Students with learning disabilities, particularly those who have performed well in high school, are not very concerned with success in college because they are accustomed to doing well.  What they and their parents fail to understand, however, is that high school and college are two vastly different systems.

Succeeding in college involves 4 critical elements:  normal intelligence, desire to go (determination), knowledge and acceptance of one's disability, and willingness to seek help (in fact, successful students consider seeking help a strength, not a weakness).

Once all of these factors are present, the next thing the student must do is prepare for the transition and have thorough knowledge of how to navigate the college system sensibly as a student with a disability.  Many "systems" that worked in high school will not work in college, specifically: course load, built-in structure, employment hours, time allocated for homework and studying, study methods, cramming, IEPs, etc.  Therefore, students who thrived in high school with structured days and the benefit of teachers and parents looking out for their best interests based on their IEPs, find they are suddenly in a strange land in college.  It's almost as if the rug has been pulled out from under them. Students who continue to operate under the same precepts that worked in high school soon find themselves neck-deep in academic quicksand.

As a college Learning Specialist from 1993 -2006, I witnessed this "shock and awe" phenomenon all the time: 

1) Students who only had to look over material to do well on a high school test find that they fail college exams using that method. 

2) Students who spent 1 -2 hours on homework in high school are stunned to find that will no longer suffice in college. 

3) Those who stayed home in high school because they had a headache were able to catch up; in college, missing a class is like digging a hole.  In addition, college instructors expect students to return to class caught up and ready to hand in the current homework. 

4) In high school, students have frequent tests and quizzes, so they are "forced" to stay current; also, their grades are comprised of many components.  In college, tests are infrequent--a course may only have a midterm and a final--so these grades carry a lot more weight. 

5) It is expected that for each college credit, a student will have 2 - 3 hours of work outside the classroom.  High school students aren't used to doing that much in a week!  Taking 9 college credits, for example, means sitring in class 9 hours a week and  having between 18 - 27 hour of outside work on top of that!

6) In high school, a student's day is structured without many choices or opportunities to waste time.  In college, a student may only have 2 - 3 hours a day of classes, and the rest of the time is perceived as "free".

7) Students have the protection of IEPs in high school and are not responsible for asking for what is due them.  Their teachers often reach out offering extra help, and their parents are their "mouthpieces" if they don't receive what their IEP promises.  In other words, the students are passive recipients.  In college, the onus is on the students to make sure they receives accommodations and extra help specified in their documentation.

And.... this is just the beginning.  Students who never used an academic planner in high school often learn the hard way that they can't get along without one.  Students who worked 20 hours a week in high school were able to maintain their grades; in college that no longer works.  The challenges go on and on....

Those who enter college without knowledge of its unique challenges inadvertently make mistakes that quickly set them into a downward spiral.  Those who have prepared for the transition, not only in terms of understanding the college system but also in acquiring strategies and skills that will retain them in college, have the best odds of success.  Why?  Because they've had a chance to practice in high school.  Self-advocacy doesn't fall on them like a ton of bricks.  They know how to read and retain textbook material.  They understand that simply looking over notes does not equate to studying.  They understand the necessity of practicing time management skills beforehand.

If you are the parent of a high school student with learning differences, you can subscribe to a free online list that dispenses information such as this on a weekly basis, with the goal of increasing college success rates for our students.  Sign up at www.conquercollegewithld.com.