OK to mention dyslexia or ADHD?

[BunnyMeadows]

Have any of you ever mentioned personal challenges such as dyslexia or ADHD in an SOP?

 

Is it too risky, or would an adcom view the applicant simply as someone who requires extra resources?

 

I really appreciate your thoughts.

[esp.msw]

From what I've read in other posts (directly from those who were part of admissions committees), it's okay if you mention it so long as you don't focus entirely on it and also mention what steps you have taken to ensure it does not hinder your ability to do well in the program (ie specific studying techniques, support system, etc.). I think if worded well, it could definitely give you an advantage as a diverse applicant who has overcome barriers. Good luck! 

 

here is the link for the posts, on the the 2nd page

 

[BunnyMeadows]

Thank you!

[bsharpe269]

There are many different opinions on this... For what its worth, I have pretty bad ADHD which resulted in poor undergrad grades. I did not mention the ADHD in my SOP and actually didn't even mention the undergrad grades at all. Instead of writing about how my grades are not reflective of my abilities, I showed this through terrific GRE scores, LORs, and experience. I am in a different field but this method worked very well for me. I don't think mentioning these things will add much and I think it could potenitally raise worries about issues in the future. Instead, I would focus your SOP on why you love your subfield and your goals. Just my opinion... Good luck!

[MermaidturnedMSW]

I also had mental issues that affected my performance in school but opted to leave them out and focus on my drive for social work and what I wanted to accomplish.

[Econ_Friendly]

Have any of you ever mentioned personal challenges such as dyslexia or ADHD in an SOP?

 

Is it too risky, or would an adcom view the applicant simply as someone who requires extra resources?

 

I really appreciate your thoughts.

 

For something like this, I think that the best answer is "honesty is the best policy."  What I mean by this is that if your condition greatly affected your performance, you should probably include at least a sentence or 2.  This is most important for individuals that were "diagnosed" during their undergraduate career, where it can be seen that there was a drop prior to a "fix."  

 

Understandably, adcoms are cautious of such comments.  Some people (I am in no way suggesting that you are one of these people) will use such circumstances to garner sympathy and make excuses.  As a result, it is most beneficial to mention it when you can show a triumphant conquering of such circumstances.

 

Although I did not suffer a 'condition,' my wife's life and I was disrupted by an extremely tragic event close to our family, that irrevocably changed the rest of our undergraduate career, especially the 2 semester that this event spanned.   Although I never recovered as an undergrad, I continued to persevere.  Rather than hilgihting this as a terrible event, and try to explain away my problems, I highlighted it in my SoP as making me a stronger student and Husband.  I tried to further show this through my increased performance during master's/Ph.D level graduate work at a different university (before applying to Ph. D programs).  

 

Hope this helps.  

[MermaidturnedMSW]

I think that it is important to be cautious. From what I have heard, not all adcoms will see that honesty as a neccesity and it could backfire. It really depends on how you word it and how long you speak about it in your SOP. Everyone's situation is different and even though I was diagnosed with three mental illnesses during my undergraduate degree, I was able to not mention it during my admissions process even though I had to take a year off, and get accepted.

[BunnyMeadows]

Thanks. A colleague applied to several highly ranked MSW programs in November and has either heard nothing, or been rejected.

 

She seems to think it might be because she mentioned ADHD in some apps. She's not hyper - but is more of an 'absent-minded professor' type - e.g. very, very disorganized, messy desk, loses focus. What I don't know is HOW she described it, because it's not something she has really overcome, and both graduate school and social work require good organizational skills. 

[thepinkdragon76]

I know that for the program I applied to it gave the mission statement of the school and then asked based upon it to explain why we chose their program and what life experiences we felt would help us to be successful in promoting those goals and as well as our overall career goals. Although I did not mention my ADHD, I did mention my PTSD because it is directly relevant to the question posed about helping diverse communities overcome personal challenges by implementing positive self reflection. It also is relevant to my overall career goal of helping other veteran's and their families learn about PTSD, TBI and MST and how veterans and families can get access to treatment and gain coping skills so that they may return to society in a functional way.