Applying to College - Telling Colleges about Autism

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Hi Everyone

I am just wondering a couple of things about the college admissions process in relation to Autism

a) Should you tell your college when applying to it that you have autism/asperger syndrome?
b) Is it advantageous to write your college essay/personal statement about your autism and how you overcome it to be successful and have lots of friends etc.?
c) Should you tell colleges about autism and how much of an effect does it have on you getting a scholarship?

No. If you tell them at all, do so after you have already been accepted.


No.


No, you should not. It probably hurts your chances.

I did when i applied and was given offers to all 6 universities i applied to. By doing so it meant any requirements i had like mentoring, and extra time in exams etc were pretty much in place when i arrived which was very useful for me.

Also, (but this would of course depend on the college you apply to, especially if its very small) there are likely to be lots of other students whom may have difficulties ie dyslexia, dysphraxia, autism, so it shouldnt affect your application.

Regarding your question about writing it on a personal statement, i didn't personally and wouldn't directly unless you're stuck for what to say. This was mainly because i was taught to keep it fairly short and just wrote about my stengths, skills and experience more on an academic level

On the point of it affecting your scholarship, i'm not sure but doubt if it will. Most universities at least in the UK seem to be very understanding when it come to autism.

gassy, that's fascinating -- that you say most universities in the UK are very understanding concerning autism. Why is that so?

The US universities are becoming more understanding, but I don't think they're wonderful about it. It's like they are just starting to realize that they have autistic students, and they are just beginning to have accomodations for them. I would really be interested to hear why you think the UK is more advanced in this particular area.

Amended- Gassy is correct about UK institutions, they seem much more generous towards AS students. And they will not reject you for being AS, but then UK schools have a much more numbers-driven admissions system than US schools have.

(This can be part of b answer too) I would not mention it unless you are applying for a scholarship based on your disability/Autism only and want to show how you have persevered.

p.s. I know many people here do not consider autism to be a disability (I personally feel every case is different, if your symptoms are mild enough that you can function independently its not & if you are so overwhelmed that you cannot function, it is). But, if your autism qualifies you for a scholarship because as of now at least it is classified at your school &/or in your area (hometown, country, etc.) as a disability, I would think (especially if you really need it to pay for college/probably everyone who goes I'd guess), "Hey, free money if I can show how I persevered with a lifelong condition!"

It depends on the individual, I would imagine. If you know that you will need considerable accomodation in order to do well, then yes, you should mention it. Personally, I've stuck with just asking for minor things along the way -- that the lighting be lowered in one room, or that people not talk all at once, that sort of thing -- without mentioning autism or autistic features at all. That's kind of hard for me. I have to stop myself from over-sharing. I always feel I should explain exactly why I'm sensitive to bright lighting or can't hear when several conversations are going on in the same discussion group.

I'd like to let my fellow TAs know that I sometimes get into misunderstandings over social matters since we're going to be sharing an office, but my daughter advised me that I shouldn't let on that I have social issues, but just tell them that I'm very shy and quiet. She says that's something they will be able to relate to easily and they'll be more comfortable with it. My therapist advised telling them some things like that I sometimes have trouble with non-verbal communication, so if they're upset with me they need to tell me right away not let things simmer. He thinks it should be an interesting experiment for a group of anthropology students. Now, I'm not sure exactly what to say. I don't want to scare them like my daughter thinks I will, but I don't want to create problems by not letting them know what kind of things might be encountered, either, as has happened in the past.

I mentioned it in my application form and I still got a place straight away, probably because I was getting good grades and was in the clever classes. I had to fill in a form with the careers adviser that's a bit like an IEP but for college, and my English teacher had to make suggestions depending on what I was like, she mentioned the fact that I don't put my hand up alot when stuck and just sit there looking confused (kinda true actually ) and the college teachers should be told about that. In the form we put that I shall have a mentor to help with organisation skills because mine are horendous. I had to get 2 copies signed at home by my mum then I had to give one copy to one of the SEN staff (special educational needs) then the other to the careers adivser, I filled in the form in the begining of march but then kept forgetting to give it in until THE VERY LAST DAY, haha no wonder I had to mention my organisation probs.
Even though my teachers are going to know I am never ever ever going to tell the other students, ever, unless I meet a fellow aspie then I wouldn't mind telling them, but no "normal" students will know.

Ironically, I would say the opposite of Orwell's advice.

From MY experience, I found schools to go gaga over the disabled. It looks good for them to have a disabled student graduate from their ranks and go someplace. However, I believe they do it more for their own interest than for yours.

So...

A. If you are trying to get into a school that's tough to get into and you really want to go there, I'd risk playing the "disability" card. I doubt you'd be kept out for that reason alone, but if your grades and scores aren't good enough to go through like any NT person would, having AS might give them an incentive to take you over someone else. Lots of capable students get turned down so the school can favor the "quotas" they are trying to meet, so why not take advantage?

B. Writing about AS in your essay might or might not help. I'd prefer you focus on something unique about you that's very positive. If I was to choose between a man in a wheelchair who moans and groans about his struggles or the man in a wheelchair who did some impressive things but only mentions being in a wheelchair as a footnote in his essay (speaking figuratively here), I'd go with the one who made the overall more positive impression in his essay. So, if you can't put a very positive spin on your life and note your AS as a minor issue, I think you could hurt yourself more than help....especially if your essay comes across as, "Woe is me. I have AS and can only hope to have a nice life. Please let me attend your school."

C. I'm not sure if AS would really hurt your chances at a scholarship. If you are going for a merit-based scholarship, it is irrelevant. Those are based on grades. It's up to the school to help accommodate your needs in attending school, but scholarships don't have to. If you're going for a more "social-based" scholarship (you got it because you are in a particular group of people such as race, religion, disability, etc.) there may be some you can apply to that will only be awarded if you get good grades and happen to have a disability. You gotta decide this on a case-by-case basis.

It was like that at my high school. They were all show off-y about having disabled students and so rubbed it in everyone's faces that there were aspies in the class.

Yes, you should tell them what you have. They cant turn you away for having a disability. Tell the school's disability resource office what you have and how it affects you, and they will make arrangements to accomodate you. At least that's how it is at my school.

I pretty much agree with zer0netgain. There really isn't a down-side to telling them.

Here's why:

1. I went to Stanford, and they turn away about 10 qualified applicants for every one they accept. You have to stand out from crowd. Your story does that.

2. Although triumphing over the hardships of autism/asperger's gets you some points, what really rocks is if you show what you've done for other people (even if it isn't huge), and how your experience motivates you to blah blah and gives you a unique perspective blah blah blah.

3. It certainly doesn't hurt. There are thousands of different scholarship eligibility restrictions, and the financial aid people code all the categories you qualify for, and search for the right fit. .

To clarify my stance: I talked about AS to some of the schools I applied to. No school to which I did not mention AS rejected me, and in fact one Ivy League school regarded me as one of the top 2% of admitted students. The ones to which I talked about AS mostly rejected me, with the exception of a science/engineering oriented school with lower admissions standards and tons of Aspies.

If your in the UK then definitely say you have AS. I don't know if you get preferential admissions but it wont hurt, and you get offered tons of support.

A lot depends on the kind of school you want to go to. You really need a feel for it. If you were aiming for Ivy League quality of schools, I'd say AS would be a negative since they cater to a certain mentality that (in my opinion) looks down on who they deem as "inferior" (not that they'd admit to it).

That's why I pointed out that a school might go gaga over people with disabilities because it makes them look good to have them attending. In truth, they'd probably just as soon as never admit them.

I wouldn't. I said it on my applications and got denied everywhere. I don't think it was the only reason(my early high school GPA was pretty bad) but I think it played a significant part in it. I think it would be smarter to spring it on them after they've accepted you.