I still need to discuss this with my daughter’s counselor, but I’m wondering what you think. My daughter is in all honors or accelerated classes, including honors French and honors English, and doing well (As and Bs), despite having dyslexia as well as ADD. She is in a very high-performing district if that makes a difference. I’ve been lamenting that she has no hooks, but then started to wonder . . . could her dyslexia be considered a hook? Or, conversely, will it be considered a hindrance by the admissions staff? (I have no doubts that she will succeed wherever she can get enrolled, as she has a comprehensive 504 plan that will follow her anywhere she goes that will enable her to succeed . . . she is a very high-performing dyslexic and can read well, all her problems are with writing, so with minor modifications, she will be fine.) Thoughts?
I would not consider dyslexia a hook. Most kids don’t have hooks so I wouldn’t worry about not having a hook. That being said, I think it speaks to her personality and drive that she has overcome this obstacle and that will help her.
Thank you 123Mom456. Sometimes I feel like everyone else’s kid has a 4.6 GPA, 1600 SAT, and 1,000 hooks :). It’s good to hear she’s not the only one out there without a hook, because she certainly won’t have a 4.6/1600 . . . if her success despite her learning difference can make her eventual college app stand out, I want her to use it.
Could it make a unique essay topic? Yes. Could it show her ability to push through despite challenges? Yes. Is it a hook? No. Good luck.
@stellaluna27 - Not everyone else’s kids have a 4.6 and 1600. Neither or mine did and I am very happy with where they ended up. Your daughter’s strengths will shine through and she will find a school that is a great fit for her.
But if she’s got other things she’s rather write about that may be better. I think it can sometimes be hard for a student to talk about their challenges without sounding a little whiny. She could also mention it briefly in the “is there anything else you want to tell us” part of the application. Or, what I did, was in my parent brag letter to the GC, I reminded her that my son had had a 504 plan in middle school, but had chosen not to use any of the accommodations in high school. Some of his less than stellar grades were due to running out of time, and some short term memory deficits. That way the counselor was able to say something like “Mathson managed to graduate in the top 5% of his class despite having documented LDs which were not accommodated.”
MOST college applicants do NOT have “hooks”.
I agree it’s not a hook but can potentially be used in a positive way, possibly as an essay topic. Your D’s example shows resiliency and determination to overcome obstacles instead of making excuses which we see a lot of on “chance me” threads here. As I’m sure you know, there are a lot of extremely famous, successful dyslexics. My favorite is Richard Branson who has spoken out about the positive aspects of dyslexia. My younger D also has dyslexia. There’s a good subforum here for learning disabilities with useful info including getting accommodations for testing. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/learning-differences-challenges-ld-adhd/
My high stat kid has LDs. The LDs became part of the kid’s “story” and essays since it tied in with a number of significant ECs. We did discuss whether or not that story was the one we really wanted to showcase. The results were very strong, so I guess it worked at most places.
Corinthian Thank you for the link . . . I had not seen that forum before but will now be doing a lot of reading in it :). My daughter will be taking the PSAT in September (she is in 9th grade now) and I’ve been thinking about what accommodations she will need. As you said, there are a lot of famous/successful dyslexics out there, but I have to admit, whenever I hear of one, I do have to wonder how in the world they got through high school with good enough grades to get into a decent college . . . my daughter is twice exceptional but still has a very hard time, particularly with testing and writing, and although her grades are currently OK (3.8) I can’t imagine she will be taking any APs or getting a great SAT/ACT score . . .
“I can’t imagine she will be taking any APs or getting a great SAT/ACT score”
Unfortunately, this may be where any “hook” ends. There are several kids at D20’s school who have dyslexia and still take several APs, including tough ones like calculus and physics. I know of at least one who was a NMF. If there does exist a hook for dyslexia, I’m afraid that kids such as these are the ones who are going to be the ones who benefit over someone who isn’t taking APs.
My dyslexic took ap classes including one everyone tried to disuade him from taking. I agree that sometimes the “story” can be interesting and used in the college app but generally it is just an aspect of their totality.
I think that for dyslexic kids some AP’s will be more manageable than others. My dyslexic D will be a junior next year and will take AP Calculus AB, AP Studio Art, and one more that I’m nervous about which is AP Lang/Comp. Her GC and I steered her away from the history AP’s. @Stellaluna27 regarding test accommodations, look at this thread: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/learning-differences-challenges-ld-adhd/1941808-college-board-accommodations-more-accessible.html. The fact that she already has a 504 should make it easier to get accommodations from the College Board. Also of course there are test optional colleges. I’m impressed that the OP’s D is in honors French because a lot of dyslexic students struggle with foreign languages. That’s been a big stumbling block for my D.
Not a “hook” - but it could be a strong topic for an essay about overcoming challenges, maturing and finding one’s voice. Best of luck!
My S17 is dyslexic and dyscalculic. He wrote about these issues in his supplemental comments section but his primary essay was about his experiences with volunteering and scouting. He has taken 3 AP’s (Psych, APES and US Govt.) and dropped Euro and APUSH. In addition, he took Honors Chem and Bio. He reads well but slowly and his writing is slow, too.
My kid with serious health issues preferred to avoid mentioning them in her essay, which was about something else entirely (ordinary things in childhood). However she wrote a short but poignant paragraph in the supplementary part were they ask if there is anything else they should know about you. The guidance counselor asked us to write a note explaining some course choices including some online work due to illness and he mentioned her accomplishments in spite of them etc. I think the same kind of thing might work for your daughter.
Make sure to apply for test accommodations early- it can take 6 weeks or so.
Here is a list of test-optional colleges or those that deemphasize testing: http://fairtest.org/university/optional
The list is quite amazing.
Don’t assume the 504 plan will follow her. The standard for accommodations is lower at colleges, and professors have more discretion at some places. She would register with the Office for Disabilities, get letters for each professor, take the letters to the professor herself, and explain. There may or may not even be a list of accommodations on the letter. The letter will not divulge the disabilities and the student has to explain unless some staff member jumps in.
Write a letter for whatever professional(s) you deal with with your daughter and list the accommodations you want, then have the professional sign it. And get tuition refund insurance/
There are so many great colleges out there that would love your daughter. Have you looked at the Colleges that Change Live site?
There are schools that are known for being good with dyslexia and other challenges, but it seems as if your daughter may not need one. Still, Landmark has a wonderful summer college prep program for kids about to enter college.
@compmom -
Good suggestions. I have already been in contact with the disabilities office at the college S17 will be attending in the fall. His GC emailed up a copy of his current IEP and most recent triennial testing. The college will review the documentation and reach out.
As for the test accommodations, SAT granted them easily but he was turned down for ACT the first time and scored a 19 composite. I actually called the ACT people and they pulled his file and said that he was denied because his category is “LD.” NYS apparently doesn’t list dyslexia or dyscalculia and ACT doesn’t accept “LD.” Fortunately, I was able to get the school to provide supporting documentation and ACT granted the accommodations the second time around. He got a 24 and then a 27 and then we stopped. I wish I had realized that sooner.
A hook is something that benefits the college in some way – some sort of value added to the college. So a student who has some quality that the college is seeking more of has a hook.
A student may have a compelling story that aids in admissions of overcoming some sort of adversity or hardship – and that may result in favorable consideration of admission – but that is not the same as a hook.
I just want to add something else. You wrote:
Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. Each college sets its own policies, and some colleges do a better job of supporting student needs than others. – so that may be something you want to research in advance about colleges.
Usually to get a 504 plan, there also needs to be recent diagnosis and documentation of the learning difference. Colleges can vary on their policies, but it is very possible that a student who qualified for 504 accommodations based on an assessment completed in 9th grade who receives accommodations all through high school will find that a college requires a new assessment (at the student’s expense).
Let the GC mention the challenge and how well she overcame it.
Let her essay focus on attributes the college likes. Some nice tale can do it. Show, not just tell.
techmom, your response confused me at first, because the original poster’s child was preparing to apply to colleges…my suggestions were for the OP… sounds like things are going well with the college your son is headed to 