<p>DS grades have been up and down due to medication issues with his ADHD meds. We have been keeping this out of the applications. Do colleges look upon children with ADHD as a liability? Would it even be worthwhile to mention the issues with grades or does it just look like an excuse?</p>
<p>I asked this question earlier RE a new diagnosis and the answers that I got were almost to the number do not mention it unless you have a clear before and after grade improvement with the meds. I don’t know for sure, but in the end we decided to say nothing although it is possible that his counselor may have added a note.</p>
<p>No, it will not help him, if anything it will hurt him. Colleges want to accept kids that prove they can handle themselves, not excuses. </p>
<p>OP - I agree that disclosure is best avoided altogether, but probably makes the most sense if there is a “before” and “after.” Btw, did medication trials unexpectedly result in falling grades? Sometimes the “after” is the removal of a medication that has not had the expected result. These medications need to be monitored because sometimes they can come with nasty side effects or have the opposite result to what is intended.</p>
<p>If so, you might want to discuss this with the GC, who could explain this as a medication issue that is not likely to be repeated. (There is a difference between an explanation and an excuse.) </p>
<p>Or, you could discuss this with an ADHD specialist who has likely seen this type of thing before. If it is likely that an adcom will conclude from seeing the transcript that your S does not have the ability or motivation to succeed in college courses, then an explanation backed up by one or more professionals might be in order. This would obviously be far less of an issue at a school that would be a safety with the transcript “as is”, but other schools might be much better fits for your S once the ADHD is addressed.</p>
<p>My D got Cs in AP Bio the year she started taking ADHD meds. She also experienced the death of two grandparents and a teen friend that year. We allowed her GC to mention these issues as a way of explaining the Cs. She’s got a 3.78 uw GPA and a 32 ACT. She focused her applications on LACs that offer good merit aid for her stats because we won’t qualify for FA. So far, two admissions with very generous merit scholarships.</p>