The second question is the one I always answer first. Unless you feel that your learning disability defines who you are, then the answer is “no”. Colleges are looking for what makes you tick, what your interests and passions are about, and how you will fit into their community. During the high school years, students are active in social organizations, community service, sports, and academic clubs, both in school and in the wider community. Many have traveled as part of a church or youth group, on school-sponsored trips, or with their families. One or several of these experiences could help define who the student is as a person, what he wants to pursue, how he sees the future, how he wants to fit in, or who he wants to emulate. Somewhere along the years, the student finds a passion for a subject, a hobby, or an activity. This is what colleges want to know about.
Now, some students struggle through school all their lives and never seem to know why, then suddenly in high school they find a reason, sometimes based on psycho-educational testing, an appointment with an educational coach, or a life threatening illness. Some discover that they have a learning disability, suffer from a mental illness, or have a learning style difference that impacts their learning. If this discovery brings a sigh of relief, awakens an epiphany, or liberates a new self-awareness, then I may agree that an essay could be the place to explain these new feelings, how it defines the student, and how it will propel him into the future.
For the average student, who has had a learning disability all his life, typically there are better topics for the college essay. But this does not mean that the disability hasn’t had some negative impact that colleges wouldn’t notice. Sometimes there is a significant discrepancy between the GPA and the SAT/ACT scores. For some students with a learning disability, homework usurps all free time, in order to keep their GPA up, so they never engage in extra-curricular activities, something colleges look for. In these and similar situations, the inconsistencies need to be explained, but not in the college essay. Most college applications have a section for a personal statement or additional information, and this is often the place to explain the disability.
However, a student should be cognizant not undersell himself. He should briefly state the type of disability and how it has impacted him. Next, he could highlight all his strengths and how they would be an asset to the college, or expound on how he has overcome his learning obstacles, or is motivated to move into a specific area of study. Students must talk from an affirmative position; don’t make excuses for bad grades, poor scores, or lack of participation in activities, and market the positive characteristics of his persona that would impress the college admission representatives.
