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Velociraptor
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11 Aug 2015, 2:46 pm

So I am about to finish my application for a community college and classes would begin on the 2nd of September.

I have decided that I really need to do something and I think that Civil Engineering could be a good fit. I'm not sure exactly what I want to do but Geotechnical, Water and Structural seem to be the most interesting to me, in that order.

I am just extremely worried about college it's just a whole new world.



Jacoby
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11 Aug 2015, 2:52 pm

I am starting again as in couple weeks, been out of school for a long time so its a pretty huge adjustment. I've been preparing myself for the last year to get to this point, I really don't know what I am actually capable of but it's best to just take it as it comes.



Sunnyboy2
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11 Aug 2015, 2:55 pm

In my experience before mental illness caught up to me, college was very relaxed. Given my major had been computer programming, I find coding to be a relaxing activity (usually, when you're not screaming at it to work right). Plus I filled up my extra time with internet and art.

Community Colleges tend to be cheaper, so there's no harm in trying what you want first and figuring out what you wanna do.

I can't speak on the social aspects of it, because I wasn't social. It was easy to keep to myself, really easy.
Just be smart about it, you've made it to college. Just do your work and ask your teachers if you have questions, or any other students if you want to.. You'll get a large mix of ages going to community college, there were a lot of older people in my college. They have a lot of life experience, so they can be very helpful.



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Velociraptor
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11 Aug 2015, 3:11 pm

Sunnyboy2 wrote:
In my experience before mental illness caught up to me, college was very relaxed. Given my major had been computer programming, I find coding to be a relaxing activity (usually, when you're not screaming at it to work right). Plus I filled up my extra time with internet and art.

Community Colleges tend to be cheaper, so there's no harm in trying what you want first and figuring out what you wanna do.

I can't speak on the social aspects of it, because I wasn't social. It was easy to keep to myself, really easy.
Just be smart about it, you've made it to college. Just do your work and ask your teachers if you have questions, or any other students if you want to.. You'll get a large mix of ages going to community college, there were a lot of older people in my college. They have a lot of life experience, so they can be very helpful.


Socially I am so uncertain.

I know the two engineering schools I am interested in get a lot of flack from people for having no social life and students who are more concerned with their studies.

There are just little things I am not completely certain about like, computers, so I use my laptop to take notes? Or do I jot them down? What do most people do?



glebel
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11 Aug 2015, 3:17 pm

I found college much less stressful than high school. You can frequently adjust your schedule to the times that are better for you ( mornings for me). Not to say that all your classes, particularly the most popular ones, will be scheduled at the times that you want. Also, there won't be anyone there who doesn't want to be there, so there is much less distraction and horseplay in the classrooms.


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Sunnyboy2
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11 Aug 2015, 3:38 pm

Scanner wrote:
Socially I am so uncertain.

I know the two engineering schools I am interested in get a lot of flack from people for having no social life and students who are more concerned with their studies.

There are just little things I am not completely certain about like, computers, so I use my laptop to take notes? Or do I jot them down? What do most people do?


Some teachers might say 'no laptops' but often, especially in engineering I would think, notes can be recorded on computers. Use whatever note taking media that you're comfortable with, for me.. it's always been paper and pencil for me. (quite honestly, most notes teachers use to tech might be handed out as daily papers. Especially core classes)

I find computers distracting, because they can access so much, and they have a limit of what they can visually record if things like diagrams are written on a board. Diagrams are important to the way I learn and absorb information, so pencil and paper is best for me.

Unless you're concerned with having no social life, I wouldn't let comments like those scare you away from schools you're interested in.



pcuser
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11 Aug 2015, 4:05 pm

I found that college was far different and better for me than high school was. I also didn't know I had autism. I actually met some women who would date me. I found that when I was a strong student in a class, I could form study groups. When you need to explain something to someone who needs a little help, it cements it in your mind. If you can't do this, you still can study enough to shine in your preferred field. I would suggest that you choose the major you love the most. That makes it easier to work hard at it. When you work hard, you will shine. That was a treat for me and very different from high school.



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Velociraptor
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11 Aug 2015, 4:30 pm

Sunnyboy2 wrote:
Scanner wrote:
Socially I am so uncertain.

I know the two engineering schools I am interested in get a lot of flack from people for having no social life and students who are more concerned with their studies.

There are just little things I am not completely certain about like, computers, so I use my laptop to take notes? Or do I jot them down? What do most people do?


Some teachers might say 'no laptops' but often, especially in engineering I would think, notes can be recorded on computers. Use whatever note taking media that you're comfortable with, for me.. it's always been paper and pencil for me. (quite honestly, most notes teachers use to tech might be handed out as daily papers. Especially core classes)

I find computers distracting, because they can access so much, and they have a limit of what they can visually record if things like diagrams are written on a board. Diagrams are important to the way I learn and absorb information, so pencil and paper is best for me.

Unless you're concerned with having no social life, I wouldn't let comments like those scare you away from schools you're interested in.


I'll be commuting so I would be one of those students that the more social people complain about. I really don't mind if things aren't that social, though I do hope to at least make one or two friends because I do need some.



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11 Aug 2015, 8:02 pm

If you're diagnosed with ASD, it might be worth asking for adjustments, if the place has many neurotypical expectations. I think that the higher you go in education, the less Aspie-friendly it becomes. I'm know somebody with a severe case of ASD who has got through their first term (pre-diagnosis) by the skin of their teeth because the support services were very unhelpful. The hope is that they'll take the case seriously now that the DX has been done, but the current thinking of parents and counsellor is that the chances aren't good. But your experiences might be very different.

I'm a moderate Aspie and I got through a part-time college course quite well before I knew I had AS, though I didn't enjoy it much. It helps if you have a keen interest in your subjects, and if you put energy into the non-academic, bureaucratic challenges. My college wasn't steeped in bureaucracy like the university I spoke of is, but I managed to miss the enrolment date for an exam because I was so "behind the door" about procedures. I liked a few of the students, and got on OK with them, but didn't get on with many of them. A big problem was my reluctance to ask the lecturers etc. for help when I didn't understand things. And I found it hard to come to terms with how hard they worked us and the poor quality of some of the teaching. But like I say, I did quite well.



pcuser
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12 Aug 2015, 10:12 am

Another thing. If you don't understand something, you should ask the teacher. I had a linear algebra class in college. I understood it well because I have a talent for it (I think). When the first exam came back, only 2 of us did well. We got A's. The rest of the class had no idea. The professor came in with the test results and told the class we were starting over. He said if anyone didn't understand something in class to raise their hand and ask questions. An enlightened professor he was. The class went fine for all after this change. Also, as has been suggested already, you should pursue an interest in a subject you love.