Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband was born with a really challenging physical disability. Since he’s had it since birth it’s just part of him and he definitely doesn’t think of himself as being disabled but by any definition he is. His life story is pretty impressive but he downplays it as I’m sure many others with disabilities do. I remember my husband once telling me that he just plays the hand he was dealt.

That's the thing here. Both my kids have disabilities that could be essay topics. Kid #1 didn't even think to write about them, I bet Kid #2 (whose disabilities are more significant) won't either. I think this is because this life is just their normal, this is how they grew up. They have had to work a LOT harder than other kids, but they don't go around thinking about their challenges or what they have overcome. They have just accepted it. This makes them really grounded and awesome people, but it doesn't make for a good essay.

Everyone is welcome to write about whatever is meaningful to them, but it strikes me as somewhat ironic that some of those who have overcome the most won't write about this stuff.

I’m the PP who previously worked in college admissions. Kids write college essays about the things going on in their lives. Writing about their experience as a disabled person doesn’t mean they haven’t “overcome” their disability. It doesn’t mean that they’re unreasonably or unnecessarily harping on something hard in their life. It doesn’t mean they’re whining about the lot they’ve been handed.

An individual’s experience navigating the world as a disabled person absolutely can make a great college essay. Not only can it let the admissions officer learn about them as an individual, how they choose to write about their disability can transmit a lot about who they are as a person and how they will show up on campus. It can demonstrate grit, determination, and strength in character that puts them heads and shoulders above peers who haven’t yet experienced how difficult life can be. It can be a far more compelling essay than the experience of the rich kid who has been so cloistered their entire lives that going on vacation to someplace like Costa Rica makes them realize that poverty, even relatively speaking, exists, and because of this newfound knowledge of poverty, they now take an annual trip to Costa Rica to volunteer at an orphanage there. (I am not exaggerating when I say this was a common college essay topic I saw at my top-25 SLAC.)

Your kids aren’t demonstrating some sort of profound relationship with their disability because they chose to write about something else going on in their lives.

From my perspective, very few topics are off limit, but some topics are higher risk because they absolutely have to be done well to be successful. You have to be a strong writer, have a good narrative arc, have a clear piece of information about you that you’re trying to share with with the admissions committee and you have to make that point very clearly, even if you’re not making the point explicitly. You have to use examples that demonstrate the point you’re tying to make because it’s not enough to just say the point and have the reader believe it. But if well executed, the riskier topic is often the better way to go. Low risk topics are risky in a different way. They’re usually bland and leave you indistinguishable from the next applicant. So maybe your kids have missed/will miss a great opportunity by not writing about their disability in their essays…

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband was born with a really challenging physical disability. Since he’s had it since birth it’s just part of him and he definitely doesn’t think of himself as being disabled but by any definition he is. His life story is pretty impressive but he downplays it as I’m sure many others with disabilities do. I remember my husband once telling me that he just plays the hand he was dealt.

That's the thing here. Both my kids have disabilities that could be essay topics. Kid #1 didn't even think to write about them, I bet Kid #2 (whose disabilities are more significant) won't either. I think this is because this life is just their normal, this is how they grew up. They have had to work a LOT harder than other kids, but they don't go around thinking about their challenges or what they have overcome. They have just accepted it. This makes them really grounded and awesome people, but it doesn't make for a good essay.

Everyone is welcome to write about whatever is meaningful to them, but it strikes me as somewhat ironic that some of those who have overcome the most won't write about this stuff.

Unfortunately my kid’s disabilities impact him a in a way that he has to think about it EVERY day and there is no going about life as “normal”. He chose to write about it because it defines so much of who he is and what he’s had to overcome to even be able to go to college.

So yeah if your kid worked hard and is aiming for top 50 colleges then it’s a totally different situation than someone who we weren’t even sure if college was in the cards and is not applying to overly competitive colleges.

Anonymous wrote:My husband was born with a really challenging physical disability. Since he’s had it since birth it’s just part of him and he definitely doesn’t think of himself as being disabled but by any definition he is. His life story is pretty impressive but he downplays it as I’m sure many others with disabilities do. I remember my husband once telling me that he just plays the hand he was dealt.

That's the thing here. Both my kids have disabilities that could be essay topics. Kid #1 didn't even think to write about them, I bet Kid #2 (whose disabilities are more significant) won't either. I think this is because this life is just their normal, this is how they grew up. They have had to work a LOT harder than other kids, but they don't go around thinking about their challenges or what they have overcome. They have just accepted it. This makes them really grounded and awesome people, but it doesn't make for a good essay.

Everyone is welcome to write about whatever is meaningful to them, but it strikes me as somewhat ironic that some of those who have overcome the most won't write about this stuff.

My DS was advised to write about it in the Other Information section to explain pre-diagnosis grades.

thanks to the person who talked about dyslexia. my child is doing very well in a STEM high school except english and honors math. I suspect that after this one year (9th grade) his grades will improve as he learns how to adjust his learning style to public high school and stem demands after being at a SN middle school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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 honestly cannot understand why anyone would think it was a good idea to write about basically being very, very clumsy unless it was something more philosophical or funny and self-depracating. I say this as the mom of a kid with significant dyspraxia.

Dyspraxia impacted her greatly and when it was time to start the essay, it was what she wanted to share - but the essay wasn’t *about* her disability (it really is a disability for my DD) - it was only mentioned as something that impacted her and that she pushed through (her list of extracurriculars will hopefully demonstrate that).

We have only sent applications to two schools so far, and there are several due on 11/15 - should she change the essay? She is applying to schools with at least a 75% acceptance rate. UMBC is her reach.

Dyspraxia is a part of who she is, and always will be, but I don’t want to hurt her chances.

Admissions essays are about selling yourself, not disclosing everything.

OP here. The purpose was not to disclose everything. Of course not.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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 honestly cannot understand why anyone would think it was a good idea to write about basically being very, very clumsy unless it was something more philosophical or funny and self-depracating. I say this as the mom of a kid with significant dyspraxia.

Dyspraxia impacted her greatly and when it was time to start the essay, it was what she wanted to share - but the essay wasn’t *about* her disability (it really is a disability for my DD) - it was only mentioned as something that impacted her and that she pushed through (her list of extracurriculars will hopefully demonstrate that).

We have only sent applications to two schools so far, and there are several due on 11/15 - should she change the essay? She is applying to schools with at least a 75% acceptance rate. UMBC is her reach.

Dyspraxia is a part of who she is, and always will be, but I don’t want to hurt her chances.

Admissions essays are about selling yourself, not disclosing everything.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely not. At least not for the top 50 schools.

OP here. We are nowhere near that. Looking at schools like Towson.

DS is at Towson. He was going to write about his ADHD diagnosis (which he has had forever), but it ended up being a rather boring essay that 10000 kids could have written, so I encouraged him to pick another topic that was more unique to him (he wrote the original as an English assignment.) Could he have gotten into Towson with his original essay? Of course - but he used that same essay for his reaches (got into one and not the other.) Who knows if the more unique essay is the one that got him into his reach...but write the essay aimed at the most difficult acceptance.

Anonymous wrote:OP again - the dyspraxia was referred to as something she used to hide, and the impact of finally sharing it with people, and her path to self-acceptance. Maybe it sounds cheesy, but so did the topic of the essay she selected from the list.

I’m the PP who worked in college admissions and this sounds like a great essay. I wouldn’t change it.

OP again - the dyspraxia was referred to as something she used to hide, and the impact of finally sharing it with people, and her path to self-acceptance. Maybe it sounds cheesy, but so did the topic of the essay she selected from the list.

Anonymous wrote:

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 honestly cannot understand why anyone would think it was a good idea to write about basically being very, very clumsy unless it was something more philosophical or funny and self-depracating. I say this as the mom of a kid with significant dyspraxia.

Dyspraxia impacted her greatly and when it was time to start the essay, it was what she wanted to share - but the essay wasn’t *about* her disability (it really is a disability for my DD) - it was only mentioned as something that impacted her and that she pushed through (her list of extracurriculars will hopefully demonstrate that).

We have only sent applications to two schools so far, and there are several due on 11/15 - should she change the essay? She is applying to schools with at least a 75% acceptance rate. UMBC is her reach.

Dyspraxia is a part of who she is, and always will be, but I don’t want to hurt her chances.

My kid's application made it clear that she has type 1 diabetes, a disability -- would never try to hide that, and probably couldn't if she tried. It's too much a part of her. Didn't write about ADHD but discussed it openly in admission conversations/interviews. Wasn't going for top schools, more like schools with a 30% (lowest) to 75)% (highest) acceptance range.

Her rationale was that she might as well be upfront about who she is since it's the truth. If they discriminate, okay, F them, it clearly wouldn't be a good fit anyway. But it didn't hurt her. The schools were great.

My husband was born with a really challenging physical disability. Since he’s had it since birth it’s just part of him and he definitely doesn’t think of himself as being disabled but by any definition he is. His life story is pretty impressive but he downplays it as I’m sure many others with disabilities do. I remember my husband once telling me that he just plays the hand he was dealt.

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 honestly cannot understand why anyone would think it was a good idea to write about basically being very, very clumsy unless it was something more philosophical or funny and self-depracating. I say this as the mom of a kid with significant dyspraxia.

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely not. At least not for the top 50 schools.

OP here. We are nowhere near that. Looking at schools like Towson.