The 2e/Gifted Secret College Advantage: Why Your Student is Already Set Up for Success
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The college admissions process can feel overwhelming for any parent, but when you have a twice-exceptional child, the stress often intensifies. The good news is that your twice-exceptional child doesn't need to follow a conventional path to college. In fact, taking a different approach might be exactly what sets them up for success. Your child's differences—their intense curiosities, their unconventional thinking patterns, their need for accommodations—these aren't obstacles to overcome. They're advantages to leverage.
If you're the parent of a twice-exceptional (2e) student, you've probably spent years worrying about how your bright, quirky kiddo will navigate the college application process. Will their unique learning style be a barrier? How do you help them showcase their strengths while addressing their challenges?
Here's the game-changing news: Your 2e student already has a significant advantage in the college admissions process.
The Truth About What Colleges Really Want
College admissions expert Kate Stone, who has spent 15 years guiding students through the application process, shared this revolutionary perspective during a recent Young Scholar's Academy workshop: 2e students are naturally more original thinkers who gravitate toward niche interests and unusual questions. When something sparks their curiosity, they dive deeper than most other students.
This intellectual intensity, paired with resilience and self-awareness, creates some of the most compelling college applicants Stone has ever worked with. Instead of trying to blend in, 2e students naturally stand out.
The bottom line? Different is a strength in college admissions.
Building an Authentic College Profile
So how do you help your 2e student showcase these natural advantages? Here are the key strategies that can transform how colleges see your child:
Focus on Rigor in Areas of Interest
Forget the pressure to excel across all subjects. Colleges want to see "stacked evidence" in your child's areas of genuine interest. If your student doesn't love humanities, don't force AP Literature. Instead, load up on courses, projects, and activities that align with their passions.
Document Everything (Seriously, Everything!)
That robotics class your child has been taking for two years? The AI coding bootcamp they completed? The weekly trips to Manhattan's textile district to study fashion design? These all count as significant activities.
Stone emphasizes that activities done independently are completely valid for college applications. Whether it's:
Analyzing sports data while watching broadcasts
Studying macro nutrition and fitness
Pursuing independent research projects
Taking online courses in specialized subjects
If your child spends 5-6 hours per week on it and it connects to their interests, it belongs on their college application.
Turn Accommodations into Assets
One of the most powerful strategies Stone shared was reframing support systems as strengths. Instead of hiding accommodations, showcase the skills they've developed:
Working with my executive functioning coach taught me to break big projects into weekly goals, allowing me to finish my science fair project two weeks early.
My ADHD specialist helped me develop a checklist system that kept me on track for all my lab reports.
These examples demonstrate self-awareness, proactive problem-solving, and the ability to leverage resources—exactly what colleges want to see.
The Path Doesn't Have to Be Linear
Alternative Timelines Are Valid
Stone reminds us that immediate college enrollment isn't required—there are countless pathways to higher learning. Options include:
Gap years with structured programs
Community college paired with apprenticeships or work experience
Independent studies and open curricula programs
Online college for students who thrive in virtual environments
Real-World Example
Stone shared the story of a 2e student doing community college while simultaneously completing an equine therapy apprenticeship—something that helps her emotionally and mentally while connecting to her interest in psychology. This approach combines personal healing with future career preparation.
Assessing College Readiness
The Three Pillars of Readiness
1. Self-Advocacy Skills The number one reason 2e students struggle in college? They don't ask for help. Start practicing now:
Role-play emailing professors
Practice making appointments
Give them scripts for requesting support
2. Personal and Emotional Awareness Help your student identify:
Early warning signs of overwhelm (missing classes, excessive gaming, etc.)
Strategies to manage difficult periods
Campus resources they can access when needed
3. Executive Functioning Independence If your student has been relying on parents, teachers, or professionals for organization, it's time to build independence gradually. Stone's approach emphasizes that students need extensive practice before mastering any new skill—don't expect them to succeed without repeated opportunities to learn.
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Choosing the Right College Environment
Questions to Ask During Your Research
When evaluating colleges, Stone recommends asking these often-overlooked questions:
What's the advisor-to-student ratio?
Do you proactively reach out to students each semester, or is it all student-driven?
Can students meet with advisors without appointments?
How often do you train faculty on working with 2e students?
What's your process for medical or mental health leaves?
Environment Matters
Look for colleges that offer:
Project-based learning or self-paced modules
Natural campus environments with quiet spaces
Cooperative rather than competitive cultures
Comprehensive support programs through disability services
The Application Strategy
Start with Curriculum Research
If your student is resistant to discussing college, Stone suggests starting with program research instead. When students begin exploring actual courses, class descriptions, and learning opportunities, they often become excited about the educational content rather than feeling pressured about college itself.
The Essay Advantage
Stone has her students write down the ten most interesting, unusual, and quirky things about themselves as essay topic generators. For 2e students, this list often writes itself. Their unique perspectives, intense interests, and personal growth stories naturally create compelling narratives.
The Disclosure Decision
There's no blanket rule about whether to disclose learning differences, but Stone offers this guidance: If your transcript shows anything unusual (grade dips, school switches, test scores that don't match GPA), disclosure with context can actually help your application by clearing up confusion.
Setting Up for College Success
Before You Arrive
Book time with Disability Services immediately upon acceptance
Set up accommodations as "insurance," even if you're not sure you'll use them
Research professors online (RateMyProfessor.com, social media, interviews)
Ensure parents have access to student records for emergencies
Building Your Support System
Have relaxed conversations about:
Daily schedules and routines
How to fill unstructured time
Communication plans with family
Campus resources and when to use them
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WRITE TEXT HEREThe Mindset Shift That Changes Everything
Perhaps the most powerful message from Stone's presentation was this perspective shift: Stop trying to make your 2e child fit a neurotypical mold.
Stone emphasized that you don't have a neurotypical kid, and you don't have to take a neurotypical path.
Your child's differences—their intense curiosities, their unconventional thinking patterns, their need for accommodations—these aren't obstacles to overcome. They're advantages to leverage.
The Bottom Line
College admissions officers are looking to build diverse classes of specialists. They want students who have one thing they care deeply about and are meaningfully engaged with. Your 2e student, with their natural tendency toward deep interests and original thinking, is exactly what they're looking for.
As Stone emphasizes, being different is absolutely a superpower in the application process.
So take a deep breath. Your bright, quirky, twice-exceptional student isn't just ready for college—they're positioned to thrive in ways that might surprise you both.
About Kate Stone
Kate Stone is an experienced, accredited college admissions consultant and essay coach who received her BS in Communications and a minor in Creative Writing from NYU. She continued as a Princeton University teaching fellow in Asia before starting University Gurus, where she transforms her passion for creative writing and storytelling into actionable strategies for the college admissions process.
Through her unique approach, Kate coaches students to develop and strategize their most powerful narratives based on their individual ideas and achievements. She specializes in helping students—particularly twice-exceptional learners—stand out authentically in the college application process.
What makes Kate's perspective particularly valuable is her own non-linear educational journey. Starting as a C student in high school, she attended community college before transferring to NYU—a path that taught her firsthand that there are many roads to success.
For consultation opportunities with Kate Stone, visit katestoneprep.com/consultation.
About Young Scholar's Academy
Young Scholar's Academy provides accelerated, project-based learning opportunities designed specifically for bright, curious students who learn differently. Through small classes led by caring mentors, YSA creates communities where twice-exceptional learners can thrive academically while developing the self-advocacy and independence skills they'll need for future success.
To learn more about how your bright student can have a strength-based year, successfully putting all of these tips into practice as they build an impressive college application in the following courses: AP (Advanced Placement), portfolio building, SAT prep, passion project, and talent development, CLICK HERE!!!