Diagnosed with ADHD; should I mention it?

slightlyst00pid · 07-30-2009, 09:48 PM

I was diagnosed this summer with ADHD, and I feel that it has had a huge impact on my life and where I am now. It finally makes sense to me why I put twice the effort my friends put in and still came up short. My GPA is exactly the average (mean) early from my top choice, although my SAT falls short from the average. I'm going to become a senior in the fall.
Do you all think this is a good topic to use in my college essay? I'm worried, though, that the university I want to apply to (JHU) doesn't have any support for students with disabilities because of its position as a top tier school. I'm also afraid that they might think I can't succeed at their university because of my disorder. What do you all think?

college316 · 07-30-2009, 10:32 PM

Well it is a risk that's for sure.
I've seen various situations of this type...
Person A was dyslexic and was not diagnosed until her sophomore year of high school. She wrote about how she overcame the challenges, grew as a person, etc.
Person B was anorexic and was still in the hospital at the time of her essays. She wrote about being anorexic.

Person A got into her top choice. Person B did not. This is not a judgment about the merits or faults of these conditions but I'm merely saying that it's all about the way you present it. You don't want to make adcoms worried about accepting you--after all, they're taking a gamble on whether you will succeed or not. BUT if you show how it made you a stronger person, more focused, etc. then they will see someone who has met challenges with dignity and grace.