<p>I have been diagnosed with ADHD from Middle School and have a 504 plan at high school but i have been told not to disclose this on college apps as could be held against me as negative even though admissions are not suppose to discriminate - but ADHD is a controversial subject (overdiagnosis over medicated etc) . I have been told not to even write about it in personal statement as they have read a million of these but the only good test score I have is my ACT 30 score - rest of my test scores are lower so maybe by disclosing my ADHD it would help explain my lower test scores? (highest SAT 1900 (3 SAT tests lower) 4 AP - all 2 score - 4 SAT II tests - only in 500 range ) - Or should I only include my ACT score and not report all the other lower test scores and also not disclose ADHD? - i don't know what to do on this and I don't want all the years of hard work I have done be rejected because I disclosed ADHD or didnt' disclose ADHD??? please provide feedback on this
Thank you</p>
<p>This really depends on your comfort level. I’m not sure about making it a focus of an essay though. Did you get accommodations for your ACT? Then it would not explain the test score. With a 30 ACT, you have plenty of options. I think I would focus on finding schools that fit you academically and socially. There is so much more to you than a diagnosis and your essays should reflect that. Once accepted, you can see the academic support dept to see what services they can offer you. This advise comes from a mom with a great son who happened to have ADHD along with some other wonderful attributes.</p>
<p>I really do not think you should mention this. Because you will have these same issues when you attend their college – so if you are saying that you have a “reason” for not scoring high or not having certain grades, why would the college think you could perform well there? You want to present yourself in the best light – your scores are what they are. Don’t give the college a reason to second guess you</p>