<p>Over on the LD Board, we are constantly struggling with the issue of whether or not it is wise for a student to reveal an LD in the college admissions process. It is a complex issue that arouses strong feelings and a lot of anxiety.</p>
<p>By coming to the Parent Board, I am trying to get data from a broader group that will hopefully be willing to actually list colleges where students who revealed LD's were accepted. If you have a child who applied to ABC College, revealing, for example, dyslexia, and was accepted, this information would be enormously helpful and reassuring to high school seniors at this moment struggling with the decision of whether or not to let ABC college know about their LD's.</p>
<p>I understand that the privacy issue is significant here, but even the most skeletal info would be helpful. And non-identifying things, such as whether the student or the GC revealed the info.</p>
<p>Also, if any of the admissions officers on CC are reading this, it would be greatly appreciated if you would weigh in.</p>
<p>To some extent I think it depends on the severity of the LDs and whether you are confident the student will thrive at a school with only those accommodations that he /she would be entitled to pretty easily; versus a student who needs to be accepted into a special support program available to only a limited number of students. It really depends on the students needs and his/her issues. If for example a student only needed extra time or other similar accomodations pretty readily available at all colleges including ivies, I might not disclose until after being accepted. However, if the student needed to be accepted to a school wich was know for its specialized support for students with LDS and that program is the reason you are applying, disclosing would be pretty essential.</p>
<p>The distinction is important. Clearly, if one is applying specifically to participate in a particular LD-related program, revealing would be essential. But I’m talking about the first category of kids. There are LD students doing well at every level of college and university; my question is, did they reveal their LD’s when applying?</p>
<p>If it’s a good story, then why not? If a kid is a strong reader who overcame some form of dyslexia, that’s a selling point. One of my kids wrote her essay about her successful struggles.</p>
<p>Also, for some applicants it would be necessary to disclose LDS to explain a substandard high school record. There is a great book on navigating LDs in college called “Learning Outside the Lines”. It is written by 2 students who each had miserable High school experiences but developed great special talents; they disclosed their entire stories in their applications and were accepted to Brown where they met and decided to write the book.
On the other hand, I know someone who received accommodations in High school, and had a stellar high school record, did not disclose and was accepted to Brown.</p>
<p>I think that a “good” LD story is one with a happy ending - - namely late diagnosis resulted is years of poor performance, but once properly diagnosed and with accommodations the students grades shot up. Otherwise, there would be no basis for believing the applicant could handle college work (absent special talents, a 2.5 gpa w/ accommodations throughout suggests the student might struggle in college).</p>
<p>My theory has always been that revealing makes sense in the kind of scenario foolishpleasure describes, when there is a problem clearly visible to the admissions committee that was then remediated with diagnosis/treatment/etc. But this is all theoretical. What I’m hoping for is concrete info as in: Yes, such a scenario was revealed to GW (or wherever) and the student was accepted. Obviously, this wouldn’t mean that every applicant in a similar situation would be accepted, but it would suggest that revealing to GW (or wherever) is not the kiss of death. </p>
<p>My LD student decided not to reveal. Knowing that others had revealed to the relevant colleges and had been accepted there might have resulted in a different decision. </p>
<p>The information about LD students revealing and being accepted to Brown, for example, may be significant for LD seniors on CC who are stuggling with how to approach their applications to Brown.</p>
<p>Can’t answer this for a couple years, but I think it depends on the LD and if it would impact a traditional course load, etc. Or in even simpler words, if there was any possibiity that my child might not be successful in college you bet I’d insist on revealing so that the college/uni could assist if problems arose. “Getting in” to college is not the culmination, it is only the first baby step on a long four or more year road.</p>
<p>My D does not have LD per se, but she does have neurological issues that make learning difficult. She has not gotten minimal accommodations in school (and only on a very informal level - no IEP or 504). We decided that her medical issues are private and will not disclose them. Then again, her grades and scores (while not CC average) are good enough to get her into some very nice colleges.</p>
<p>Oh and I forgot to add, she refused accommodations in HS completely because “it is social suicide”. Her words, not mine.</p>
<p>The determining factor with the GCs we’ve talked to say that if there is no 504 or IEP (i.e., someone successfully dealing with ADD with medication and the school has nothing to do with any of it), then do not disclose.</p>
<p>One of my sons had informal accommodations for keyboarding and timing through middle school. When he got to HS, the school declined to accommodate, saying he was in a special program and therefore automatically was performing “above average.” Illegal as all get out, esp. since he had been in similar programs in elem and MS and DID get informal accommodations (and we had documentation out the wazoo). However, said S did not want to be different, and so we respected his wish not to pursue things further. It has affected his GPA, probably by .1 - .15 on a 4.0 scale. Discussed in an essay or by the GC? Not a chance.</p>
<p>With the exception of students applying to special LD programs (ie: separate admissions or requires fees beyond standard tuition), none of the 12-15 LD students I know to have applied to college in the past 3 years has revealed that s/he was LD. The 10+ who applied to college via the “regular” route all had solid academic profiles – some had stronger grades than test scorces, other vice versa - - as well as the requisite ECs and leadership experiences. Most applied ED and some, though not all, also had hooks (urm, legacy, etc.), but not one had anything approaching a “special talent,” as cited by eagerdad regarding the successful applicants to Brown. </p>
<p>Each one was admitted a top tier LAC/uni (the ones who did not apply ED were admitted to a least a couple of top schools). In every case, the LD applicant felt that disclosing his/her LD would undermine the application, suggesting that the strong profile was the benefit of accommodation (ie "strong SAT scores b/c of extra time) - - even though (1) extra time as an accommodation is quite common on LAC/uni campuses and (2) timed tests are rare in the real world (ie: beyond college/uni). OTOH timed tests are common for grad school and licensing (GRE, LSAT, MCAT, bar exam, etc.).</p>
<p>This is a small sample - - only 12-15 students from the metro NYC area, many of whom attended private school - - but it may be a useful data point. I’m not sure that tales of kids with exceptional talents being admitted to top schools are helpful since most applicants do not possess an exceptional talent (otherwise it wouldn’t be exceptional).</p>
<p>ps - - all 12-15 had 504 plans, none had IEPs.</p>
<p>I think the issue of whether or not to reveal LD’s is pretty much best left in the hands of the kid…How does he/she feel about LD? etc…</p>
<p>In the case of my D, who had top 1% scores and high grades, she revealed. But, she also sees there are huge advantages to being dysgrapic and dyslexic, in terms of the extra-perception she has, in terms of her compassion for others, in terms of generally being an incredibly hard worker, etc…She surmounted tremendous odds to have the story she has now and she is very proud of that story, as she should be.</p>
<p>Here was her take on it?: “Of course I’m going to write about it in my essay? Do you think I want to go to a school where they don’t WANT a dyslexic? I’d have to be insane.”</p>
<p>Her acceptances at top 25, top 50 and top 100 schools was excellent. In fact, she had handwritten responses on almost all of her acceptances referencing her dyslexia as an asset, which is how she presented it in her essay.</p>
<p>However, some kids seem to be really embarrased about it, or to see it as a “bad thing,” and so, they really ought to do what makes them most at ease.</p>
<p>Son disclosed ADD LD. 504. Never got straight A’s any year in HS. Good SAT’s. Good EC’s. Good track record in a few (summer) college classes. Highest ranked schools applied and accepted to were UCLA, Berkeley, and USC. Just like everything other component of an application, disclosing an LD does not stand alone. My advice to son was: disclose everything. My theory for others who have doubts about disclosure is: if applying to a super reach school where you fall below the accepted profile in one or more areas, then disclose the LD if it explains a GPA or other problem. You probably have nothing to lose and everything to gain. If above the accepted profile, then you will probably get in whether you disclose or not. If right about at the accepted profile: disclose. In this day and age, there are so many kids on college campuses who have been diagnosed that I would guess the stigma of having an LD is not as negative as it may have been in the past. As in the above post, my son felt he did not want to attend a school that didn’t want to accept him for who or what he was. Good thing, too, because he hasn’t changed much (academically) since sending out those applications. Kids with LD’s have good qualities to share: perseverance, diligence, empathy, (hopefully) self-acceptance, practical outlooks, and optimistic attitudes that hard work can overcome problems. Good luck to all LD kids applying this fall.</p>
<p>My kids both had significant chronic illness (not LD). They both wrote about it in their essays and about how it made them stronger people. Both were accepted at schools they happily matriculated at, S with significant merit aid & D as a transfer to the only U she applied to.</p>
<p>After S’s acceptances, I called each of the Us & talked with them about how they work with students who have signficant chronic health conditions that may cause prolonged absences. One said they would have the student withdraw (we scratched that off his list) & the others promised to work closely with the student & indicated that they have had great success with other students with conditions like ours.</p>
<p>Oh I’d say don’t disclose it. My son’s close friend in high school worked his tail off for a very high gpa and extremely high SATs. He was accepted into the honors program at our state U but denied a scholarship while others in the class with lower stats received scholarships. No really knowing what the reason was but he and his parents suspect the problem was that he wrote about his ADD in his essay.</p>
<p>As the mother of a child with ADHD and another LD who did not disclose (but plans to take advantage of her school’s top notch disability services), I see no upside to revealing a learning disability unless it is helpful in explaining a deficit in the application or is fodder for a very unusual and especially compelling essay (and by that I mean something far superior to a “how I overcame my ADHD” essay). It would be lovely to believe that admissions officers can see all sorts of special qualities in learning disabled kids, but I think that’s fantasy; it’s more likely they will see more demands on their already-stressed disability support offices. And colleges want to know that an applicant can be a successful student–I wouldn’t offer any information that might suggest otherwise. Then there is the risk that an application may be placed on the desk of a reader who shares the very common belief that ADHD and other LD’s are over diagnosed as the result of parental efforts give their kids a leg up on standardized tests. That kind of prejudice can operate despite a school’s official position on the subject. Poetgirl’s experience is nice to hear, but given her daughter’s extremely high qualifications, it can’t be generalized.</p>
<p>Yes, and I want to say that is why I said in the beginning that I think it is best for the kid to make that decision. I actually had no opinion one way or the other about her disclosing…Also, I have to admit that her essay was not about her dyslexia, per se…it was just in there as a part of the story…A significant part.</p>
<p>I also have to say that early on she had some really uncooperative teachers in high school, and had difficulty getting her accomodations to the point where it became an actual civil rights issue. So, her feelings about going to a school where she might have to “fight” for her accomodations were really tinted by that experience to the point where she had that opinion.</p>
<p>I in no way advocate one way or the other for kids to disclose or not disclose. I think it is a very personal matter.</p>
<p>Yes, every applicant (not their parents) has to be able to lay their head down on the pillow at night without any regrets. If an applicant discloses but then wonders the rest of his life if that decision resulted in a rejection, then disclosure wasn’t the right decision for them. An acceptance, regardless of disclosure or non-disclosure, usually doesn’t come down to just one component of the application. A strong candidate is a strong candidate but teenagers do not have to be perfect to be admitted to great universities.</p>