Harris F., aspiring writer at Ithaca College

Harris F. is having a terrific freshman experience at Ithaca College, both academically and socially. Thanks to a solid foundation built at Churchill and a strong work ethic, he masters his classes, and finds time to work as a Resident Assistant for his dorm floor as well as enjoy activities with his friends..

Ever since he was in middle school, Harris has known that he wanted to work in the film industry, which simplified the college search - only a handful of colleges have film programs. Narrowing the search down to three colleges, he picked Ithaca because he wanted to experience an environment different from New York City. Located in Ithaca, NY, Ithaca College is about a five hour drive from New York City.

“I just loved the campus,” he said in an interview over the phone about visiting Ithaca College for the first time. In addition to the campus environment and the academics, Harris liked that Ithaca prepares film students early on for their future careers by sending them to either Los Angeles or New York City for internships where they learn on the job and make industry connections.

To become accepted, Harris took both ACT and SAT and did better on the ACT. After working with a tutor he retook the ACT, raising his score. Extracurricular activities including having been on the Student Council at Churchill and working as a camp counselor several summers also contributed to his admission, he thinks.

The most important skill he learned at Churchill was self-advocacy.
“Because of the prep at Churchill, I can now approach my professors and get the support I need,” Harris says. At Ithaca, he has been using the writing center, but any other LD support than extended time has so far been unnecessary.
“It is good to know that it is available,” he says about the learning center, “in case I’d need it in the future.”

A film major focusing on script writing for radio and TV, Harris is planning a minor in English Literature or Writing. For a student with dyslexia who initially struggled with reading and writing, starting at Churchill in 4th grade was a transforming experience. A vivid imagination has been the driving force behind his development as a writer while learning how to handle his dyslexia.
“It shows that you can overcome anything,” Harris says about his accomplishments.

Harris misses the teachers at Churchill and visits every time he comes to New York. “I consider them my friends,” he says about the Churchill staff.
“Churchill’s a great environment, the best in the world.”

The LD center is the key to college success

The importance of the learning center cannot be over-emphasized, says Veronique P. whose son Benjamin S. (Ben) is a freshman at Emerson College in Boston, MA. Veronique has heard too many stories over the last few years about graduates who were doing well at Churchill but failed in college because they did not take advantage of the available support. And since it is up to students age 18 and above to keep their parents updated on grades and progress, parents rarely find out in time to help avert academic failure. 

When adjusting to college, Ben missed the high degree of individual attention at Churchill that comes with the small student/teacher ratio, he writes in an email from Emerson. At Churchill that ratio meant that every teacher was very familiar with his effort level and accomplishments. Not necessarily so at Emerson.

“You have a different relationship with teachers at Churchill than at college,” Ben writes. “In college you really have to self advocate for yourself so the teacher doesn't only know your face, but your name and how hard you are working.” He found the self-advocacy preparation he received at Churchill the most important college readiness skill he learned while in high school. 

Being away from home in a new environment can be all at once intimidating, overwhelming and frustrating.  Veronique repeats over and over again that during the Junior and Senior years Churchill parents should make it a priority to drill the importance of self-advocacy into their children's heads so that they will be truly comfortable with speaking up for themselves when they are on their own. 

At Emerson Ben is taking advantage of peer tutoring, especially for essay writing and sometimes for test prep. The help center is available to every student and you don’t need to be an LD student to obtain assistance. Many main stream students also utilize the help center’s services for academic support.

Ben knew early on that he wanted to attend a college with a strong film program, which limited the number of schools of interest. He visited four colleges and decided on Emerson because of its highly regarded film program and well-connected alumni network, the "Emerson Mafia", which helps students find jobs in the competitive film industry. In addition to studying subjects that he finds interesting, he is enjoying being in college. “The feeling of accomplishment I get sometimes after a very busy week of working and studying hard,” is the best part of his new life.

Ben’s sister Emilie is a junior at Churchill getting ready to go through the college process. She is interested in Liberal Arts schools with strong dance programs, also in the North East. She has learned from watching Ben adjusting to college life and feels strongly that self-advocacy will be instrumental to her future academic success. When Emilie starts touring colleges this spring, she will spend a part of each visit at the Learning Center to make sure that the college has the resources she requires.

When planning school visits, systematically get in touch with the Learning Centers and schedule appointments with each of them, Veronique advises. The LD centers vary from college to college, and you may find that some are unable to help on a day-to-day basis because they lack the staff/structure/expertise. It is vital to know in advance about the supply of available resources and how to obtain access to these services.

“The LD center is the lifeline.”

Questions to ask:
1. Is there an LD Center?
2. What LD services and accommodations are offered?
3. Additional fees associated with these services?
4. Is there a general academic support center?
5. Are tutors peers or specialists?
6. What LD documentation is required? When and how is this info submitted?
7. Will the student need to update her/his LD documentation?
8. What kind of information should be submitted about the student's LD on the application?
9. How does a learning disability factor into the admission decision?