The path to and through college can be rough for LD students.  It becomes all the more crucial for you to become a self-regulated, independent learner.  The level of support dwindles in college, while the level of independence increases, leaving you overwhelmed with both responsibilities for coursework and opportunities for socializing.  College is rife with pitfalls. 

A US Dept. of Education Report, The Toolbox Revisited: Paths to Degree Completion From High School Through College (Adelman, 2006), followed  a group of 12,000 students from high school into college and explored the aspects of their formal schooling that both contributed to and reduced the probability of  their completing a degree.  I’ll reinterate some of the important points of this report.

“The academic intensity of the student’s high school curriculum still counts more than anything else in precollegiate history in providing momentum toward completing a bachelor’s degree.”  (Adelman, 2006, pg xviii).  In high school, take the challenging courses to prepare yourself for the rigors of college.  Math courses have become increasingly more important and completing a math course above Algebra 2 is a key factor in gaining the momentum to cross the bridge into college.  The world of work is much more quantitative and math requirements are no longer abstract school exercises.  Plan on taking a college-level math course in your first year..

Persistence and quality of effort count for a great deal.  Enroll in a 4-year-college program or a community college immediately after high school.  Students who delay enrollment have a reduced probability of finishing a degree. Also, attend college as a full-time student.  Part-time attendance is a factor that reduces the chances of degree completion.

That first year in college, even community college, is the make-it or break-it year.  First, earn more than 20 credits during that first year.  Anything less, research has shown, is a serious drag on momentum and puts the student at great risk for dropping out.  Take an AP course or two in high school and enroll in summer courses to help you cross the 20-credit benchmark by the end of the first year.

If you need remedial courses, take them and move forward.  The probability of degree completion is not affected by the need for remedial classes.  Changing your major along the way, also, has no negative influence on degree attainment.  Colleges offer a variety of support services for LD students.  Seek them out and use them.

Among the factors that strongly counted against degree completion was excessive withdrawal from courses and an excessive number of repeated courses.  This produces a spiraling away from the goal of degree completion. 

So, as a college-bound LD student, you are the agent of your own future.  Come out of high school with more than Algebra 2; take at least one AP course in high school and take advantage of college summer courses; enroll immediately after high school; take at least one college-level math course in your first year of college regardless of your eventual major; and press on.  Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.

Educational therapists offer valuable services in helping LD students make a successful transition to college.

Reference: 

Adelman, C. The Toolbox Revisited: Paths to degree completion from high school through college.  Washington, D.C.: US Department of Education, 2006.