Im a high school junior and I am dyslexic but I’m also a twice exceptional student, meaning I’m gifted and have a learning disability. I am near the top of my class, valedictorian, and have a good SAT score so I plan on applying to some very competitive schools. I am wondering if I should talk about being dyslexic in one of my essays because it is a big part of who I am and something that I am proud of but I am worried that colleges may see it as a negative. I would love to write about how I have overcome my dyslexia and it taught me to be accepting of everyone and to be hard working. However, my essay won’t be about how I don’t use extra time or any accommodations, like the one example essay I have seen for a competitive college about dyslexia because I have an IEP and use accommodations and I think that they are really important. I am really passionate about the idea that everyone with a learning disability should have access to accommodations and try to encourage other dyslexics in high school to get an IEP. At the same time, I know that being 2e is not well known and I worry that a college would count that as a negative towards me, especially if its a toss up between me and someone else but then I think that it could possibly put me over the edge because I have overcome it. I would love any opinions about whether it would be a negative.
It would be fine to write about it. Just keep it positive – about what you learned, how it impacted you, how it made you who you are today, shaped your views etc. Don’t let it turn into a “poor me” essay.
I definitely think you should talk about that in your essays. And I think that any college that does not see that as an asset, and/or does not understand what 2E is is not a college you want to go to anyway. Have you read the book The Dyslexic Advantage? I suggest reading that, although it sounds like you already understand the flipside of dyslexia. Concepts in the book, combined with your own experience, will make for a really great essay.
Maybe write about how you being dyslexic and using accommodations has spurred you to be an advocate for others?
Because “I have dyslexia and use accommodations and worked hard” is not interesting, but “I used accommodations to level the playing field for me and think everyone else should have the same chance and did something about it” is very interesting.
Agree with bopper, this can either be a very boring topic or a very interesting topic depending on how you write it. I would suggest coming up with a couple of other ideas as well to use as back ups.