I don’t think it’s respectful to brag that you have a neurotypical kid. That’s an accident of birth. Your proposed essay doesn’t distinguish between students who take the medication because they have learning disabilities and those taking it for other reasons, so you’re effectively saying every kid who takes it has an unfair advantage. I don’t that’s respectful at all.
I’m not sure what you mean by your statement that coaching is an “artificial” way to “inflate” test scores. Studying is a perfectly legitimate way to learn, and learning is generally reflected in higher test scores. It seems like you’re saying the test reflects your child’s presumably high level of native intelligence and other students who aren’t as smart only scored well because they studied. If scores can be improved by studying then it’s a test of college preparedness, not natural intelligence.
If I were going to make assumptions about adcoms, it wouldn’t be that they don’t have kids with learning disorders or know anyone who does, and I wouldn’t assume they routinely accept cheaters either. My assumption would be that their goal is to enroll qualified, honest students who will add something to their campus. If I were an adcom and saw a statement like yours I’d have to wonder why you felt the need to point out that you didn’t cheat, and I’d worry what effect that chip you’re carrying would have on other students. No campus needs a kid who is so full of resentment for others’ presumed advantages that they have to note it on their college essay.
Adderall is a problem at D20’s high school. But for her friends who have tried it and don’t need it to help with legitimate ADHD issues, it really hasn’t helped them.
Again, it’s not a topic for a college essay. All it does is make the writer look self-righteous, which is not what you want to convey to someone deciding on whether or not you should be admitted to that college. These essays are meant to let colleges know who you are and how your background and experiences are going to help you impact that particular college. In other words, how are you going to make a difference. Telling them how great you are and how you got to where you are without any help, doesn’t accomplish the purpose.
“I was born great, I don’t need meds or coaching to be this good” is unlikely to impress. No matter how great you were born, you can learn and improve, and should want to. You should not look down on others who work hard to get better, wherever they started.
The comparison that comes to mind is the best player on the 5rd grade soccer team. Once he internalizes the fact that he’s the greatest he stops accepting coaching, and by high school all the other players have passed him up and he can’t get on the select team he wants.
They say a wise man can learn from a fool, but a fool can’t learn from a wise man. Write about someone you learned from unexpectedly if you want to make an impression.
You seem to believe that all the other great kids out there are cheating the system and using illegal drugs and paid tutors to do better than your kid (or you). It is just not true. There are plenty of kids that achieve without taking drugs or doing much if any SAT prep. There is some data that suggests such classes are a waste of money with limited impact on scores. But kids in middle to upper middle class districts have other advantages in decent schools with smaller class sizes and parents who are supportive. There is no way to quantify how much of an advantage one kid gets over another. But schools tend to assume that kids from affluent neighborhoods have a lot more advantages than kids raised in working class or poor families. We all have to recognize the ways we (and our kids) are privileged and not be bitter about those who are more privileged.
My sincere apologies to everyone who felt disrespected by my OP. You have all given me some seriously valuable perspective and I’ve taken it to heart. It was starting to appear to me that Adderall might be allowing some high-achieving kids to “cheat,” and I thought colleges might be taking that into account…anyway, your points have been taken. Some of you could have been nicer, I must say; and it seems that some of you are determined to take the post as applying to ADHD kids when it does not (really! please reread it); but as I said in my OP, I expected to get beaten up for this.
@mom2and No, I don’t think ALL other great kids are cheating the system! Ha, please!! The tone of your post is much stronger than the tone of mine. I think you have to take responsibility for that.
Well, it is hard to taken any other way because you said “prescription” drugs, which implies that the person taking them is under medical supervision. Had you said, “illegal” or “illicit” drugs, perhaps your post would not have sounded as awful as it did.
I think the use of Adderall and other stimulants by non-ADHD students is a legitimate issue. I have heard about “doctor-shopping” to get a prescription and I have also heard from a mental health professional that it enhances focus for non-ADHD people. I wouldn’t support writing a college essay about it, but I’m surprised that so many dismiss the issue. Of course, if you were doing this, you would not share that information with others.
It is well known that Adderall (and the like) abuse is rampant among college students (high school too, perhaps) and young professionals. There have been many studies and articles. It is a very serious problem. It is often combined with addiction to benzos (to come down off of the Adderall and vice versa).
@MomofWildChild If these are high school students, shame on their parents for putting them on amphetamines for the dubious benefit of a little extra focus. These drugs have their place for those who need them, but they are not benign. They are addictive and have potential health consequences. Moreover, what do these parents think these kids are going to do if they get used to a chemical boost so early on? How will they get through college, let alone life?
I don’t think people are dismissing the issue. As I said above, there’s a difference between saying, “Let’s discuss this issue” and saying “Should my child write her college application essays about her lack of ‘privilege’ in not taking attention-enhancing medications?”
These are sold by dealers and kids steal other kids meds (or check the parents’ med cabinets). I’m a little amazed at the naivete here. This is not new news. Students make a lot of money selling these meds. They are easy to get. We have a problem with it even in our workforce.
Who is being naive? Yes, illicit Adderall use is a big problem. But so is the common, uneducated opinion that ADHD isn’t a real thing and that stimulants are dangerous. ADHD is a very debilitating condition, and there is overwhelming scientific support for the benefits of stimulant medications. People who legitimately have ADHD do not have addictive responses to stimulant medications. Further, their life expediencies are extended with the use of stimulants because they are better able to practice self-care and they engage in less risky behavior.
@Trixy34 I don’t think anyone here is saying that ADHD isn’t a real thing, but the stimulants definitely can be dangerous. Now for those diagnosed with ADHD the benefits can outweigh the risks, and each parent and student has to come to that decision individually based on their own experiences and struggles. For an individual with severe ADHD, the stimulants can be a godsend and life changing.
As far as “People who legitimately have ADHD do not have addictive responses to stimulant medications”, I just don’t buy that as a blanket statement. That makes me think of the drug companies that were peddling opiates saying that patients who legitimately have pain won’t become addicted to opiate pain meds. We know now that was a crock.
@elodyCOH, I feel like you are completely ignoring the first few sentences of my OP and focusing on one word, “prescription,” which I agree wasn’t a good choice on my part…it still looks to me like you are trying very hard to find my post “awful.” But for the future, I’ll be more careful with my language. You too, OK?
