Does having epilepsy benefit a first-year college applicant in the admission process?

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Frankly, I think it depends on the college; it's unusual for big universities to count anything in but grades and test scores, while small liberal arts colleges and really exclusive colleges count nearly everything in their decisions. With a school like MIT it's hard to tell; due to their having a pretty large volume of applicants they may not notice or take into account the whole epilepsy thing, but because of how exclusive the school is they may count that into whether you're accepted or at least notice your application more for it. It certainly can't hurt, due to your being protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act. I'll acknowledge that I'm no expert; I'm just a high school senior who's been applying to colleges. Still, I hope that helps!

I would strongly advise you not to reveal that you have epilepsy at any time during your application. I would go so far as to say that it will almost definitely hurt you. If you have good grades, etc., that is all you need. It may or may not get you into MIT, but it will get you accepted somewhere that you like. The college admissions process is totally opaque, and sometimes apparently random. A solid record, high test scores, and good essay are your best chance. You just have to put your application out there and see what happens. Don't be afraid! The reality is that "diversity" only applies in certain cases. Epilepsy is not one of them. Seizures aren't politically correct. Admissions committees will be looking for reasons to reject your application. That's not because they are out to get you, but because they receive gobs and gobs of applications from good students. Consider it from the perspective of the admissions committee. You have two kids with 3.7 GPAs, can only accept one, and one has epilepsy. Who would you accept? They are smart enough to figure out that epilepsy is a neurological disorder. Neurological=Brain. They can see that the person with epilepsy will have some additional challenges. A brainy school will not favor an application which indicates that there is something wrong with the applicants brain! They are working on the assumption that college will be harder than high school, and that previous success is a good predictor of future success, not a guarantee. Epilepsy is a reason for them to question. If you have a good academic record, that is all that truly matters. You don't need to reveal your epilepsy. You might feel like it is the most honest thing to do, but they know that your academic record is not the whole picture. All they ask for is the academic record. Technically, it is illegal for the admissions committee to consider your epilepsy. First, by revealing your epilepsy you are putting them in a tight place. Second, if you tell them they are going to consider it anyhow. They may not talk about it amongst themselves, they will certainly not tell you, but unless they are truly extraordinary human beings, they will think about it, and it will sway their judgement, even if they don't want it to. If they discriminate against you how will you know? How would you prove it? Are you going to sue them? The ADA only makes discrimination illegal, it can't prevent it. I don't know about the 504 plan, because we didn't have such things when I was in school (as far as I know - it wasn't THAT long ago). I have only ever seen schools require an application, transcript, recommendations, and essay. They are not allowed to ask you about a disability. According to the Dept. of Ed. your transcript should not reveal that you have a disability, but might show that you received accommodations. http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-qa-20081017.html You can find out exactly what will be on your transcript by asking your guidance counselor (get a copy if you can). You might consider the possibility that one of your recommenders and/or guidance counsellor could reveal this, and discuss it with them beforehand. P.S. I revealed that I had epilepsy and the whole shebang on some of my graduate school applications. I did so not to gain preference, but because I thought that all things considered it actually made me look better. I had taken a very hard 7 and 1/2 years of college and thought that any deficiency in my GPA could not only be explained by my condition, but that given what I had actually achieved, it spoke very well of me as a potential student in my proposed field. Under the circumstances I thought that it suggested that I would actually do much better in the new situation. I still believe that this would have been the case. I knew it could go either way. I was accepted at one place, and at another I was rejected. I asked why I was rejected. The answer I got was in all fairness a technicality. It left me with the definite impression that they were using it as an excuse, and that my epilepsy was a contributing factor. Maybe they were telling me the truth, and it just wasn't my day. On the other hand, I have experienced on more than one occasion, from professors who were otherwise very well disposed towards me, a certain dismissal when I have revealed my condition. They were personally quite charitable, but did not take me as seriously as a student afterward. I think you would be much better off letting your accomplishments speak for themselves.