Adhd & admissions

[desperategeek]

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Hi everyone!

This is my 1st post. Here's my story:

I did extremely well in high school then attended 2 foreign universities, in which I scored miserably (GPA: 3.02 and 2.75). The reason for this is that I was recently diagnosed with ADHD and the lack of structure in a university setting made me lost and unable to study.

Now, I am under treatment and I'm doing pretty well in college and have a good MCAT score.

I was wondering: I must disclose my ADHD diagnosis to the medical schools I will apply to because of my very bad grades at the foreign universities. Will this affect my chances of getting in?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Nena01]

Some essays on your application will ask you to explain the biggest obstacle you have faced, and how you overcame it. I think this would be a good place to explain your condition and how being diagnosed allowed you to take charge of your studying habits in order to excel. You certainly don't have to explain if you don't want to, but it will probably help you if you have a legitimate reason for which your grades suffered initially.

Having ADHD won't affect your chances if that's what you're asking, it is a condition that can be managed well with treatment.

 

[desperategeek]

Some essays on your application will ask you to explain the biggest obstacle you have faced, and how you overcame it. I think this would be a good place to explain your condition and how being diagnosed allowed you to take charge of your studying habits in order to excel. You certainly don't have to explain if you don't want to, but it will probably help you if you have a legitimate reason for which your grades suffered initially.

Having ADHD won't affect your chances if that's what you're asking, it is a condition that can be managed well with treatment.

Thanks for the quick reply!

 

[Catalystik]

I did extremely well in high school then attended 2 foreign universities, in which I scored miserably (GPA: 3.02 and 2.75). The reason for this is that I was recently diagnosed with ADHD and the lack of structure in a university setting made me lost and unable to study.

Now, I am under treatment and I'm doing pretty well in college and have a good MCAT score.

I was wondering: I must disclose my ADHD diagnosis to the medical schools I will apply to because of my very bad grades at the foreign universities. Will this affect my chances of getting in?

In what country do you plan to apply to med school? If you apply to US MD schools through AMCAS, the primary US application service, they do not accept foreign transcripts with a few exceptions, so you would be judged primarily by your US or Canadian coursework. This potentially works in your favor. It's up to you whether you'd disclose the ADHD or not. Provided you've proven it's under control, disclosing would not work against you.

 

[ChemEngMD]

I've been diagnosed with ADHD for over a decade now and never felt I had to disclose that information to anyone. I just take my pills in the morning (have been slowly trying to wean my dosage down to the point where I won't need them anymore) and then I go on with my day.

 

[McRunner]

I've been diagnosed with ADHD for over a decade now and never felt I had to disclose that information to anyone. I just take my pills in the morning (have been slowly trying to wean my dosage down to the point where I won't need them anymore) and then I go on with my day.

Yeah I've been diagnosed for over 6 years and don't feel the need to disclose it. Unfortunately I have the type that gets worse with age, not better - just take a look at my ma so no dosage weaning for me!

 

[Goucher2013]

Hi everyone!

This is my 1st post. Here's my story:

I did extremely well in high school then attended 2 foreign universities, in which I scored miserably (GPA: 3.02 and 2.75).

When you say 'attended', were those your primary institutions or were you doing study abroad? Study abroad programs do usually count because they influence your US transcript. Please note that if you don't have something like one to two yeas of US coursework, many US med schools won't accept you.

Also, which countries were those institutions in and have you used a transcript evaluation service to compute your official GPA? I've known several people who got the equivalent of C's on UK courses which were translated into B's, and apparently that grade jump is pretty standard. The AMCAS doesn't require foreign transcripts, but getting them evaluated might boost your confidence.

 

[Goro]

You don't have to disclose this information, but if you think it will make up for a poor GPA, it won't.

Hi everyone!

This is my 1st post. Here's my story:

I did extremely well in high school then attended 2 foreign universities, in which I scored miserably (GPA: 3.02 and 2.75). The reason for this is that I was recently diagnosed with ADHD and the lack of structure in a university setting made me lost and unable to study.

Now, I am under treatment and I'm doing pretty well in college and have a good MCAT score.

I was wondering: I must disclose my ADHD diagnosis to the medical schools I will apply to because of my very bad grades at the foreign universities. Will this affect my chances of getting in?

Thanks in advance.

 

[ES2]

Yeah I've been diagnosed for over 6 years and don't feel the need to disclose it. Unfortunately I have the type that gets worse with age, not better - just take a look at my ma so no dosage weaning for me!

You don't have to disclose this information, but if you think it will make up for a poor GPA, it won't.

I agree, I have ADHD and I don't feel like it should be disclosed. I don't want schools to think that I am not "mentally" sound enough to do well in medical school. When something with mental health is brought into question, I can't help but think it makes the Adcoms raise an eyebrow or two.

 

[Goro]

I agree, I have ADHD and I don't feel like it should be disclosed. I don't want schools to think that I am not "mentally" sound enough to do well in medical school. When something with mental health is brought into question, I can't help but think it makes the Adcoms raise an eyebrow or two.

We always have some student who have ADHD and we just give them more time to take exams, and/or a private room to tale the exam. If you do need some type of accommodation, you'll need to let the school know as soon as you matriculate, and provide proof of your condition.