hs and the student's stats were not dinged as a result of the LD. The OP, on the other hand, has a year of failed math and poor math performance as a result of his LD. I'm concerned that without some explanation, failing grades might shoot him out of the water at colleges that would be appropriate for him. </p>
<p>Kevin -- If there is a good GC who has helped numerous LD students in your school to gain acceptance to college, this might be a good person to consult about how she has seen various schools that interest you react to disclosure before you make a decision.</p>
<p>What are you worried will happen? I think it might help screen for good matches. If the school has a problem with LD in admissions, then it isn't a good match.</p>
<p>Inquisitive mom --</p>
<p>While I generally agree with you -- and was ready to stand up and cheer when I read your post 32 on the gifted but LD thread -- I respectfully disagree on this one for two reasons. </p>
<p>First, my sense is that there is sometimes a disconnect between Admissions and LD Services. The admissions people might not even know what services are available for LD students at their universities, and if they are not well-versed in understanding LD's and the potential achievements of LD students, they might be concerned about how well the student could do in their rigorous programs. For this reason, if an LD student's hs transcript does not reflect a problem based on the LD -- for example, if the student did badly in 9th grade before being diagnosed with the LD and receiving accommodations, dinging his GPA -- I would argue against revealing the LD in the admissions process. I don't see a benefit to the student unless there is a problem in the academic record that revealing would help neutralize, and I do see a potential downside in terms of an increased chance of rejection if the LD makes Admissions nervous.</p>
<p>Determining whether the university offers adequate support for the student to be happy there seems to me to be entirely separate from getting into the uni in the first place. </p>
<p>Second, there's the issue that whether or not a college's admissions office is LD-friendly should not, IMHO, be the determining factor in whether a college is a good fit. I think it is better for the student himself to make the determination as to whether or not the college is right for him. </p>
<p>Let's say an LD student has done very well in hs with accommodation and is qualified in terms of stats and EC's to attend selective college X. College X is the size the student wants, has a campus atmosphere the student enjoys, and is tops in the student's major. The fact that the Admissions office might have a problem admitting students with LD's, IMO, would not make that college a bad match; it would simply make the admissions office uneducated and quite possibly guilty of reaching admissions decisions based on prejudice and not in accordance with relevant laws. The student who does not reveal is not vulnerable to an Admissions office's perhaps unconscious agenda with respect to LD applicants.</p>
<p>My own kid's first choice college is reputed to be LD-friendly, although I had heard a couple of scary stories to the contrary. His academic and EC credentials were well in their range. Whether or not the admissions office was comfortable with admitting LD students, this was the place he wanted to attend. It was his decision not to reveal. This particular uni was clearly the place for him; his need for accommodations is well-documented and pretty black and white; and the kind of accommodations he needs are quite easy to provide. Had the uni denied the accommodations, we were prepared to negotiate/advocate/fight for this student to receive the educational opportunities for which his hard work and achievement in hs made him qualified. </p>
<p>To me, the issue is that LD students should have the same range of options as other similarly qualified students. I'm not suggesting that colleges should take less-qualified LD kids. But if the student is qualified and able to do the work, the fact that Admissions or anyone else doesn't want to deal with students with LD's is not an indication that the college itself is a bad fit, but only that the gatekeepers are maintaining a wrong-headed policy that must be surmounted.</p>
<p>Thanks for the kind words on my earlier post. I have two questions about this one. First, concerning your example of the person with a bad 9th grade year before being diagnosed, wouldn't that be just the type of situation you advocate disclosing the LD because it explains the situation? But, you say don't disclose here. I'm confused. Second, I'm not convinced that admissions is so separate from the rest of the school. I agree that an uninformed admissions office is not that indicative (though it does raise some questions). But, the college works with the admissions office to instruct them what it does and doesn't want. The admissions office does not operate in a vacuum.</p>
<p>Sorry I was unclear. I think that when the LD student's high school record has a problem that is explained by the LD, the student SHOULD disclose. Especially if the problem has been solved, or if the problem (for example, math computation) is unrelated to what the student wants to study in college (for example, classics). </p>
<p>My issue arises when the transcript and overall record do not reflect an LD-related problem. In this case, the only upside I can see to revealing is that an admissions officer might correctly conclude that the student has a high level of motivation and self-discipline to have overcome a challenge and achieved at a high level. </p>
<p>I think that the downside is more significant and liklier to torpedo admissions of an otherwise qualified LD student. Although some Admissions offices may be open and enlightened, many parents of LD students have seen teachers, administrators, and otherwise educated members of the public who balk at the notion of LD accommodation and who perhaps even resent a perceived advantage they think it gives students they see as "less than." The need for advocates, lawyers, conferences with otherwise educated teacher who don't get it, reflects this unfortunate reality. There is also a suspicion in some quarters that high SES students somehow purchase their diagnoses from unscrupulous psychologists so they can gain an edge on standardized and other tests.</p>
<p>I would like to believe that college Admissions offices are free from these biases, which seem to me to be, if not pervasive, very common in the pre-college educational world. But I wouldn't want to stake my kid's admissions chances on it. (I believe that the court case that resulted in the CB not being allowed to earmark SAT's taken with accommodations reflects judicial recognition that students identified as LD were at a disadvantage in college admissions.) Finally, LD services are expensive for colleges to maintain, and although I don't think there are out and out quotas, I can imagine that in selecting an incoming freshman class, an Admissions office would not want ot overtax LD support resources. </p>
<p>I hope I'm wrong. I'm sure there are some colleges out there that are open and free from negative bias throughout all of their departments, including Admissions. There must be colleges in which an overall policy of LD friendliness is manifest in the Admissions office too. But I don't have a sense of the culture of the Admissions offices at individual schools, and who knows the predilections of the particular admissions officer who will do the initial reading of a specific kid's file?</p>
<p>It would be really nice to have some data about admissions results for LD students who reveal!</p>
<p>AnonyMom-
I did misunderstand what you said. I am in agreement with you.</p>
<p>My eldest went to an LD high school, so we knew it was on his application. My younger son had a horrible 9th grade, was diagnosed and blossomed in 10th grade, so he'll be explaining it on his application. Also, he talks to his gc, who he told all about the changes the med have helped him with, so she may mention it on his reference letter. So, we have to deal with the issue directly.</p>
<p>You are right about the perceived cost of accomodations. But, they really are minimal in many cases. For my first son he just needs to be able to use a computer for note taking, have the syllabus on line and be able to turn in papers by email. All of these items are pretty standard now. My youngest doesn't need anything from the school.</p>