<p>Although these scores aren't terrible or anything, they are below what two of my potential colleges want. Due to having ADHD, I've never been able to study for standardized tests; I just haven't been able to mentally whatsoever. I am also not able to pace myself at all when testing. I do not treat the condition with medication. Although I could have opted to have extended time because of my condition--the ACT, for example, will you five hours to take the whole test with self-pacing on each section--I chose not to do this. I saw this as simply unfair and I don't want special treatment--if you give anyone two extra hours on the test, they are going to score higher. Although it is probably necessary for me, I just refuse. Please don't chastise me about this--it's a decision that I made and I'm going to stick with it. This isn't the point of the post. </p>
<p>My real question is, should I include something about this on my application? I don't treat the condition because I know my true ability--I am able to be extremely successful if I am able to work at my own pace--I have a 4.0 unweighted GPA, 4.2 weighted, 7 AP classes and others dual enrolled, attend an academic year, application-based magnet school at a college campus for math and science, have several reliable ECs, numerous academic awards and three strong teacher recommendations. One teacher allegedly even wrote that I was the smartest student she has had in 40 years. My only lacking feature is my scores. I know I would have scored higher if I took the extra time route, but I simply didn't.</p>
<p>Bottom line--I don't know whether to put this on my application or not. I don't want to sound like I am trying to justify shortcomings or anything of that nature, but it is a true situation.</p>
<p>You chose not to take the longer test time, but now you aren’t satisfied with your scores, so you want to cite mitigating circumstances on your application. It sounds like you want it both ways, you made a choice, aren’t happy with the results and now want a ‘redo’ on your application.</p>
<p>Not really–I’m fine with the decision I’ve made. I can live with my scores, but I just think perhaps it should be known that I chose fairness over a potentially higher score. My issue with is that I don’t know how much extra time I would actually need–it would probably be less than they give me, so the rest would be abused ensuring I get a score that I don’t necessarily deserve. The level of fairness in the overall testing policy just seems questionable to me.</p>
<p>First of all, if you’re entitled to an accommodation and you choose not to use it, I don’t think that’s got anything to do with “fairness.” Should a blind student not use recorded books in the interest of “fairness”? </p>
<p>Second, if you took extended time and then didn’t need it, or needed only part of it, you could just stop. If you finish a section before your allotted time is up, and you go back over questions in that section…that’s what many top students without extended time do. Because the amount of time that someone else deems sufficient for them is actually more than sufficient, they check the work they’ve done. If the amount of time someone else deems sufficient for you is actually more than sufficient, then you can do the same thing. There’s no rule that says you have to luxuriate in your extended time, making unfair use of it; when you’re done, be done. I’ll admit I took the SAT and ACT a million years ago, before there were graphing calculators, but I still think there’s a practical limit to what you can do with a section once you’ve answered the last question.</p>
<p>If you want, I suppose you could mention that your ADHD qualifies you for extended time on standardized tests, but you chose not to take it. But if I were in your position, I’d stay far, far away from all that “fairness” talk. I think it sounds a little self-righteous.</p>
<p>Fairness is being on a level playing field with your peers. Either your ADHD is not that bad and doesn’t affect you, in which case not having extra time is perfectly fair, and you can’t use it as an excuse. Or it affects you enough that you truly would be on an equal playing field with your peers if you had accomodations, in which case it is very unfortunate that you didn’t choose to go that route.</p>
<p>The metaphor I always use is this: If a runner with a broken leg can still run faster than his opponents, is it “fair” and “an equal playing field” if he competes with able-bodied runners? Who cares if allowing him time to heal or giving him accomodations will make him even more faster than the others? It will at least be fair because it is an equal playing field.</p>
<p>So if you truly need extra time, it is completely and utterly fair. What’s unfair is having you test in the same conditions as kids that are perfectly normal. It doesn’t matter if you are already better than your peers, because you are still at a disadvantage.</p>
<p>However, if you really don’t believe you need(ed) accomodations, then using it now as an excuse is just you trying to have the best of both worlds. Claiming to want to take the high road in a situation like this yet still wanting an excuse for under-performing reflects poorly on your character. If colleges saw you had a need for extra time, took advantage of it, and still scored a little bit lower than expected, they would understand a bit. However, telling them you could have had accomodations that would put you fairly on par with your classmates yet you decided not to take advantage of the fair opportunities given to you shows a holier-than-thou attitude and a person who does not take full advantage of fair resources they are permitted to have.</p>
<p>It’s pretty impressive that you have ADHD and have that GPA and those scores. If you are choosing not to medicate, that is your choice, and one that I would probably choose if I had ADHD and it was not debilitating, but you might look like you’re being self-righteous or grabbing for bonus points if you point that out. I think you can get into most schools on your list with those stats. Don’t distract your application by bringing up your ADHD, as most normal kids without ADHD would love those stats.</p>
<p>Interesting that you have foregone accommodations for the SAT’s out of some sense of “fairness”, but find it fair for colleges to accommodate to your handicap when evaluating your applications.<br>
But since you chose not to take the steps necessary to work at your own pace for the SAT’s, you have no way of demonstrating that. Please also be aware that are many situations in college, and in life, where you will be required to work at a given pace, not at your own pace. Perhaps you should consider seeking help–accommodations, medication, ADHD coaching, etc.–to enable your success in a world that will not always be willing to overlook your limitations.</p>
<p>To one poster–colleges would not see that I had extended time nor would they be told I have ADHD. It would illegal for anyone but myself to disclose that information to them. </p>
<p>Anyway, I’m not trying to sound self-righteous or anything of that nature. I get what most of your are saying; my main point is that I believe that my academics are at least somewhat impressive, and for someone with ADHD, they are extremely rare. My real point was whether disclosing this on my application would be a good idea or not. I never planned on pleading to them that I have the scores that I do because I was against extended time and thus I deserve special consideration. I had more of an idea that I would mention how I overcame it in my school career and refused to take the easy-path with endless accommodations. I stayed on the level with other students regardless of my condition, and that was the point.</p>
<p>And to another poster–I have had counseling my entire life. It has helped somewhat, not to any great extent, but it has helped. I refuse medication because I don’t want something messing with my brain chemistry when I am aware of my own ability and intellect.</p>
<p>“I had more of an idea that I would mention how I overcame it in my school career and refused to take the easy-path with endless accommodations.”</p>
<p>I suspect many people with ADHD (and their parents) with be offended by the suggestion that accepting an accomodation was taking the easy path. Most of them would glady give up the ‘easy path’ in exchange for not needing the accomodation. The accomodation doesn’t give them an unfair advantage, nor make up for the many challenges that go with being ADHD.</p>
<p>Be careful if you go this route because you never know who you are talking to. For all you know, the admissions person has ADHD and used accomodations, or their kid does…</p>
<p>I understand everyone’s point of view, but I as well would probably feel unfair taking the extra time, for a variety of reasons (but I don’t see why it’s relevant to discuss that on this thread, as you have already made your decision).</p>
<p>Anyway, I would suggest that, if a specific college’s prompt lends itself to discussing your ADHD, go ahead and write an essay about it, but what I would do is, instead of saying it yourself, ask your counselor to write about it in the counselor recommendation/secondary school report and maybe also to have your teacher write about it in his/her recommendation. That way, it will be clear that though you have informed people of your ADHD, they can tell that you have challenged yourself by not taking advantage of special treatment.</p>
<p>I think it will be stronger if your counselor or teacher mentions it (so tell your counselor about the ACT thing if he/she doesn’t already know!), instead of you coming off as self-righteous/whiny.</p>
<p>Referencing the ADHD now as an excuse and/or a way to say “look at me and all I accomplished while having ADHD because I didn’t want to take the ‘easy way out’” is cheating the system.</p>
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I found that to be extremely offensive. As previously mentioned, the only level field is one on which every student is on par, so if that means some require accomodations to be on par, then so be it.</p>
<p>I don’t believe you truly needed the accomodations, and you would be gaming the colleges if you implied otherwise. Sorry, buddy, but they’ve been doing this longer than you have. They’ll see right through this, and it could actually work against you.</p>
<p>…Wait actually, in that case, do it. You’ve been extremely offensive to those who actually need accomodations on this post. I sort of hope it comes back to bite you.</p>
<p>By the way, it is not “extremely rare” for someone with ADHD to have accomplishments like that. I know many who do, with medication and/or accomodations. But if they accomplished it without any medication or accomodations whatsoever, that suggests it wasn’t bad enough to really need accomodations in the first place. A kid with ADHD bad enough to interfere with their learning would start to slip around 11th or 12th grade with so many advanced classes, no matter how much they try to cover for it with their intelligence. If it’s bad enough to warrant accomodations, it would show in the schoolwork, no matter how small the blip. AKA you referencing this all as a feat of your intelligence will have the colleges figuring you out in a second.</p>
<p>I didn’t credit it as a feat of intelligence born2dance and to be straightforward you really don’t know what you’re talking about. You truly don’t know at all. You’re speaking to someone who has had the condition for eighteen years, so if anyone is being offensive, it is most certainly you. </p>
<p>“A kid with ADHD bad enough to interfere with their learning would start to slip around 11th or 12th grade with so many advanced classes, no matter how much they try to cover for it with their intelligence.” </p>
<p>Really, is that so? Did you know that I often only get 2 hours a sleep per night because I have to take such massive breaks from my school work? You probably didn’t. You are insinutating that someone with ADHD cannot overcome their mental issue. You are wrong. I’ve worked around it my entire life; my case is not mild in the slightest. I cannot do more than five or six math problems or write two or three sentences of a paper at a time without taking a half hour break.</p>
<p>Whether born2dance94 is correct in what he is saying isn’t important. But I think you should realize that what you are saying could potentially evoke opinions such as the ones expressed (such as born2dance’s). It does seem a little self-righteous, I’m not saying it is, but if you choose to add it to you app, I wouldn’t phrase it such that it comes off poorly.</p>
In that case, unless you seek some sort of help, you will have a very difficult time in college, and face a tremendous challenge in finding a workplace where you will be successful. Give yourself a break, for heaven’s sake.</p>