College Applications and Aspergers

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I'm in the process of writing up my application for my postgrad in History and I'm torn between whether or not to include the fact that I have Aspergers. I still haven't been diagnosed but I'm seeing a psychiatrist on the 12th and things should be clearer then.

My academic record is good, but it's not as good as it could have been. It doesn't show the potential I actually have. After reading about AS, I have a better understanding of where I went wrong and how I can perform better when I go back to University. I don't want any special help when I go there (unless they'd like to pay my rent with some disability grants But I think that AS is a huge part of my personality and it would go some way towards explaining why I would be a better student than I have been.

Things like studying in a noisy environment, timed exams, my diet and general health, depression are all easier to understan when I think of them in the context of AS. I would be very happy to discover I have it becasue it helps explain where I've gone wrong and gives me hope that I can pursue my dreams if I apply myself properly.

Do you think I should include a letter from a psychiatrist with my application?

^I never did when I applied to Mason and I was accepted with no problems because my high school's GPA was good along with other things like NJROTC.

I don't know that's this NJROTC you speak of. My GPA isn't fantastic though. It's measured differently over here in Europe, I was 2.5% away from a first class honours. I'm not sure how competitive the course i want to do is, and my written work should be convincing enough but I'd like to be going in with everything I have

I graduated a year ago, and when I go back to do my post grad, I'll be two years out of college. In that time, I've learned a lot about myself and the way I study. I'm just worried that this will sound like self pity to the application reviewers. The reasons I didn't do as well as I should have done are simple. I made bad choices. I was smoking and drinking a lot. I had just come out of a period of social hibernation and that went hand in hand with alcohol and drug abuse. That affected my concentration along with the fact that I couldn't get my hands on any Ritalin. I had previously used it unprescribed and found it to be very useful. I get sensory overload very easily, but that's not something I understood when I was studying. I just thought i was stressed

Now that I know* i have AS, I understand how my brain works. It makes sense now, I know what I want to do and have come to a realistic evaluation of how much I can accomplish. I just wonder if those reviewing my application could be made to understand the same...

*Diagnosis pending

^NJROTC Stands for Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. Its an American thing in high schools along with our Army, Marine Corps and Air Force basically. Though they are some in other countries due to U.S. Military Bases are there.

Well I don't recalled mentioning AS in my essay to Mason, Madison and Mary Washington but I never sent any of my documentation because that is not paper work for them to use to review. That paper work actually goes to Office of Disability Services who are not involved in the application process at all in the States. Also it could make those reviewers form an opinion that might be harmful to your chances. Its best to mentioned it in the essay you have write since it gives them a different view. Also not mentioning it may work as well but mentioning may increase chances for you.

That's what I hate about application letter though. Do people actually buy any of the s**t that isn't substantiated? I can put proof to a lot of my achievements, but my motivations and desires sound really hollow when I read them in a text.

Nobody's gonna write "I want to be a History professor because my lifelong dream of leading my people into a bloody and glorious war isn't in synch with the times. I think being a History prof would be realistic second best. It would give me the opportunity to sit around and read books all day. People will listen to my opinions even if they're elitist abstract lefty BS. Plus I've always wanted to indulge in my fantasy of having sex with a female student and I can wear what I want to work. This is why I want to be History Prof."

I think that would be a lot more honest than BS American motivational hype talk. I'm sorry to pin it all on the Americans, I'm not just feeling very eloquent at 4am this morning.

I would advise against discussing Asperger's in your personal statement.