<p>I thought I would ask this group of experienced college parents about a challenge in my family. I have a junior child who is smart, does fairly well academically (A-, lots of honors), is into sports and other extra curriculars, and who was diagnosed with OCD as an early adolescent. The OCD is "under control" via medication and therapy, and only the closest of family friends even knows about the condition. This is a very normal kid, outside OCD, but OCD seems to touch everything.</p>
<p>While the obsessions & compulsions are "under control", his self-confidence is not great due to a history of being different, and his study habits, being partially perfectionist, start breaking down for marathon projects & tests.</p>
<p>OCD may help explain some of the huge challenges my son has faced, as well as perhaps some of his erratic standardized test scores, scores probably well below his peers with similar GPA. Should he reveal this condition during the college application process? Have college admissions offices overcome the stigma of such afflictions?</p>
<p>Note that he has not sought out testing accommodations at his school for three reasons. 1.) he has seemed to do fairly well over the past few years without accommodations (although it has gotten tougher), except occasional struggles to get work completed, (2) he hasn't wanted to attract attention to his condition, and (3) his psychiatrist has never suggested he needed accommodations.</p>
<p>i'm not really sure where to direct you on this, but my college roommate had OCD. as much as she made me go crazy, she ended up graduating with like a 3.8 or so.... without any accomodations or anything like that.</p>
<p>My friend's son was diagnosed with OCD in middle school and once treatment was in place did well overall, as it sounds like your son is doing. I'm pretty sure her son actually wrote about working to master his condition in his college essays. He went to a major private university with a full ride and has now finished his doctorate. I know his parents were very much helped at the time of his diagnosis by a parent and family support group for the disorder. (Stanford has one I know and there are probably a number around the country) I think if you hunted up some of these (there must be some online now) you would find an array of advice from parents and kids who have made this transition. The more you can treat this as just one thing he has to manage in life (and the more he is aware of kids with this who are doing it too), the more you normalize this... Since college app season induces transient OCD in some parents and kids, you'll probably be in good stead because you've already had to develop your mutual coping skills and set reasonable expectations...</p>
<p>coming from an extensive psych background (academically, professionally, personally), i would have the guidance counselor mention it in her recommendation- talk about how well your child has managed to cope and overcome these obstacles. as far as your son talking about it, i would have him highlight some of the 'pros' of OCD- his hardworking/meticiulous nature, how he is always on top of everything, etc etc. I wouldnt mention some of the grittier aspects, such as medication and therapy, as colleges are often turned off by the threat of psych issues.
Because he is so high functioning, this is a great opportunity to turn it into something positive for college applications.</p>
<p>Huskem, I am not the original poster, but my daughter also has OCD. I don't mean to ask a question on someone else's thread, but I have a question about what you wrote. My daughter missed over 25 days of school 1st semester due to her OCD. It was also recommended that she drop down to regular English from Honors English. She chose not to do this and finished with an A-. She is currently doing very well and her teacher is thrilled with the difference. She is now going to take AP Language next year. My daughter was planning to write a college essay on overcoming her English situation. Her OCD had affected a few things in English class, besides attendance. Do you think this would be a bad idea since you mentioned not talking about the "grittier aspects" and focusing on the pros of OCD. I would appreciate any advice. She is an A student overall. Thank you.</p>
<p>Stormy-
Because your D missed so many school days, I think it would definitely be ok to talk about how well she has been doing since then and how much she has learned and adapted to her issues. I also recommend that her english teacher write one of her recs next year to reiterate on her wonderful improvement!!</p>
<p>Huskem, thanks so much for your answer. Thanks also for the recommendation about having that English teacher write a recommrndation. That is a great idea. She may have that same teacher next year in her AP Language class. She is only a sophmore, so I hope her improvement will last all through junior year.</p>
<p>Rabbitrun - definitely the GC should address his OCD, and he can mention it in essays, but he should tread lightly, his condition should not be a crutch or an excuse. Any explanation for erratic test scores should come from the GC, hopefully with corroboration from teacher recs that his classroom performance is good.</p>
<p>The other issues you should begin exploring as a family are environment at school (including distance from home and therapist), availability of health services/meds and insurance issues. OCD is a manageable chronic condition that should not stop him from having a successful college experience and life, but he may be slower to "launch" and have considerations that other students don't have. He should throughout the process always be asking himself will I be comfortable in this setting, this close or faraway from home? I think it is OK to set some parameters about distance and travel, particularly if he has issues with insurance and health care that require him to come home for care - just reassure him you aren't trying to compromise his growing independence - just working out the basic logistics of how he will get his meds and what psych he will see.
Remember that when he turns 18 you will have virtually no say in or even knowledge of his health care decisions, but you will most probably be footing the bill! Its important for any family with a chronically ill child moving toward independence to establish a way of handling these issues so that the child gradually begins to truly take control of their health, yet Mom and Dad aren't frantic worrying about diabetic comas or psychotic episodes. Most of our kids aren't ready to do that on their own at 18, but they should be moving in that direction and have a good enough working relationship with parents that they can share that they are living healthy. Good luck, he sounds like a wonderful young man.</p>
<p>I would tread carefully. If you read the newest peer-review in OCD, it is turning out to be comorbid with so many other conditions (ie something like a third also have bipolar) that it is not something to flag unless you MUST. ie, if the student with lower grades will not be accepted without an explanation, mention OCD. Schools increasingly are trying to stay clear of psychiatric conditions, there being so many suicides, lawsuits, etc. Mention it if an explanation is required, of course, but be careful as other posters on this thread have commented.</p>
<p>i also want to add that i feel that smaller schools are much better suited for college students with ocd and other related issues (other anxiety disorders, depression, etc), because there tends to be much more support and personal attention to support the student, as well as a tight sense of community among the student body, rather than the large, impersonal universities. (For example, when i took a medical leave for a semester in a college of ~1900 students, the dean constantly called my mother to see how i was doing, and every so often professors would drop me an email also. i tend to doubt that this would happen at a school of 20,000 students).</p>
<p>All the advice you have gotten is excellent via the various posters. My older son has ADHD (not on medication for several years) and is a junior in a state university 200 miles from us so - as/when needed - he can come home without any disruption to his campus life. Like you, we have gone through all the different brands of professionals, medications, and a thousand meetings with school officials over many years so I can relate. My son is a "B" student doing pretty well in dealing with the social and academic challenges (with some bumps) on his own. Echoing a few of the comments - definitely seek out colleges/universities with supportive environments for kids with disabilities (even if the disability is not on his official record) that is within a reasonable distance of your home. That means visiting each college/university and talking to those on campus that your son may deal with such as the Student Health Center; faculty; and personnel in the Dean of Students' office. What turned out to be the deciding factor for my son was his being part of a university sponsored co-ed "learning community" of freshmen which was led by a nurturing, caring Psychology professor. Several times during his freshman year this professor's availability to him and us as parents was a wonderful outlet for practical advice and anxiety reduction. On paper this state university with 14,000 with not have made the cut (being too "big and impersonal" at first blush) but having this particular learning community led by this professor made all the difference. </p>
<p>Regarding the admissions process the advice to tread lightly on what you share about his OCD is very good (including - if needed - sharing its positive aspects of sticking to the task to quality completion, etc.) My advice overall is to NOT have the Guidance Counselor (GC) write in anything about his OCD unless that information is fundamentally needed to explain any hiccups or volatility in his performance (such as the wide test score swings). The GC is most likely not a trained professional (such as a school psychologist or Special Ed teacher) who could accurately communicate to an admissions committee in writing or verbally what your son's condition and its impact is. You can and your son can (as needed, again through essays). (My concern is not so much the GC's written summary, but any subsequent verbal contacts between the admissions committee and GC where the GC would say something inaccurate about your son's condition that you would not know about.) </p>
<p>IMHO number one is finding the supportive colleges/universities and then zeroing in on the admissions process once you are comfortable with your possible choices.</p>
<p>Unless the disability or condition (whatever it is) pervasively and aversely affecting a student's academic performance, I think it is wise not to flag it in an application. I have seen this work to kids' disadvantage many, many times, as it appears they are apologizing or trying to explain away poor grades or performance due to other circumstances. Keep the emphasis on the positive, not the negative, is my motto.</p>
<p>Obviously, for some students, the need to divulge this information is paramount. But I say tread lightly, for sure, as it can backfire very easily.</p>
<p>thanks everyone. Talked to son & he believes its best to not divulge his OCD, as its impact is subtle (in his case) & may sound too excuse-like to weave into a positive story. Your discussion is much appreciated.</p>
<p>My son also has ocd, along with his asperger's. He does great in school. We did not inform the schools of his disability until after he was accepted.
I don't know if that was the right thing or the wrong thing to do but the school that he will be attending, The University of Denver, was offended that I felt the need to hide it. They say that they do not discriminate.</p>
<p>funny, hiding this kind of thing for fear of discrimination is realy the last thing that comes to mind. To me, the decision on whether to divulge or not in the application is more one of balancing the potential benefits of revealing a huge challenge faced in life versus appearing to make excuses for the essay readers who may not totally understand the effects of this type of affliction or if the prose does not do justice in communicating that message. The intent is not to hide for fear of discrimination, just not to reveal as an application cornerstone for fear of backfiring.</p>
<p>jktbre, your son's school was offended that you didn't divulge? This is so tricky, as I have a similar situation with my daughter. In her case, sometimes it impacts her schooling and other times it doesn't. It has been necessary to divulge at her high school. I wonder, though, if people who are saying not to divulge actually know of it hindering college applications. Is it really just the stigma of mental illness? Like you said, your son's school said they don't discriminate, which I thought was suppose to be true at all colleges.</p>
<p>Rabbitrun - You said it very well: "To me, the decision on whether to divulge or not in the application is more one of balancing the potential benefits of revealing a huge challenge faced in life versus appearing to make excuses for the essay readers who may not totally understand the effects of this type of affliction or if the prose does not do justice in communicating that message. The intent is not to hide for fear of discrimination, just not to reveal as an application cornerstone for fear of backfiring." This statement is a prime example of why the "voice of experience" - your own - trumps well-meaning, but potentially misinformed Guidance Counselors or high school teachers who do not have expertise in the student's particular disability.</p>