College Choise - Learning Disabilities

Other important information

In addition to gathering general college information, as a student with a disability, you can also find out about the following...

* Waivers and substitutions: Are there written policies and procedures for course waivers and substitutions? If so, what kind of documentation is required?
* Course load and graduation time: Is priority registration available for students with disabilities? Is it possible to maintain a reduced course load?
* Student groups: Are there specific groups that are designed to assist students with disabilities to network with other students on campus? Are there student leadership/mentoring programs to help students feel connected with other students on campus?
* Supports services: What support services are available to all students? Does the campus have support services specifically for students with your disability?
* Orientation: Are there orientation sessions designed to address disability specific needs of students before entering college? Are these sessions primarily held during the summer, or at the beginning of each semester for new students?

For students with learning disabilities, consider reviewing the books Peterson’s Colleges with Programs for Students With Learning Disabilities or Attention Deficit Disorders and The K & W Guide to Colleges for the Learning Disabled for additional information on support services and specialized programs.

Ready to Choose

Get equipped

There are many ways to get the information that you need to make this decision. You can:

* Talk with people who know you best and who have graduated from college (e.g., parents, siblings, teachers).
* Meet with your guidance counselor to help you explore options.
* Review college catalogs.
* Research individual college information online.
* Attend college fairs at your high school or in the community.
* Visit the college campuses you are most interested in or take a virtual tour on a college’s Web site if you aren’t able to visit all of your choices.
* Contact the admissions office of the college you are interested in attending.
* Talk to students with disabilities who are currently enrolled at college.

Choosing a College

Before you get started, think about how you would answer the following questions.

1. What are some characteristics on your “wish list” for college? For example, great sports teams, knowledgeable professors or small student-teacher ratios.
2. How can you find out the college options in your state or in other states?
3. What are ways to compare the pros and cons of several college choices?
4. What have other college students shared with you about their experiences of choosing a college?

Things to consider

Choosing a college is an exciting yet big decision! You need to consider what is important to you and take into account your individual goals, preferences, support needs and financial resources. Sometimes too many options can seem overwhelming, but the good thing is there are many good choices available to you. By considering key features, you can increase your likelihood for success.

You need to think about the type of college you want to attend. Do you want to go to a two-year college or a four-year college or university? Are you considering public or private institutions? You also need to think about the campus size, the average number of students in each class, the programs available, where the school is located, what services are available to students with disabilities, admissions requirements, costs and much more. You may not get everything you want in one college, so you will have to prioritize with your parents, guidance counselor and teachers what is most important to you.

Itroduction to College Planning

Recently I received this question from a parent with a child in High School: Where do I even start preparing for college with my child? I've never been to college and everything is so complex...
I will cover the following topics in the coming weeks:

* Choosing a college – Find a good match for you. By considering key features, you can increase your likelihood for success in college.

* Deciding on a major – Learn what steps you can take to choose a major. To do this you need to find a major that will use your strengths, minimize the areas in which you have difficulty and capitalize on the areas about which you are passionate.

* Applying for college – Figure out what you need to do when applying for college. Each college has its own application requirements, form, fees, due dates and acceptance procedures. You’ll learn the process for applying, tips for writing your essay, how to get your recommendation letters and how to keep it all organized.

* Getting financial aid – Investigate your financial aid options so you are prepared to cover college expenses. You’ll learn how to get financial aid, what aid is available for students with disabilities, how to get scholarships and how to budget your money while in college.

* Taking admission tests – Learn about the SAT and ACT and learn how to prepare for these tests. It’s important to understand how eligible students with disabilities can get accommodations on these tests.

* High school “To Do” list – Learn the steps you need to take in high school to get into college. All of these “To Do” items can seem overwhelming, but by having a plan, you will be better able to get it all done.

College Wait List

In making admissions decisions, colleges generally have three options. They can accept a student, deny the student or put the student on a wait list. If a student is placed on a wait list the college is telling the student that they are not admitted but if not enough students who have been accepted decide to attend, then the student on the wait list may be accepted. In the past, the wait list was generally very limited and used for strong students who the college felt were strong students but not quite as strong as those students who were admitted. Recently, however, colleges have been putting more and more students on a wait list thus in effect putting the students in limbo. The colleges have been doing this in large part because the increase in applications has made it more difficult for the colleges to know which of the students they admit will actually attend the college. By having a large wait list, the college has more options available if too many of the students they admit decide not to attend. So what do you do if you are one of the students placed on the wait list for a college you wish to attend?

First, before deciding what to do with the wait list, review the colleges that have accepted you and decide which would be the best choice for you. Even if you decide to have your name put on the wait list there are no guarantees and you need to make sure you have confirmed attendance at one of the colleges that have accepted you.

Second, review your options before deciding on whether to put you name on a wait list. It may be that your best choice is one of the colleges that accepted you. In that case, don’t worry about getting on a wait list. If you decide that you would like to consider the option of attending the college that put you on the wait list, then go ahead and notify the college that you wish to be on the wait list.

Third, if you put your name on the wait list, how do you improve your chances of acceptance? If there have been any improvements in your grades or any new honors be sure to inform the wait list college of this new information. If the wait list college is your first choice college if accepted, let the college know that fact. If a college accepts students off the wait list, they prefer to accept students who are likely to accept their offers. Students will sometimes want to visit the college again to show their interest in attending the college. Usually, this is a waste of time unless the college requests to interview you or has some other reason to come to campus.

What do you do if placed on multiple wait lists? You certainly can put your name on multiple wait lists. The problem with accepting multiple wait lists is the issue of telling a college that they are your first choice if accepted off the wait list. While many students will tell multiple colleges that they are the first choice if accepted, this really is not ethical. It is better to decide what your first choice college is and accept the wait list for that college. If you want to accept another college’s wait list, do so but don’t tell them they are also your first choice if accepted.

The bottom line to wait lists is to accept the reality that most colleges have many more students offered a wait list position than they would ever have the opportunity to accept. For example, last year Amherst College offered wait list spots to 1261 students of which 565 accepted a spot on the wait list. Only 2 of those students were admitted off the wait list. Some colleges have more students accepted off the wait list and some colleges don’t accept any off the wait list. If you want to know about the college you are considering, ask the college how many people were offered a position on the wait list and how many were accepted off last year’s wait list. That should give you some estimate of how competitive the wait list is at that college.

How Many Recommendation Letters to Send?

Every year I have one or two students that want to send lots of recommendation letters with their college applications. The reasoning is that when applying to selective colleges you need to distinguish yourself and what better way than to send recommendation letters from lots of people.

It is true that it is helpful to distinguish yourself. The way to do that, however, is not with the use of a ton of recommendations. In fact, this is the type of move that will get you noticed but in a negative way.
Colleges know what they want from students to make the admissions decisions. Give them what they ask for and do so in a manner that highlights the strongest you.
If a college asks for two teacher recommendations, then most students should give them exactly that: two teacher recommendations.

There are of course exceptions to every rule. If you are involved in a particular activity that would be enhanced by a recommendation from someone who knows your extensive involvement that may be acceptable. But, before sending an additional recommendation like this, ask yourself, what does this letter add to my application that the reader doesn’t already know. If someone is going to say you are a good kid or a hard worker, do you really need that additional recommendation? Probably not.

If you do think another recommendation will help, do not send a recommendation from someone who does not know you well. For instance, a recommendation from your dad’s buddy who went to the college 30 years ago and who will talk about what a great guy your dad is, will not help. It is the rare case where any alumni recommendation will help you in the admissions process.

When deciding whether to send in a recommendation that isn’t requested from the college, keep in mind the old saying in the admissions world: The thicker the file, the thicker the kid. In plain language, a bigger admissions file is not necessarily a good thing.

2010 State of College Admissions

The National Association for College Admission Counseling just release the 2010 edition of the State of College Admissions. This annual report highlights what is happening in the world of admissions.

Although everyone seems to dwell on the most selective colleges where admissions is incredibly difficult, the average acceptance rate for 4 year selective colleges last year was 66.5%. And while most colleges (65%) did have increases in the number of applications last year, 29% of the colleges reported decreases in the number of applications.

One area where growth continues is in the number of students that submit 7 or more applications. Almost 25% of student fell into this category. Another area of growth is the 26% of colleges that accepted a greater number of early decision and early action applicants.

Another finding of the report that students need to be aware of is that 20% of colleges now place considerable importance on demonstrated interest when making admissions decisions. 76% of colleges said that demonstrated interest played at least some role in admissions decisions.

Next week I will talk some more about the factors colleges are looking at in deciding who to admit.