Going to college while transitioning from mtf...

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I might be starting college in the fall of this year, and I need advice on how I can attend college and transition at the same time.

Here are some things you may want to consider (if you haven't already).

- Looking into student forums where discussion about the university occurs (specifically what people are saying about their experiences with being LGBT and attending the university).

- If you have a hold of any promotional materials, it's worth looking if they have a LGBT support group. You don't have to join, but it's usually a good sign if there is one. The one I joined was quite lacking so we made our own unofficial one when I was at university.

- Once you start attending, you will likely have to fill out some kind of personal details form. Typically you'll be asked to check this form to see if it's up to date every couple of months or so. I have a friend (trans woman) who transitioned whilst at university and I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the university updated the name and provided her with a new student email. She contacted our course leaders and explained the situation, then it was changed. However, it's worth checking your student details in case they haven't been updated everywhere on the system, conflicts can potentially cause issues further down the line.

- If you're staying in student accommodation, depending on the system, you might be given the option to request to be put with roommates with shared values - such as supporting the LGBT community. However, I'll admit that I've no idea what the climate on trans issues is like in Virginia or how the accommodation system there operates.

- There are 'panic button' plug-in extensions that close all your incognito tabs at once and open particular webpages in their place, useful if you're closeted to certain people and they are likely to walk in. Which can help if you're looking at trans-related webpages that you don't want them to see (such as advice on voice pitch). Always make sure to close such tabs before presenting your screen in class. Make sure to research any plug-ins before downloading to make sure they are safe and from a trustworthy site.

- Be careful who you tell. If you're not ready to be fully out, make sure you only tell people you can absolutely trust and let them know what you are and aren't comfortable with.

How out are you? Have you started to transition publicly? What kind of advice are you looking for? Apologies if this wasn't very helpful, I'm cis so I don't know how much help I can be, and hopefully someone with more knowledge on the subject will come along and answer this thread. Further, as I've mentioned I don't know what the cultural climate is like in Virginia.