In my previous piece, I discussed what helps to get into a college comprehensive support program as they are harder to get into than some realize. A common reason for a student to be rejected is that the admission team believed the student hadn’t taken on enough academic and personal challenges to prove they had what it takes to overcome their Learning Disability and be successful. This is rather discouraging for many students as the choices they made were strongly influenced by the recommendations of their IEP Teams. Personally, this would have been me without my parents’ knowledge of what college admissions teams and their comprehensive support programs wanted to see on the students’ applications. So now I will continue to offer advice based on my personal experiences to help you have the best chance to be accepted into these schools and programs.
First, making the decision to be a three-season runner helped me get into a program as it showed how determined and driven I was. I wrote about this in my essay as a rather difficult experience at first but then how it turned into a positive one due to my coach’s remarkable support and being able to make friends. The admissions team was truly impressed by this as it made clear I accepted support and help whenever it was needed and that I knew how to work with others. When you’re in a specialized support program you are expected to work as a group in many situations. So while it may seem hard please consider joining school or town sports teams as this will add to your application. Remember there are many other hard-working students also applying so showing determination and commitment outside of the classroom only helps your case.
Next is to continue taking academic courses through graduation and having them be the most challenging courses you can handle. The colleges and the programs understand at times taking a lower-level course may be necessary but they still want you to challenge yourself. For instance,e I had to take the lowest level of math and Applied Chemistry given the nature of my NVLD. This being said I had previously taken both regular Biology and Earth Science and still took four years of math along with always being in the regular level English and History. Therefore, for a good amount of colleges and their programs, my academic program matched what they were looking for even though my test scores were on the low end. We learned how important this is by attending the schools and programs’ open houses and then being accepted into Dean and their ARCH Program. Yes, all of this seems hard but I do believe it will lead to acceptance to colleges and their programs that fit you.
Next, be part of a school activity(s) whether it is community service related or an area of your interest such as music. Understand though it doesn’t have to be a lot as admissions counselors do understand certain activities such as student government you have to be elected to join. However, still showing commitment throughout high school in a couple of activities goes a long way in supporting your application as it shows the admission teams you accepted the social challenges that often come with your disability but also found ways to be connected. I learned this by being in the ARCH Program and my friends who were also in comprehensive support shared the same experience.
Overall while these recommendations can seem challenging I truly believe they will lead to you being accepted to a college and a comprehensive support program that fits your needs. Doing what I am recommending will show them you know how to overcome all components of your disability. This being said, I understand that some resource room teachers and school counselors may disagree with me. Our district’s IEP team members were huge believers in having students like myself take all of the lowest-level courses and rarely encouraged inclusion outside of the classroom. However, through having close friends in the ARCH program and having many opportunities to talk to others who were also in comprehensive support programs I truly believe it’s true that making decisions like these will greatly benefit you in the long run. Yes, I realize having these experiences doesn’t guarantee acceptance to every program and school you may apply to just like a top student applying to an Ivy League college there are a lot of deserving candidates for a limited number of spots. Therefore, I sincerely hope those who read this trust my advice as from what I have observed and read over the years it’s what admissions teams love to see.
Eileen
Eileen is a Project Social Ambassador and blogger for The NVLD Project. She loves helping others understand they can achieve their goals and dreams through hard work and dedication.
