Applying for college can be a stressful experience for students of all abilities, but it can be especially difficult for students who are neurodivergent or have a physical disability.
So, PC READS, a student advocate nonprofit, will host its free annual presentation, “College Planning for Students with IEPs and 504 Plans,” at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at the Park City High School’s lecture hall.
College admissions consultant Michelle McAnaney, chief executive officer of The College Spy, a firm that works with students on through the college admissions process, will give the presentation that explains IEP, individualized education programs and 504s, programs that accommodate and level the playing field for students with disabilities.
“IEP and 504 plans vary in different states, and I’ll talk about how colleges support neurodivergent students,” she said. “At The College Spy, we offer group workshops and parent courses, a lot of free webinars, and we give out a lot of information through our newsletter and Facebook page and Instagram. And I would say about half of the students we work with are neurodivergent, and that’s an area of specialty for us.”
During the presentation, McAnaney, who gave a different presentation last year for PC READS, will discuss diversity on college campuses.
“Colleges want diversity, including neurodiversity,” she said. “(Administrations) recognize that students with disabilities often bring amazing skillsets and attributes they want at their colleges. They want these students to become alums because they know these students will be very successful.”
College administrators have also learned they need to offer the right support if they want students who are neurodivergent to attend their schools, McAnaney said.
“They have offered a number of support, often beyond the need that is required legally, and I’m going to go over what those supports are,” she said. “I feel many families don’t realize how supportive colleges can be.”
McAnaney, who holds a master’s degree in school counseling as well as a bachelor’s degree in human development and a certificate in independent educational consulting, will also give tips on how students with disabilities can research colleges that will fit their needs.
“I’m also going to discuss whether or not students should disclose their disability on their college applications,” she said. “Many students really should because, if they do it the right way, it will help them get accepted. It is a personal decision, but it makes sense for a lot of students.”
Elissa Aten, PC READS executive director, hopes families and students will attend the presentation.
“It’s important for students receiving accommodations in high school through an IEP or 504 plan to understand that these documents do not directly transition with them to the college setting,” she said. “Navigating this transition can be challenging. Colleges have different requirements and processes for obtaining support, and Michelle explains this clearly, emphasizing the need for students to be strong self-advocates.”
In addition to the free presentation, McAnaney will lead two paid-admission workshops on Monday and Wednesday.
Monday’s session is an application essay workshop for five seniors that starts at 6 p.m. at PC READS, and the Wednesday event, which also starts at 6 p.m. is an extracurricular workshop that will be held at the Park City Library.
Neurodivergent and neurotypical students are welcome to these workshops.
During the essay workshop McAnaney will offer advice about how students can tell their stories that will show the strengths of their unique attributes.
“For example, somebody who has ADHD or is on the spectrum may be able to hyperfocus on things,” she said. “That may be a problem in high school if they hyperfocus on the wrong thing, but when you get into college there is so much choice in what they can take. So oftentimes these students who can hyperfocus in their interests and fields are very much desired by colleges.”
Another unique attribute of students who are neurodivergent is creativity, McAnaney said.
“Many of these students have great ways to problem solve because they think outside the box,” she said. “So, we’ll discuss how students can talk about these strengths in their applications in a way that helps admissions counselors understand what they will contribute to the campus community.”
During Wednesday’s workshop McAnaney will give an overview of what types of extracurricular activities colleges expect to see on applications.
“Sometimes neurodivergent students don’t have as many activities as neurotypical students because they are tutoring and doing other things like that,” she said. “We’ll also talk about how colleges take wide views of extracurricular activities because they want to know how students spend their time.”
McAnaney will also teach workshop attendees how they can effectively describe their activities in their applications.
“If I write, ‘I play field hockey,’ you would know I went to practices and games, but you wouldn’t know that I carry water for the coach or I use leadership skills when I welcome worried new team members and show them around and point out where the equipment is,” she said. “So, I’m going to teach how students can talk about these kinds of impacts.”
McAnaney enjoys giving these presentations because she loves working with students and families.
“My dad was a teacher, and that could have been a piece of it, and I started my career as a student guidance counselor when I was 22,” she said. “But as I worked more in high schools, only part of the job was about college admissions, and I really liked that part of the job. So when I saw an opportunity to blow that piece up, I did.”
As McAnaney began that career chapter, she found she couldn’t support students without mentoring.
“You can’t get a student to participate in extracurricular activities unless you talk with them about their resistance to getting involved with those extracurricular activities,” she said with a laugh. “You can’t just say, ‘This is going to help you get into college.’ You need to be able to offer other reasons that might be important to them so they’ll want to get involved.”
McAnaney established The College Spy as a completely virtual business in 2016.
“We did it before COVID, and it was a big deal,” she said. “Then when COVID hit, we were already virtual, so it was easy to keep on meeting through Zoom.”
McAnaney looks forward to her Park City return.
“Elissa is wonderful, and it’s nice of her to give me the opportunity to come back and speak again,” she said.
PC READS Presents College Application Consultant Michelle McAnaney
- When: 6 p.m. on Sept. 29
- Where: Park City High School lecture hall, 1750 Kearns Blvd.
- Cost: Free
- Web: pcreads.org and thecollegespy.com
College Application Essay Workshop with Michelle McAnaney
- When: 6 p.m. on Sept. 28
- Where: PC READS, 1700 Park Ave., Suite 2004
- Cost: $329
- Registration: thecollegespy.com
- Web: pcreads.org
Extracurricular Activity Workshop with Michelle McAnaney
- When: 6 p.m. on Sept. 30
- Where: Park City Library, 1255 Park Ave.
- Cost: $25
- Registration: parkcityreads.org/events
- Web: pcreads.org