ADHD Dx, should I disclose this while applying?

[LieutenantDan]

---

Members don't see this ad.

The question of whether to disclose a diagnosis of ADHD has been touched upon in previous threads but I have a slightly different scenario than what others have mentioned and wanted to see if anyone has any insight about this (sorry if it's a little long, but I would be extremely appreciative of anyone's perspective):

I am reapplying to medical school this year and I was just diagnosed with adult ADD in June of this year (2011), and have since been using medication as well as doing a lot of research on how to best manage the condition. My school records are somewhat inconsistent, I got my BA in five years but did poorly my second and third year, bottoming out at a 2.7 GPA, but my last two years I maintained a 3.9 average in all upper div classes, full time, while doing research and working 20 hrs a week. It took considerable effort on my part but my cumulative GPA is now a 3.35 and I got a reasonably competitive MCAT score (38N).

I am applying for the entering class of 2012 and am enrolling in a postbac program to demonstrate that I can consistently do well.

I started medication in June and I have never been more optimistic about accomplishing my goals and life in general is much much easier now.

My question is would it be worthwhile or detrimental to mention having been diagnosed with ADHD recently at any point during the application cycle?

I have been toying with the idea because it may help put some of my past inconsistencies into perspective, as well as put into context how much additional effort I had to put in to do as well as I did in my last years in school, especially given that I never used any accommodations.

Full disclosure: I had been diagnosed with "borderline-ADHD" at age 12 but I had resisted every step of the way, not wanting to be different. I wasn't honest about all the ADHD evaluation questions and I refused to take medication. I hadn't considered having ADD as a possibility until now (age 26), and when evaluated my honest answers put me firmly in the ADHD category. I have since done lots of research to confirm that my diagnosis is legitimate. Thanks for reading!

 

[CodeBlu]

The question of whether to disclose a diagnosis of ADHD has been touched upon in previous threads but I have a slightly different scenario than what others have mentioned and wanted to see if anyone has any insight about this (sorry if it's a little long, but I would be extremely appreciative of anyone's perspective):

I am reapplying to medical school this year and I was just diagnosed with adult ADD in June of this year (2011), and have since been using medication as well as doing a lot of research on how to best manage the condition. My school records are somewhat inconsistent, I got my BA in five years but did poorly my second and third year, bottoming out at a 2.7 GPA, but my last two years I maintained a 3.9 average in all upper div classes, full time, while doing research and working 20 hrs a week. It took considerable effort on my part but my cumulative GPA is now a 3.35 and I got a reasonably competitive MCAT score (38N).

I am applying for the entering class of 2012 and am enrolling in a postbac program to demonstrate that I can consistently do well.

I started medication in June and I have never been more optimistic about accomplishing my goals and life in general is much much easier now.

My question is would it be worthwhile or detrimental to mention having been diagnosed with ADHD recently at any point during the application cycle?

I have been toying with the idea because it may help put some of my past inconsistencies into perspective, as well as put into context how much additional effort I had to put in to do as well as I did in my last years in school, especially given that I never used any accommodations.

Full disclosure: I had been diagnosed with "borderline-ADHD" at age 12 but I had resisted every step of the way, not wanting to be different. I wasn't honest about all the ADHD evaluation questions and I refused to take medication. I hadn't considered having ADD as a possibility until now (age 26), and when evaluated my honest answers put me firmly in the ADHD category. I have since done lots of research to confirm that my diagnosis is legitimate. Thanks for reading!

Ummmmm you're awesome 🙂

3.5 and 38. Don't worry about it.

But I wouldn't mention the ADHD diagnosis. I don't think it's necessary.

 

[miui]

No need to disclose the ADHD diagnosis. Since it did not negatively effect your academic performance, then bringing it up would not really be beneficial for you.

 

[stsa84]

Ummmmm you're awesome 🙂

3.5 and 38. Don't worry about it.

But I wouldn't mention the ADHD diagnosis. I don't think it's necessary.

Thought I'd mention, he has a 3.35 instead of a 3.5...

But I agree, I don't think that fact is worth mentioning, and you risk having adcoms review your app who don't "give much credit" to the whole ADHD thing and view your comments as making up excuses instead of giving valid explanations.

Your stats don't require an asterisk; don't give one.

 

[miui]

Your stats don't require an asterisk; don't give one.

Nicely put. 👍

 

[CodeBlu]

Thought I'd mention, he has a 3.35 instead of a 3.5...

But I agree, I don't think that fact is worth mentioning, and you risk having adcoms review your app who don't "give much credit" to the whole ADHD thing and view your comments as making up excuses instead of giving valid explanations.

Your stats don't require an asterisk; don't give one.

typo.. sorry 🙂

 

[LieutenantDan]

Wow that was fast, thanks for the advice I really appreciate it, I reapplying for the second time so I am trying to find any advantage I can

 

[duress]

Why? What did the diagnosis do for you that changed things? Obviously if you jumped from 2.7 to 3.9 before the treatment(?) then it can't be blamed for the low scores.

 

[LieutenantDan]

Why? What did the diagnosis do for you that changed things? Obviously if you jumped from 2.7 to 3.9 before the treatment(?) then it can't be blamed for the low scores.

Correct, I did make that improvement before treatment. The diagnosis is too recent to have a long track record of improvement, but I thought maybe it would put into perspective why it was such a struggle for me to adjust to college, and how much effort I had to put in to compensate for it, as well as developing skills to mitigate the effects of it. For example I spent an inordinate amount of time in the library working on subjects for which I didn't have a high level of interest, because I was frequently losing track and rereading pages because my mind wandered while my eyes continued to move.
Also I frequently would complete projects and forget to turn them in or forget deadlines so I had to become anal about record keeping and make checklists to make sure that I kept everything on time.
Additionally organization and motivation was a major struggle at all times, looking back I am still not entirely sure how I mustered up the will to do what I did later on in school because even maintaining my personal life was a challenge at that time. I really felt like I was flying by the seat of my pants. I had a lot of goals throughout college of extracurricular activities I wanted to do as well but accomplished far less that I had wanted to. I like to think that was more out of lack of organization and motivation rather that being lazy, it was a bit distressing knowing that I should be doing more but not seeing a will or a way to do so.
I understand your perspective, that it would seem that having jumped from a 2.7 to a 3.9 without treatment is indicative of ADHD not being at the center of it. And yet, I've heard countless similar stories of people with untreated ADHD, where the only thing consistent about their academic record is the inconsistency, especially as they transition to a higher level of education.
I like to think that if treated I wouldn't have ever dropped to a 2.7. Maybe I wouldn't have gotten a 3.9 right off the bat but having the dx in mind would at least allow me to see some of these potential pitfalls coming, and have a plan for dealing with them.
But that is not exactly the point of my question, I really don't mean to make excuses for my past. Its not something I can change and every body has struggles in their life. Some of these applicants have amazing stories of what they have had to overcome to get into the position to apply for medical school, they can make excuses, I can't.
I am just wondering if having the diagnosis puts into context why I had such a long adjustment period. Since beginning treatment achieving my goals has required drastically less effort. I went back for more courses this summer and I have never felt so on top of things, where before I was moving deadline to deadline in a game of academic brinksmanship. I feel like I have more potential than I ever knew before, and at the minimum I don't expect to have such a difficulty adjusting to medical school, despite its' increased rigor. My hope was that in disclosure of the dx I might show that I have taken steps to make myself as prepared as possible to succeed in medical school, and perhaps as a reason to explain why I have so much new found optimism about my future.

But I don't think I will disclose it, I think you guys make a good point that my perspective may not be shared by those on the admissions committee and it would likely be more of a liability. I'm enrolling in more courses for fall and winter and Ill just hope that the transcripts reach the schools in time to make a difference. This is my third time applying for MD programs and I'm going to apply for DO programs as well this year, I just want to do everything I possibly can to get in because it would be nice to be something other than a perennial applicant.

 

[LieutenantDan]

Brevity is not one of my stronger characteristics

 

[Whatyousay]

Brevity is not one of my stronger characteristics

Let your MCAT do the talking.

 

[epsilonprodigy]

I was diagnosed as an adult too, and don't plan to disclose. Just don't forget that you might have to disclose if you are ever in a situation where there's a physical involved. Amphetamines = + drug test = you better have told them beforehand and have a prescription to back it up! Grats on turning around your application though!

 

[ModernAlchemist]

That MCAT score is awesome! Great job!

Not to thread hijack, but I was curious what people think if there WAS a large consistent improvement since treatment. Say, the person had the OP's gpa and then has been getting all A's since then. I'm just curious what people think: talk about it on the app or no?

 

[BrightandClear]

Let your MCAT do the talking.

Even a 38 won't outweigh a 3.35 at many schools...

OP, I wouldn't mention your dx for funsies, but it would be a great topic for some of those "describe a challenge" type essays.

 

[LieutenantDan]

That MCAT score is awesome! Great job!

Not to thread hijack, but I was curious what people think if there WAS a large consistent improvement since treatment. Say, the person had the OP's gpa and then has been getting all A's since then. I'm just curious what people think: talk about it on the app or no?

Thanks for the advice everyone. No need to worry about thread hijacking, it was my hope that this might raise a broader discussion. I cam across an article from ADDitude magazine that prompted my original question. It is in regards to college applications and disclosure of ADHD, but maybe it is pertinent here as well. It can be found at:
http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/4762.html
An excerpt:
"Declare Your Teen's ADHD
This is important if your child with ADHD has dramatically improved his performance in school after receiving ADHD treatment. "Students who are diagnosed with ADD in high school, and who imply a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality on their transcript, should consider self-declaring," advises Patricia Quinn, M.D., a developmental pediatrician and author of ADD and the College Student.

"Students should describe, in their application essay or letter to the admissions office, how they overcame their academic woes and achieved better grades, once their ADD was properly treated," Quinn says. This suggests to the admissions staff that the student is mature, and will be able to advocate for himself in college.

Quinn also suggests that students work with the college's disabilities office, which can advocate for them."

That being said, medical school may be an entirely different animal altogether. I had hoped that medical schools would be understanding, and at least in theory they can't discriminate against you for it. I'm not sure I would want to test that theory though. As previous posters noted, ADHD is somewhat controversial and even people in the medical community may harbor bias and misconceptions about it. However, I did come across one poster who had made ADHD a major focus of his PS, about how he had been in an out of doctors offices his whole life and how it shaped his goals and ambitions. He had multiple acceptances, although its tough to say if that was because of or in spite of mentioning ADHD.
It may be beneficial to give more information, like when was the dx, and how much of your education took place before/after dx. I am leaning toward nondisclosure (unless asked) for my situation but I think there must be times when it can be appropriate.