What is university life like for Aspies?

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deep-techno
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22 Nov 2009, 1:22 pm

Hi,

I'm in Year 13 at school (doing A-levels) and I've applied to study Mathematics at university next year.

I'm a little bit curious; for those on here who go to university, what is life like? Is it good? I'm looking forward to going to university because I can greatly advance my structure if living by myself, because I feel that one of my parents is a bit flaky and not very routined.

In particular, which Asperger traits are satisfied in university life?


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Sarah256
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22 Nov 2009, 5:33 pm

Hi, I'm not sure if I have Asperger's but I definitely have certain traits of it so I've decided I'm at least somewhat qualified to comment!

Anyway I've started this year at university, also studying maths. I've found it's good and bad. My social life is non existant compared to other people around me but I don't actually mind that. I also haven't made any close friends although I am on friendly terms with the people I come into contact with.

In some ways I have more routine in my life now, I go shopping on the same days on the week, I know exactly when I have lectures, I eat simialar things each week and I go out every Thursday evening. On the other hand I quite often find myself intimidated by large groups of people, especially in small areas such as the kitchen. This can lead to a large disruption in my routine because I might wait for other people to be finished using the kitchen because I go in.

In general I like university life although it took me a few weeks to settle in. I found freshers week quite difficult because of the pressure to talk to other people and take part in lots of silly activities.

Good luck with your applications,
-Sarah



JerryHatake
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29 Nov 2009, 10:18 pm

I love my college life since it has broken down so many barriers I had back in high school. I love George Mason so much that I try to go to all the athletics home events.


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FreeSpirit2000
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31 Jan 2010, 11:09 pm

Right now, I am really bored of my ass as we speak because I am only at a junior college, due to screwing up in classes during high school as well as the 2 previous years i did to, but I am becoming a studyholic as we speak and I want A's and some B's only depending how hard a class is. I am not going to settle for less and I will be learning how to choose my classes wisely whenever I register for my classes.



lotsofsnails
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12 Feb 2010, 4:01 pm

I've found a lot of opportunities to socialize and make friends. I still have some anxieties regarding socializing but overall I think I've done well. The biggest problem for me is trying to manage the work - I procrastinate a lot and it really stresses me out and depresses me sometimes. But overall uni life for me has been much better than any of the years preceding it.


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aleclair
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13 Feb 2010, 1:17 am

Don't know if you're still reading several months down the road, but...

If you had a vague idea of who you wanted to be at the end of high school - that is, what type of person you wanted to be - you'll thrive in college. You'll be able to pursue whatever social identity you wanted.

But if you graduated high school thinking, "I don't know who I am. Aren't we supposed to discover that in college?" you will get left behind as everyone else makes friends; you will go to clubs and activities and make no connections since you didn't know how to exploit meeting people at the beginning - so on, so forth.

At least that's my experience. Results, as the old groaner goes, may vary.



jefe
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17 Feb 2010, 10:29 pm

deep-techno wrote:
Hi,

I'm in Year 13 at school (doing A-levels) and I've applied to study Mathematics at university next year.

I'm a little bit curious; for those on here who go to university, what is life like? Is it good? I'm looking forward to going to university because I can greatly advance my structure if living by myself, because I feel that one of my parents is a bit flaky and not very routined.

In particular, which Asperger traits are satisfied in university life?


Well, there are a lot of factors, like what kind of school? In the city? Lots of people?

If you make one good friend then it can be awesome, especially if they introduce you to the social college world. I'd say the one trait about Aspergers (if I understand the question correctly) is you can meld into the background if you want (I went to a small high school so I couldn't hide from anybody).

The independence is nice, but if you are stuck with a bad roommate it's going to be HELL.

In conclusion there's no predictability when it comes to College, just try to enjoy it and come out alive. :)


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