Hi! So my parents and many of my teachers have speculated that something is different about me, so my parents and I were wondering if it would hurt to have an official diagnosis to show to the colleges. Like, it probably looks like my grades and such are from a slacker and not someone who’s having difficulties, so an explanation could make some sense of it, but would it hurt my chances of getting in?
Most students get a diagnosis so they can get treatment and/or accommodations. Which is what you should do. If you are late in your HS career, it won’t make colleges more likely to accept you to tell them. You may or may not be able to get needed accommodations once you get to college – lots of colleges want to know that you have had the accommodations in the past, and at least partially use that info to decide what to grant in college. But they have no way of knowing with a new diagnosis whether your performance will improve – so they aren’t going to admit you with the assumption that it will. But for your own sake and to maybe start getting academic traction while in college, you should still get checked out.
I would keep it quiet. In my experience it hurt my chances more than it helped. It’s just better to leave it unexplained because if you get a low grade in something and you try to justify it by disability it would seem like you’re racking up an excuse. In my experience bringing it up did more bad than good. If I could go back I would of kept the information confidential unless they asked about it.
I would recommend writing it in your essay and using it to explain a learning experience or a symbol of personal growth.
Thank you intparent and dizzlebrain!!
You can get a diagnosis (if indeed there is one), but you don’t need to tell colleges when applying.
Update: I recently sought help after many years of struggling with school. Turns out that I actually do have a condition! Now that I’ve begun treatment, I feel like a new person! I wish I had gotten help sooner!
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