questions for college

[gr33nr0se]

i know i'm a junior in high school and you're not really supposed to start doing things related to college until senior year but i'm starting now. i've been told that since i have several disabilities, that i should start looking and getting info early. i know my 4 different major choices and i've chosen 3 schools that i will be applying to. my choices right now are special education, neuropsych, occupational therapy, or veterinary medicine. i also want to minor in vocal performance and music theory.

i know that because of the disabilities, there are certain questions that should be asked, but i have no idea what they are. any advice would be really helpful

 

[Nakamova]

Here are some questions to consider:

Does the college have special admission standards for people with disabilities?

How is eligibility for reasonable accommodation determined? What documentation is required for accommodation based on a chronic health disability? How often do you need to request accommodations? And does documentation need to be provided each time? Are there clear guidelines for professors on how to provide accommodations?

Does the college have an Office of Disability Services, and how can you contact them?

What special accommodations does the college offer? (Tutoring, extra time for tests/assignments, classroom notes, etc.). Is there a cost to receive special accommodations?

Can you have a therapy animal with you in your dorm?


Some useful links:
Taking the College Board:
http://www.collegeboard.com/ssd/student/index.html
How your rights/responsibilities differ in college from those in high school:
http://www.pct.edu/disabilityservices/transPostSec.htm
College rights and responsibilities:
http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/sec504.transition.ocr.pdf

 

[Aubrey]

Wow! You're awesome! My son is a junior in high school as well, he has no disabilities, and he is doing very little. I don't know if this is the kind of info you are looking for, but there are certain scholarships for people with epilepsy; I can try to find links for you if you want. Also, once you are in school, there are accommodations which you can get for testing, such as extra time, or your own room. There are others as well. Good luck, and keep us posted! Those are some great interests you have, and quite diverse, too.

 

[Endless]

Your Junior year is exactly when you should be exploring schools and deciding where to apply - disabilities or not.

Sometimes your odds are a little bit better when you apply for early admission (that means an early committment, not an early start). That would take work right now and a start on writing your essays and putting together applications before spring.

You should also be working with your school guidance counselor NOW to build your resume to support your applications (volunteer work, work, extracurricular activities, etc.), and your references/letters. There are also books that will guide you through this process, and share what things each school is looking for. Sometimes the resume and essay are just as or even more important than GPA or SAT scores.

Nakamova provided some great links, and great questions.

Good luck. You are an amazing young woman. It's a smart school that welcomes you in.

 

[gr33nr0se]

thanks guys. i have an IEP that i used to contact college board fr my accomadations and by next year, i will be switching over to a 504 in place for college, and i have a number one school. of course its a private school rather than state so i'm going to be combing tons of scholarships. its got a bio-medical program, and education program, and an amazing music program. so everything that i want.

thanks for the links nakamova. i actually found out that this school, is one of the only ones that gives you a year fee for healthcare services. meaning i don't have to pay every time i go. which for me, is alot if you think about the biweekly labs and the suppressed immune system.

as for scholarships. they have one for everything. for russian/american jews, (thats me) as well as for epilepsy, lupus, fibromyalgia, ADD, child of a healthcare professional, sibling of a disabled person, and child of a business owner. my friend combing about 15 scholarships to give her a full ride to an out of state school so i can do it in a heartbeat.

the school is 7 hours away so my mom isn't as happy as she was when it was Albany, (2 hours away) but she said she'd deal.

 

[Endless]

You have it SO TOGETHER. Why doesn't that surprise me? You continue to be amazing.

 

[gr33nr0se]

thanks endless, you make me happy lol