Successful college students with learning disabilities, college advisors, as well as campus disability support service staff agree that developing knowledge about one's self--the nature of one's learning disabilities as well as one's personal and academic strengths and weaknesses--is vital in getting ready for college.
It is often the case that students have unrealistic conceptions of the appropriate amount of time to spend studying and the most efficient ways of spending that time. For example, for every hour spent in class it is suggested that students spend two hours studying outside of class for that subject. That time should be spent reading assignments, reorganizing or reviewing notes, developing study aids like flash cards or outlines, completing homework assignments, and meeting with study groups.
Student Responsibility at College
At the postsecondary level, you will carry much more responsibility for requesting and arranging academic accommodations than you have ever been given before. Therefore you need to know about your learning disability.
Accommodations-Alternative Ways to Learn
At the postsecondary level, there will be less emphasis on remediating your learning disability and more emphasis on discovering useful strategies for coping with the functional limitations on your learning skills.
College Survival Skills for the LD Student
It is particularly important for students to think about what will lead to future success. Does the key lie in academics, athletics, personal traits, or other undefined abilities? The "winning" combination is many times dictated by the environment and will involve multiple areas.
You should consider the things you want from college. Does it have the academic programs you are interested in? Where is it located? What is the size of the student body? Are there extracurricular programs that you are interested in (sports, clubs, service organizations, etc.)? What are the costs?
Finally, you've graduated! You chose your college and have even signed up for your first semester courses. Time to heave a sigh of relief and settle in for some serious summer fun. But wait--there are some things you can do to prepare yourself for this next big stage of your life.