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Mild LD and college acceptance

Submitted by an LD OnLine user on

Good afternoon,
First, I wish I had found this site years ago! My daughter is a senior in high school, she was diagnosed with “non-categorical ld” in elementary school. Being from a small town, small school has made being labeled very difficult for her. She has worked very hard, gradually gave up all accommodations and in her sophomore year was signed out of the resource program. This was a huge victory for her, but now that it’s time for college I’m concerned that we may have made the wrong decision. She has worked very hard, her GPA is 3.2, but her ACT’s are low,=19. Any advice regarding college acceptance, applications, etc would be greatly appreciated.

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 10/02/2002 - 11:56 AM

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I do not know what a 19 on the ACT means bcs we take SATs, but there are many schools with very high admit rates, and the 3.2 GPA is good. Some schools take nearly all who apply, and good schools, so there is a spot for your daughter. The more important issue is not getting in, but staying in and having the 4-6 years culminate in a degree.

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 10/02/2002 - 1:53 PM

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You don’t say exactly what your concern is. I’d say that signing out of the resource program likely did not affect her ACT scores if that’s a worry.
Taking the ACT or the SAT has little to do with what we do in school. Some people have a natural skill at those kind of tests and others do not.

There are prep courses she could still take to help her retake the ACT. Those courses in my experience are worth the money. It’s also true that not every college requires the ACT or the SAT. Some colleges will look at her GPA alone. Go to www.fairtest.org to find a list of colleges that don’t require the ACT or the SAT.

If you have concerns about her ability to succeed in college, choose her college carefully. Perhaps keep her close to home and you or find a college which seems very willing to be supportive of students with learning differences. I always advise checking out the K&W Guide To Colleges for Students with Learning Differences as a start. But I also like the idea of going to local colleges - especially in the beginning. One can always transfer out to a different school later if you want.

Good luck.

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 10/02/2002 - 3:30 PM

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Thanks for the references. I did check out fairtest.org. and found a couple of the schools we’re looking at. I had no idea, I always thought ACT/SAT was the most important factor. I am encouraging her to stay closer to home, but she has always wanted to go to college out of state, primarily because it would be a clean start. I’ve been reading alot about self-advocacy, something we’ve been working towards the past year or so. After reading some of the post here I’m feeling much better, and better educated. As I said in my first post, I wish I had found this site a long time ago! Thanks to everyone.

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 10/07/2002 - 7:01 PM

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Can’t believe I read your message. My son sounds exactly like your daugher. Very motivated. GPA 3.35, SAT are 830 , feel free to e-mail me and we can talk
Debbie

Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 11/01/2002 - 4:52 PM

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I’ve been browsing through the LD sites and college info for LD kids. Our son is a senior and has been involved in an ed plan since first grade. He’s a great kid, doing o.k. in school (B’s & C’s), but that’s in his standard level classes. He wants to go to college and he’s very active in track. A lot of schools are looking at him and I’m concerned that he won’t be able to do well in these BIG schools because of the LD. I’ve heard that sometimes sports programs have the ability to by pass the regular requirements to get the kids they want into their school. I’m worried that he’ll be to overwhelmed and flunk out. Any ideas????

Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 11/02/2002 - 3:34 PM

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There are GPA requirements for athletes so if a college wants an athlete they’ll take measures to make it happen. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes not so good. Coaches have been known to make sure students connect wiht the kind of assistance that will help them succeed (and, sigh, they know which courses are easiest to pass). They can also have the attitude that “we’ll get your eligibility years out of you… then too bad.”
THere are lots of advantages to junior colleges (which have athletic scholarships too). Right now we’re looking at a couple of academically-struggling kiddos who will be leaving our jc for another one promising scholarship with more fringe benefits — now, will they learn to read there? That’s another question :(

Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 11/03/2002 - 3:22 AM

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Right on ! You are right… If the administrators want to do something they can. If it is drafting a draft mule to run for 150 yards in a game even if he cannot read at 5th grade level, the better… He can be the coaches “dancing chicken”. So why should us folks with LD be kept out of college due to a stinking GPA ? Any comments ?

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 12/02/2002 - 7:33 PM

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There are many schools that accept student with learnifn differences who have low test scores. It is so common that kids with disabilities don’t test well. I question is what kind of school does she want to attend becuase there are many many options. I do educational consulting for students with learning disabilities and I am always thrilled to see a 19 on an ACT! Free feel to contact me.

Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 12/29/2002 - 3:17 PM

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Many colleges will accept those with mild LD but they will not always make a lot of accomodations for those with mild LD: it can be the proverbial sink or swim.

Some colleges are far more difficult than other colleges to graduate from. Some colleges are very difficult, others are medium, and some are easy.

Good luck.

Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 01/18/2003 - 6:37 PM

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Jill
I have a 16 yr old Jr in HS and he is a “C” (70-76) student. He recently just took his PSAT and scored very low ( as I expected); We anticipate an 875 AT score range. You work w/ kids, are you familiar w/ any colleges in the maine to so carolina areas that would fit his needs. He is LD, but not one person would know that, whether it be a peer, teacher, coach, employer or local resident from working w/ him, speaking to him, He carries himself so well, but he needs extra help and will need special services in college.
Can yoiupoint me in ANY direction to find a 4 yr college for him?

Thanks in advance to all
Al

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