Did your kid write about/refer to their disability/SN in their college essay?

[Anonymous]

Just wondering because a family member, who helps people with their essays as part of her profession, said that it’s off limits and would really risk a rejection from the school. Just wondering about real-world experiences. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

My DD has several LD and while we aren't at the college application stage, she feels strongly that those don't define her and she won't be writing about them. That said, I believe she has overcome so much and learned so much because of them, that I feel like it's a lost opportunity.

Not sure who is right.

[Anonymous]

My son used his experiences in his essay. It did not seem to keep him from receiving acceptances. He was rejected from the two crap shoot schools, and accepted everywhere else, including UMD-CP Honors.

[Anonymous]

I worked in college admissions for a few years at a top SLAC. I would say that writing about disability can be done well, in the same way that writing about disadvantages in general can be done well. But, it certainly can be done poorly and in a manner that undermines your admissions chances. I think it depends on the disability, the types of supports you need, how well the disability is managed and how likely it is to be an issue at school and whether the school has the appropriate supports. It’s so much easier to write a good compelling issue about a learning disorder like dyslexia or about adhd than it is to write a good essay about major mental health issues, severe eating disorders, major behavioral issues, etc. Especially if the disability is likely yo be triggered or poorly managed in a new and unfamiliar environment. And I’d also say that if the school has inadequate disability supports for your kid, that’s probably an indicator that a disability related topic could work against you at that school.

[Anonymous]

Don't a lot of the college-bound SN kids do this. I have these quirks, challenges I faced in school, personal struggles, persevered, proud of myself, ready for next challenge, feel confident about my future, etc. etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I worked in college admissions for a few years at a top SLAC. I would say that writing about disability can be done well, in the same way that writing about disadvantages in general can be done well. But, it certainly can be done poorly and in a manner that undermines your admissions chances. I think it depends on the disability, the types of supports you need, how well the disability is managed and how likely it is to be an issue at school and whether the school has the appropriate supports. It’s so much easier to write a good compelling issue about a learning disorder like dyslexia or about adhd than it is to write a good essay about major mental health issues, severe eating disorders, major behavioral issues, etc. Especially if the disability is likely yo be triggered or poorly managed in a new and unfamiliar environment. And I’d also say that if the school has inadequate disability supports for your kid, that’s probably an indicator that a disability related topic could work against you at that school.

Thank you. Her main issue is dyspraxia/motor planning. It impacts all areas of her life, and I don’t necessarily think she’ll require a ton of support beyond an understanding of her particular struggles and how they might manifest.

[Anonymous]

PP again. Also context matters - it’s usually good (barring previous caveats about type of disability matters) to discuss disability to explain low performance, especially if you’ve figured out how to navigate/manage your disability and succeed academically. It can also be compelling to talk about learning how to succeed in your personal life (such as the experience of an autistic kid learning how masking has impacted them). But in general, disability related essays come off better in the context of good enough grades, good enough extracurriculars, or having a story of having learned how to navigate the world with your disability. But really, there are a lot of ways such an essay can go wrong, so if the story doesn’t have a neatly wrapped up ending, or have an overall positive trajectory, I would avoid it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I worked in college admissions for a few years at a top SLAC. I would say that writing about disability can be done well, in the same way that writing about disadvantages in general can be done well. But, it certainly can be done poorly and in a manner that undermines your admissions chances. I think it depends on the disability, the types of supports you need, how well the disability is managed and how likely it is to be an issue at school and whether the school has the appropriate supports. It’s so much easier to write a good compelling issue about a learning disorder like dyslexia or about adhd than it is to write a good essay about major mental health issues, severe eating disorders, major behavioral issues, etc. Especially if the disability is likely yo be triggered or poorly managed in a new and unfamiliar environment. And I’d also say that if the school has inadequate disability supports for your kid, that’s probably an indicator that a disability related topic could work against you at that school.

Thank you. Her main issue is dyspraxia/motor planning. It impacts all areas of her life, and I don’t necessarily think she’ll require a ton of support beyond an understanding of her particular struggles and how they might manifest.

I think physical disabilities, especially relatively minor ones, are the easiest to write about successfully. They don’t implicate academic ability, and minor ones can be relatively easy to accommodate on campus. I wouldn’t hesitate to write about. Just be sure to discuss in a positive manner.

[Anonymous]

It’s a shame colleges will discriminate against these kids.

[Anonymous]

Yes mine wrote about his ASD and ADHD diagnosis and everything he’s had to do to overcome challenges. BUT he’s not applying to competitive schools and is focused on schools that have autism support programs.

[Anonymous]

My DC wrote about dyslexia. DC was diagnosed in high school and it explained significant GPA increase. Mostly it was about how he adjusted to the news and adopted his study style. Accepted in his reach school.

[Anonymous]

The advice I got for my kid with mental health struggles is make the big essay about a passion, an experience, an interest - something positive that you are excited about and helps the college get to know something unique about you.

You do need to address the mental health issue but you can do it in the "what else do you want to tell us" essay or the "why I transferred schools" essay. And the content should be: I struggled, I got treatment and am now thriving with these things in place/or I learned more about what I need to be healthy. So showing that the issue has been addressed and that the kid is now ready for college.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely not. At least not for the top 50 schools.

[Anonymous]

I would never advise this.

[Anonymous]

My son was born with a very rare physical disability that severely affected one of his legs. Despite that he became a very good athlete and competed in two varsity HS sports. When we started talking about essays I suggested he write about how he had overcome his disability but he said no because he didn’t consider himself to be disabled, just different. That just reminded me of why he had done so well.