A Note for Rising Seniors

College is a huge step forward in your journey to independence. The accommodations and IEPs you relied upon in high school are about to disappear. Now is the time to stand up for yourself and think more broadly—not just about your college choices but about the kinds of support services your chosen schools provide.

Here are some things to keep in mind as you prepare for college:

• Learning differences are not uncommon. According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities, one in five students has a unique learning profile. Colleges cannot survive without these students. 
• Your college application and drop form will have an ‘additional information’ section. Some students use it to describe their learning profile and the accommodations they need. (Keep in mind that this is only the beginning, you’ll have to meet directly with your school’s student support services office and with your professors.)
• Disclosing your unique learning profile gives you a chance to highlight your strengths as they relate to your learning profile and tell your own story in a way that distinguishes you. (Think: resilience and overcoming adversity.)
• Do an online search for student support services at the schools on your list. If nothing comes up, there might be a problem. While colleges and universities are legally required to provide support services and accommodations to those who are eligible for them, those services are not always easy to find. In fact, 45% of parents whose children seek college accommodations say it is difficult to find information about disability services in college. 
• College Admissions departments don’t always know the specific accommodations available at their school or how to access them. We do.
• Bigger schools can be overwhelmed by the number of students requesting services. Because Focus Collegiate has relationships with these departments, we can make life a lot easier for our students.
• Visit the student support services offices during your college tours. Ask lots of questions. 
• View your college visits as a way to interview the school to see if you can get what you want and need there.

Just because you may have a learning profile that is not fully supported by a specific institution, doesn’t mean you can’t go there. Your ‘reach’ college is more of a reality with Focus Collegiate support.

Success at college is about more than just getting in. Contact us for more support.

Photo by Haley Rivera on Unsplash

[1] https://www.ncld.org/research/state-of-learning-disabilities

[2] https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/views/2020/11/02/students-learning-differences-can-get-college-opinion