My child has ADHD and some other issues which qualify for a 504. We do not widely disclose this and are wondering what to do for applying to college? He is top 1% of 500 with a 4.0 and 4.5 unweighted with great EC’s and looking at top tier schools for business major. He has a 32 (35 superscore) and 1430 and plans to test again. He has worked HARD to achieve with issues he deals with. Seems like it should speak to his character and work ethic and every school says it won’t hurt chances but they have to say that. Will disclosing this help, hurt or be a neutral effect?
He’s doing great, so I don’t think it has to be mentioned. I don’t think it will hurt either though, in his case. But your son can discuss with his counselor, and maybe the counselor can mention it in the letter of rec. I personally don’t think he should make a big point of it. He works hard, and his grades and test scores show it.
I don’t see why he needs to take the SAT again. His ACT superscore is great, and the 32 is about the same as the SAT. He would have to improve by a LOT to get close to NMS, and he would have to have made the cutoff when he did the PSAT. At this point, I think you are wasting his time and your money by retaking the SAT.
He could simply allude to it in his essay as a challenge he has overcome.
PSAT was a huge disappointment for him as we were in the middle of trying some new medications for him at the time he took this and it really messed him up for a few weeks. With a high achieving kid it’s never a “good” time to try something new but when he took th PSAT he only scored in 93% because he could barely finish was actually physically ill from what was going on in his brain. This is why I feel like he should get “extra” credit for what he has achieved. Not many other kids getting straight A’s in AP classes have to fr example “absolutely have the right belt that day or can’t leave the house”. He works SO much harder and his thoughts are so much deeper than say my freshman who is also a high achiever academically but with so much less effort and struggle.
It won’t help or hurt IMO. It seems that things are controlled and he is achieving at a high level. If he wants to discuss it in his essay (even briefly) as a challenge he has overcome that is his choice.
With regard to the ACT, note that many schools do not superscore the ACT, so a retake may be helpful if you think he can pull up that composite. With regard to the ADHD, I agree with others who say that it’s probably fine to mention as something he overcame.
It’s his call. As regards the SAT though, if he didn’t make the NMS cutoff, which it seems he didn’t, there really is no point in him taking the SAT again. There are many better ways he could use that time. Colleges do not care at all which score students submit. 1430 is nowhere close to 35 superscored. He is done with testing, IMO, unless he wants to do SAT subject tests for schools that require them. More testing is not going to help him, with the exception I noted.
Your kid may or may not be done with testing. Some schools don’t super-score the ACT. Some will only take the scores from a single sitting. Some will require you to send all scores from all sittings. So it depends on where the kid is applying.
No need to mention ADD. But won’t hurt if you do. If it can be woven into your kid’s essays and stories in a meaningful way, it could be a mild positive.
How many times has he sat the ACT to have the comp of 32 yet SS of 35? That is probably the first question when considering the retake, what accommodations does he get in testing?
ACT superscoring is over emphasised for the amount of schools that actually do it, so look at the comp (with writing if that is what the uni requires) as the actual score.
We did not disclose for my kid with some similar issues. She had very good admissions results. But you also want to pick a school where your kid can be successful – all are supposed to support accomodations, but some are better than others.
For what it is worth, my kid disclosed to one grad school that was interested enough to interview her (she mentioned it in the interview) and did NOT get accepted. It was one of only 2 schools that turned her down. I believe it played a role in her not getting an offer.
That’s not how college admissions works.
It’s not a reward system for students viewed as deserving.
It’s a competitive system determined by the extent to which the admissions committees determine that the student brings something of value to the school.
If a student has dings on their record, such as poor grades for a period followed by improved grades, it may be very important to disclose by way of explaining the reasons for the problems.
But for a high performing student it adds no information that would be particularly helpful to the student.
If the intent is to show that the student worked hard for his grades, then I think that intent is misplaced – it is not as if the other applicants with top grades aren’t working hard. And the place to get across any messages about character and work ethic are in the LOR’s.
Although in an ideal world the disclosure would be neutral, I think that in the case of a high GPA/ high testing student it is potentially harmful. Years ago if a student got accommodations on standardized tests, it was noted with an asterisk on their test score… and advocates for students with disabilities lobbied successfully to have that removed. To voluntarily disclose a 504 plan is essentially adding that asterisk back in. (You are essentially telling the ad com that they can assume that the 32+ ACT score was achieved by a kid who was getting a performance boost from Adderall and half again as much time to complete the test as everyone else – maybe not true in your son’s case, but that is what some admissions reader who has 15 minutes to review a file and make are recommendation may very well assume).
I am not saying that it will hurt, just that it could – maybe 9 times out of 10 it won’t – but why volunteer the information?
As a parent you have every right to be proud, but what to you is a source of pride could be a red flag to an admissions officer. It may well be wrong for the admissions person to look at that way, but at highly selective colleges, it’s easy enough for them to pass on one student and choose another based on gut level considerations.
So I think that you should let your son structure his college applications based on how he sees himself and what he is proud of, but definitely do your homework and find out each college’s policies and practices related to 504 accommodations. Some colleges are a lot more supportive than others --but that is something that can be learned via their respective disabilities offices.
Does he have accommodations for standardized tests? It takes about 6 weeks to get them so that might be something to consider. Extra time for instance. Maybe you’ve done that.
I have a kid with multiple serious chronic health conditions. She did not mention them at all in her essay. She also excelled, despite many absences and challenges, but wanted to be viewed “just like anyone else.” She also didn’t want to form her identity around her medical problems.
The supplementary essay, the one that asks if there is anything else colleges should know about the student, could be a place to mention it- if your son wants to. It can be very short. But it isn’t necessary at all.
It’s wonderful that you honor your son’s efforts. ADHD can be a real obstacle for some, so I am glad your son is doing so well. He has proven his ability to do the work, which is what colleges care about. The fact that he has worked so hard to achieve what others do more easily is admirable, so I understand where you are coming from.
In any case, it is a good option to leave disclosure for after acceptance- unless your son has a strong desire to write about it- but it’s tricky.
After admission, he can visit the disabilities office, where it is necessary to disclose of course.
I do not think a disclosure will get any extra credit. I think it’s more helpful to explain transcript deficiencies or discrepancies.
I have a different take – why act like it is either a deficiency or a plus, and just treat it as you would other bits of information about him? Can he mention it in passing without doing the “look what I’ve overcome” thing? I’m sure you’ve been very supportive, I just think it’s best to not be too preoccupied by the details and just “do you”.
It may be a practical point to include it somewhere, somehow, in applications so as to allow for any accomodations down the road.
The main essay isn’t meant to just explain or describe; it should show the attributes the college wants to see, wrapped in some nice tale. And, the idea is what shows, not just what you tell.
In the Common App, the Addl Info section can be used for a brief mention. But you walk a fine line.
It doesn’t really add, by itself.
That is not required and one has nothing to with the other. For accommodations he will work with the college’s office of disability services, and they will not see his admission file – and no student is under any obligation to disclose a disability. Nor does his admission with disclosure obligate the disability office in any way – they have their own standards and policies.