learning disability..how do you disclose it in your apps?

bessie
Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:14:05 +0000

I fully support disclosure. Many applicants who have LD’s have an interesting story to tell about how it affected their life so the essay can be an appropriate place to mention it. Also, a lot of college applications have a sections that says something like, "Is there anything else you would like us to know?’ This is also an appropriate place to mention the LD. I think disclosing his LD actually HELPED my child get accepted to some schools. It explained a lot about his gpa/SAT differential and why he did not take zero period every year or take the absolute most rigorous schedule available. It also probably explained why he was so creative and artistic and why he spent some of his time the way he did. Of course, he took a few college classes (one to fulfill a HS requirement, the other two to see how he would do in the university setting) and did quite well, so that probably helped. He wrote his main essay about how his brain worked and why he would be a good fit at the school he was applying to and also disclosed the LD in the additional comments section. At SOME schools, though they would probably not admit it, disclosing may well be to an applicant’s advantage because the application is routed through the student disability office, where people who are familiar with disabilities read the application and offer their input. Of course, it can only be an advantage when you are competitive, or close to being competitive, for admissions at the school you are applying to. At any rate, there came a time during the application process when my son simply decided to let the schools see him as he truly was and to let the chips fall where they may. And it turned out that, although his gpa was slightly lower than the average admitted student, he was admitted into every school he applied to (including three reaches). I think many families are wary of how their kids will be looked at, because any family with an LD member in it has seen that family member discriminated against or unfairly labeled because of the LD behavior so I understand why some would prefer NOT to disclose. Good luck with your applications next fall.