To reveal or not to reveal LD's

Parents Forum
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<p>I disclosed dyscalculia and ADHD and was admitted to Umich. I don’t know if I really needed to or not, it explained my crappy high school record but as a transfer I don’t know if it mattered much to begin with. A lot of people on CC have told me my GPA was too low and I only got in because of the dyscalculia. The average LSA transfer student has a 3.6, I had a 3.5-- you decide what you think for yourself. The dyscalc made for a good essay though because my story was published in a British science magazine and I was invited to speak at the Detroit Area Council for Teachers of Mathematics annual convention. That was why I mentioned it. I also got a 2.9 in stats that was completely inconsistent with the rest of my grades, and I had dropped algebra and had to retake it, and I wanted them to understand that my LD is an extremely isolated difficulty in my studies and that by completing stats I had already completed the math requirement for my intended major and that no more math would be required of me once I arrived. And frankly, my lifelong struggle with dyscalculia was such a major part of my academic development that I’d never considered not mentioning it. The ADD has never been more than a nuisance for me so I have never bothered to mention it.</p>

<p>When I applied to colleges out of high school I had not been diagnosed with dyscalculia yet, and as I said I never bothered to even acknowledge the ADD. I only graduated high school with a 2.8, having failed math every year, so my college application process was pretty low-key then. I just went to a community college before coming to umich. So that’s the backstory in case anyone objects to the relevancy of a transfer student.</p>

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<p>My child has a class called “learning skills” on the transcript, so the presence of a LD will be inferred whether revealed explicitly or not.</p>

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<p>Well, don’t worry about it. :slight_smile: I really don’t think colleges are out there trying to keep the LD kids out of school. Truly. There are a myriad of schools which work with these kids and do a really great job.</p>

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<p>I think many young people might feel this way. I certainly know my son (dyslexia) considers his slow reading a nuisance more than anything. As in Twisted’s case, the LD can sometimes explain why one student might be weaker in one area than another and help give context to a basic application. Again, LDs are so broadly applied to so many things these days I think each case is individual. Ability for the college bound student to be successful wherever planted should be the primary concern. I, too, don’t believe colleges are out there trying to keep the LD kids out of school.</p>