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Does having epilepsy benefit a first-year college applicant in the admission process?
Sun, 01/23/2011 - 02:40Hello all,
I am currently a Junior in high school. I make good grades, have a rigorous secondary school record, and have what I believe to be great extracurricular activities, qualities, and hobbies. I have a passion for learning, and love science. As an aspiring engineer, I would like to attend a university that has an excellent School of Engineering.
I have been looking at schools such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Certainly a school such as MIT is very competitive in the admission process, and every hopeful student wants to use what they can to increase their chances of acceptance.
So, I would like to know...Does having epilepsy (a medical disability) benefit/increase your chances of being admitted to a college in any way? (The 504 Plan I have at my high school will show up on my application/transcript information to give evidence of the condition.)
Thank you.
Re: Does having epilepsy benefit a first-year college
Submitted by brcburner on Sat, 2011-01-29 - 07:43
YES. DEFINITELY. I got my BA for free because of my epilepsy. I don't know where you're located, but the program who sponsored me was called Department of Rehabilitation Services (DORS), but they later changed it to Office of Rehabilitation Services (ORS). They were a program that helps people with disabilities get the job they want, and if a degree is required for that job, they will fund it--tuition, books, room and board, everything. Every college will have a department specifically for students with disabilities, so you can easily contact someone who can give you info on what services they have and what options you have; I would ask them who to people with disabilities go to for financial assistance. They'll even have note-takers. My epilepsy causes short-term memory problems, so I wished I would've gotten a note-taker, but I was too stubborn. Oh well. Good luck!!