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Worried your learning disability will hinder your success at College? Don't. Out of all of the full-time college students mastering composition and pre-calc, 33.5 percent of them have a learning disability (National Center for Education Statistics).

To make the high school-to-college transition easier, CB Teen spoke with Merrine McDonald, counselor and coordinator of Disability Services at Spelman College (Atlanta, GA).

Know Yourself
"It's important you understand the nature of your disability, and how you process information," says McDonald. Make sure your testing is current, and know what kind of accommodations you need.

Don't Keep it a Secret
Unlike high school, profs will be unaware of your disability, so it's up to you to disclose that information or not. "No one is going to come see if you need special services," says McDonald, so speak up. And remember -- no one should treat you differently because you have a disability.

Ask the Right Questions
"Call beforehand and find out what services [your college] offers," McDonald advises. "If you need adaptive technology, make sure the school has it."

Be True to Yourself
If things start to get rough, just remember you worked hard to get where you are. "You've been successful in high school, so have confidence that you can have a rewarding college Career," McDonald says.

>> To find out more read The K&W Guide to Colleges for Students with  

learning disabilities

  or Attention Deficit Disorder (The Princeton Review, 2003) or check out www.ncld.org and www.nimh.nih.gov


http://www.collegesurfing.com/content
Jennifer Merritt is a frequent contributor to The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about finding a school that's right for you.

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