Interviews- should you mention an LD

[somemom]

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My daughter asked me to post a question to the group (she is out of the country)

She has a diagnosed LD (learning disability) and was given accommodations throughout high school and was a top student there. Even with extra time she did not finish the SAT.

Her GPA & MCAT are lower than they would have been with extra time as she has no extra time allowance in college. She still has a 3.6-3.7 at a top 25 school, but the B+s come from running out of time in testing in weeder courses as opposed to a lack of understanding.

She said nothing about that in her app, but what about interviews? In prepping she is reading SDN interview reports and people mention being asked about lower grades or scores, if that is the reason (LD) should she say it? Or does that sound like an excuse? Or worse yet would it cause them to think she could not handle the rigourous time issues in medical school?

If so, what should she say when asked why her score is merely average? "I ran out of time" is the answer, but how should it be answered? She knows she will always have to compensate in timed test situations, but she has been doing that for years.

Some people don't really believe learning disabilities are real, not asking for flaming on that. Suffice to say she reads slowly due to processing issues. She does not understand slowly, but reading and regurgitating on a test is more of a challenge 😉

 

[Mattabet]

not asking for flaming on that

How awesome is it that a mom knows what internet flaming is? This makes me wish my parents were better at the interblag 🙂

My college major dealt with the study of LD. I'm not an expert, but I've studied under some of them. So take the advice for what it's worth.

Personally, I wouldn't come out and front the LD unless I was asked about it, for precisely the reasons you mentioned. One doesn't want to make it look like they are making excuses or won't be able to handle the multiple gigantic standardized tests that she'll be confronted with. Plus, while her grades might be lower than they otherwise could have been, they might not be low enough to merit any concern on any given adcom's part (so why draw their attention?).

If they do ask, I think it comes down to the nature of the LD. If it is something relatively specific like a dyslexia, I think that she do well to tell them that she was diagnosed years ago with dyslexia, and that it is something she has worked hard with, and has improved to the point where she can take standardized tests with minimal accommodations, though still not with the ease of normal readers.

But I would be careful and play it on an interview by interview basis. Some interviewers are going to be quite understanding about LD, but there very well may be adcoms on the interview circuit that have a more primitive view of LD in general. Obviously, it's her advantage to be forthcoming with the former, and to direct the conversation away from LD (as much as possible) with the latter.

When she discusses it, she should make it clear that it's a part of who she is, that she works hard despite it, and that she has the capacity to succeed. Best of luck.

 

[P0tat0dude]

I know how you feel. I have a friend with dyslexia. She is extremely smart but still struggles with finishing exams on time and would probably have a much higher GPA than she does now if it wasn't for her reading difficulties. What's worst was that she wasn't diagnosed until AFTER coming to college so she never even had a chance to explain that her lower SAT score did not accurately reflect her intelligence level.

Anyway, has your daughter written her secondary applications yet? A lot of schools actually ask questions along the lines of "Have you ever had to overcome some kind of obstacle in your life? How did you handle it?" This actually sounds like the perfect topic to discuss for that. Try to turn this from a negative into a positive. Most med school would probably be understanding about it, especially if her disability is legitimately diagnosed. As long as you explain the issue well, I don't think they would consider it a "cop-out" excuse.

And in any case, LD or no LD, a 3.7 GPA is still very impressive at most schools. I'm sure she'll be fine. 🙂

 

[Wheee]

If so, what should she say when asked why her score is merely average? "I ran out of time" is the answer, but how should it be answered?

Lots of people run out of time on the MCAT, even without LDs. I think, if asked, that's a fine answer. Better than saying she wasn't prepared, etc.

but if I were in the situation, I probably wouldn't mention it. The interviewers may hold prejudices against someone with an LD, because as you acknowledged, there is still some stigma attached to it.

And as with the MCAT and timing, people without LDs get B+s. It's normal. Not according to SDN, but in real life it is. With a 3.7 it's unlikely it'll be a big deal.