My son will be applying to colleges this fall 2019. We live in NJ, mostly applying to OOS schools. Stats, 3.8 Unweighted, SAT 1210, 620 Math, tons of ECs, community service, leadership and paid working experience. He has an eye tracking d/o called convergence insufficiency. It was diagnosed in 3rd grade due to a major reading delay. He was compensating by memorizing words until it was formally diagnosed.He had 2 years of aggressive eye therapy and he is what his doctor called about 85% better/cured. The only problem he still has due to his convergence insufficiency is reading slower than his peers. It takes him longer to read. He does not take honors or AP English due to this. He is a math kid with honors and AP math classes. Is this worth mentioning on the application in special circumstances? Hard to tell because there are so many kids who have true circumstances that should be reported and I don’t want him to ruin his chances by adding this detail. However his top reading SAT 590 which has a lot to do with his slow reading. Thanks!!
1, It is entirely your son’s call if he wants to disclose his disability or not. I don’t think it would help or hurt his chance at any college.
2. Have you tried to get your son extra time on the SAT reading portion?
I wouldn’t mention it unless he has accommodations in place at his school. If it is something that has impacted him since 3rd grade, one would think that his schools would have been made aware.
Edit to add that your title asks if it is worth mentioning vision therapy. The condition is convergence insufficiency and vision therapy is his treatment. So, if you mention anything, it should be convergence insufficiency.
Nope, he didn’t not want extra time and hates discussing it. He’s truly embarrassed by being a slower reader and hated the years he spent in vision therapy and with a reading tutor but as many parents might agree this IS part of who he is and an obstacle he has dealt with. Also, this is why he prefers the SAT vs Act b/c SAT gives you more time to answer questions. Lastly, my son does not view this as a disability but when competing to get into college I see this as something that sets him apart but maybe to his detriment? Thanks !!
It is just my opinion but given what you are saying, I think he should leave it off.
No need to mention it. His stats are good and he is successful. He should feel proud (as should you) that he has worked hard but it’s a private matter unless he wants to share. Honestly with a 590 on verbal that is not a slow or weak reader. I hope you will share that with him. (CC standards are much higher than real world stats)
Of course, it depends on the college targets. But without accommodations in place, it sounds like telling adcoms he may have trouble keeping up with reading requirements.
The usual advice us to let the GC mention how he triumphed over this.
Find the right colleges where he can thrive.