Learning Difficulty News: 8 Tips on Getting Ready for College

If you have a learning disability and are thinking of going to college, here are some important tips that might help you realize your dream.

Many teens struggle with learning disabilities to a point that they give up any idea of going to college and may settle for a career that is less than fulfilling, and below their potential. So says the National Center for Learning Disabilities, after compiling statistics on the subject, but it doesn’t have to be this way.

Today, growing numbers of higher learning institutions are helping those with dyslexia, attention deficit disorder (ADD/ADHD) and other learning disabilities to gain admission to and matriculate from college.

Learning disability counselors and college admissions officers are advising learning-disabled students considering college to follow these 8 steps:

1) Start your preparations early

A great many high school officials, parents, and students believe that students who struggle should be transferred to less challenging classes. But if you’re aiming to go to college, stick with college preparatory courses. Choosing the lower-track classes means missing out on skills like high school algebra that are prerequisites for getting into 4-year colleges. Skipping those courses in high school now means wasting time in remedial studies in a community college later on.

2) Let technology give you a hand

Make use of spell-check, software calendar programs, screen readers, dictation software, and the new recording pens to help you retain information and get your homework completed within the allotted time.

3) Be creative

Can’t learn French? Take a course in American Sign Language. Be on the lookout for acceptable alternatives that prove what you can do instead of what you can’t.

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Know Yourself

4) Know yourself and take responsibility

While high schools accommodate students with learning disabilities, colleges don’t provide special help unless students (and not their parents) know just what they need and can request that help in an adult manner. Jane Daigneault coordinator of disability services at Clark University in Worcester, Ma; says that, "Students have to be ready to have an adult conversation about what they need," for instance note-takers or unusual software. If parents have done their job, and allowed their children to experience natural consequences for not taking medication, for instance, during the high school years, their children will be ready to take care of their own needs by the time they reach college.

5) Do careful research on your college options

Be sure the college you’ve chosen fits with your unique learning style. Three books may be helpful with this task: Peterson's Colleges With Programs for Students With Learning Disabilities or Attention Deficit Disorders, Preparing Students With Disabilities for College Success, and The K & W Guide to Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities.

6) Keep up to date with documentation on your learning disability

If you expect accommodations from colleges, you have to have documentation confirming your diagnosis that is no older than one or two years.

7) Don’t use your disability as an excuse for poor grades

Instead, use your application essay to emphasize how you’ve managed to overcome, compensated or utilized your disability.

8) Think about getting some extra assistance

Some colleges offer tutoring to learning-disabled students at no extra cost but most colleges charge hefty fees for this type of extra support. It’s not easy to get a grant or a scholarship to cover those costs, either. In some cases, however, students manage to persuade a state-run vocational rehabilitation office to pay for this type of extra help. Colleges can figure these additional fees into your tuition so that you or your parents can qualify for larger student loans.