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When Laura Lippitz left her small town of Bourbannais, IL, for Illinois Wesleyan University in the big city of Bloomington, IL, she prepared herself for a College challenge. She had more to deal with than the typical freshmen fears, though. Laura suffered from  

dyslexia

 . Once at college, she knew there would be no time for her parents' flashcards or the reading sessions that helped her through high school. She had coped so far and hoped the transition would be seamless.

When Laura conducted her College Search, she did not seek out universities that offered resources for students with learning disabilities. Instead, she simply went with her gut feeling after falling in love with Illinois Wesleyan University. Now a sophomore, Laura says she does not regret her decision. Luckily, her choice worked out.

Laura, who graduated from high school in the top five percent of her class, has dealt with her dyslexia since she was seven-years-old. "I'd write numbers backwards sometimes and went from the highest reading group to the lowest one in one day, which was frustrating to me as a second grader," she recalls. "My dyslexia is severe, but there is no way I am letting it stop me from doing what I want," Laura says, in her strong, confident voice.

Fortunately for college students suffering from dyslexia, 98 percent of all universities offer services that allow those like Laura to achieve their goals. Such campus assistance commonly includes books on tape, time extensions for exams, voice-operated computers, a text-to-voice scanner, tutoring, and note-taking support. While help is available, experts agree that dyslexic students must be proactive and make the first move.

That means asking questions at the learning disabilities center, says Amy Desenberg-Wines, director of the Disability Resource Center at Drake University, Des Moines, IA. "Students have to understand what their specific disability is and what they need. I really appreciate it when a prospective student has questions for me," she explains. Find out how many students use the learning disability office resources and how receptive the professors are to students' requests, says Desenberg-Wines. It will give you a good idea of how easy it will be for you to get help.

What is Dyslexia, Anyway?
Dyslexia, a hereditary learning disability, affects 15 to 20 percent of the population, including popular celebrities such as Woody Harrelson, Salma Hayek, Cher, and Tommy Hilfiger. According to the International Dyslexia Association, one in seven American students has a learning disability and 85 percent of those suffer from dyslexia.

Although there is no cure, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 allows learning-disabled students to request the same treatment and resources as other students. Aside from the everyday exam pressure, classroom concentration struggle, and multiple task balancing that the average student faces, dyslexics must deal with a much greater struggle. That includes having trouble processing written material and decoding words, according to Lynn Flinders, learning disabilities coordinator at Indiana University, Bloomington, IN.

"They can't trust the words to be the same each time they read them," Flinders explains. Spelling can also be challenging, since it can be difficult for dyslexic students to distinguish between sounds, such as "d" and "b." When they hear these sounds and attempt to copy them down, they often cannot spell the words quickly or correctly. In other words, although dyslexic students may comprehend the lecture material, it is often difficult for them to copy down all the information, thus making their notes incomplete.

College life
Soon-to-be freshmen with dyslexia should realize that with their new surroundings may also come people who are not as receptive or encouraging of their condition.

"My first semester was hard," Laura explains. "When I moved away, I lost my support system: my parents." Not to mention the fact that Laura has had her share of helpful and not-so-helpful professors. Her human biology class was her biggest struggle. "I wasn't used to straight lectures," she says. "Even though I went to my professor's office hours and she would verbally quiz me on the stuff we did in class, she would not allow me to take a verbal test or get more time on it."

On the other hand, Laura's writing teacher was very helpful. "Reading was the hardest part for me," Laura says. "My teacher would read the important parts out loud to me and then we would discuss them."

A university can help to fill the support void, agree Desenberg-Wines and Flinders, especially when confronting uncooperative professors. Consult with officials at the school's learning disabilities center. There you can file an accommodation request form, which will be sent to your professors accordingly. "Students should know the procedures, because I think professors are more receptive to proactive students," says Desenberg-Wines.

Learn Your Own Way
Time management classes can also help dyslexic students who may struggle with learning unfamiliar subject matter instead of just memorizing them. "Certain things in textbooks I can remember forever, but I also find myself distracted from memorizing stuff that I really need to," says Laura.

It's all about figuring out how to deal with the way in which you can learn, Laura says. For instance, since Laura finds writing papers and studying time-consuming and frustrating, she uses note cards and rough drafts. "I make flashcards for everything and always try to study in a group," says Laura. She also has one of her floormates, who speaks Spanish, read her Spanish compositions to her. Laura then explains what she wants to say. Plus, Laura's writing teacher allows her to talk through the points she wishes to convey in her papers while it is still in the rough draft stage, so she can correct them before the assignment due date.

Through her ambitious attitude and hard work, Laura has figured out how to not let her dyslexia hinder her college Career. She's come a long way from her parents' workbook drills and flashcards -- that's for sure.

"You just have to be creative," she encourages. "When you have dyslexia, sometimes things just don't click. You have to try it a different way until it does."

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