The college search itself is hard for aspies...

Post Reply New Topic

Today I made eleven phone calls, many long distance, seeking information about disability services and student life at the colleges that I applied to last fall. I asked admissions officers questions such as "is there a pharmacy within walking distance of the campus?", and, "if I present proper documentation, will I be allowed to tape-record lectures?", and, "do the dorms have coed bathrooms?". I am the first to admit that it was stupid for me to do this AFTER I applied. I received some answers that pleased me and others that filled me with dismay.

My admissions counselor with The College of Wooster was thrilled with the chance to talk about the virtues of her employer, and she told me that she had her "fingers crossed" for my acceptance. Notable quotable: "The people with the disabilities office are some of the nicest people that I have ever known."

The man who spoke to me about Grinnell was just as friendly. He told me that GC has a partnership with a local hospital that provides student mental health services for free. Grinnell's only aspie-unfriendly aspect is - you guessed it - the coed bathrooms in some of the dorms. It's really too bad that I probably won't get into Grinnell.

The best response of all came from Beloit College, an aspie-friendly institution if there ever was one. I spoke to both my admissions counselor and the head of the office of disability services. My admissions counselor remembered me from my e-mail (which I sent way back in October!) and treated me like her best friend. The head of disability services told me about all the great accommodations that were available, but she warned me about the amount of group work that I should expect as a psychology major.

The people at Clark University were horrible. The first time I called, the admissions office routed my call to the dean's office, which routed my call back to the admissions office, which routed my call to the student counseling center, whose receptionist hung up on me. The second time I called, I demanded to speak to an admissions officer. The admissions officer basically told me that Clark University has none of the services I need. I can’t believe I paid the $40 application fee.

My call to Hendrix College took a mundane course. Hendrix offers some services but not others.

The woman who I spoke to at Ursinus College (J.D. Salinger’s alma mater) was a damned Yankee who spoke so quickly that I could barely understand her. I did gather that Ursinus College has all the academic services I need, but no single dorms.

The people at Earlham were very considerate, and they conversed with me like I mattered to them. They were knowledgeable about AS, and they gave me specific examples of aspie students who thrived at Earlham. Earlham has some of the accommodations that I asked about (including some awesome note-taking machines called “Smart Pens”), but not others. They were the only admissions people who told me that my college life would be complicated by my inability to drive.

When I called Smith, Lawrence U, Guilford, and Kalamazoo, no one was available to speak to me.

It took me six intense months to pick out those colleges, and I was still wrong on a few of them. Go figure.

It can be difficult for aspies to get through college; anyone who reads WrongPlanet knows that. However, few people understand that the college SEARCH can be a nightmare as well. An aspie has to know specific and crucial pieces of information that colleges never put in their brochures. Some aspies want special-interest majors (like game design) that many colleges and universities don't offer. Most academically-inclined aspies struggle to strike a balance between what they want out of their studies and how much they can actually handle. And of course there's money.



Still, I'm happy with some of the results of my probe. I hope I get to go to a place like Beloit or Wooster.

So you are interested in Grinnell, which means that you are willing to live in Iowa. It might be a little late, but in light of that fact, have you considered Cornell (Cornell College, not university). There are several pharmacies within walking distance, on-campus counseling, good accommodations for disabilities . . . .

They offer "one-course-at-a-time" which helped me a lot by allowing me to focus my studies on a single defined area at a time. In addition, they will help in arranging transport to any appointments you may have. The University of Iowa is about half an hour away by car and they have excellent psychiatric programs there.

I could say more. Ask me if you'd like. And yes, they allow tape recording (you just have to let the professor know but it was never a problem).

Oh yes - you can pick your dorm (only one is coed, and I don't think the bathrooms were), and for an extra fee you can get a single. My parents spoke with the dean and I got a double room to myself for no extra charge AFTER I arrived, so that's possible as well.

As I was reading your post, I thought "I wish I would've been diagnosed prior to age 25." It sure would've made college a lot easier!

I chose a small college in northern Ohio (about 1200 students total), although I did consider Beloit, Wooster, Earlham, and another you had mentioned. I was horrified by the thought of going to a large state school...just the thought of it was enough to send me into tears for hours. I didn't "party," I was cripplingly shy, I couldn't talk to people, and I hated noise. After 3 years at that little college...which actually felt very much like attending high school (cliques, being known as a weirdo, etc.)...I took summer courses at a larger state school. This school had a student body of about 14,000 and was in a town of about 14,000...a town with a public transit system and a very walkable campus, with its OWN pharmacy and mental health services, in addition to the local hospital. I was amazed by the professors there, the facilities, and how MUCH MORE I was learning there. Also, I liked the anonymity I could choose to have.

If you do not drive, choose your school very carefully. There are a lot of schools where it will be impossible to get around unless you make friends with people who have cars. Also, in the end, I'm glad I lived with a roommate. I despised 2 of them, but the other 2 really helped me gain insight into people that I wouldn't otherwise have gotten. They accepted and embraced my weirdness, and we got to be friends. If you are worried about noise, partying, and well, morons...live in an honors dorm, or a substance free dorm. Be kinda wary of the admissions counselors...remember, it's their job to get you to attend their college.

I would NOT want to share a bathroom with a bunch 18-20 year old dudes on a daily basis. Ew.

Beloit seems like an amazing school, from all that I have heard.

Also, I want to encourage you to make contact with Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. They have hands-down the strongest disabilities services department I have EVER heard of (I am on my 7th school now, in grad. school [yes, I know it's absurd, and I'm working on the book]). I attended Wright State for a year prior to grad. school, and was amazed at the services they offered to students with any kind of disability. It's not a very large school, they are VERY open to students living off-campus, the dorms stay pretty quiet, and they also have a lot of on-campus apartments. Additionally, the school is walking distance (less than a mile) from a 24-hr. Meijer store (grocery, pharmacy, clothes, etc...gigantic). They also have a School of Psychology and a Medical School...which is nice because if you go there for undergrad and like it, you don't have to go through the hassle of transitioning to a different school for your graduate degree. You probably feel like it's late to be considering another college, but here's the link to their disability services page:
http://www.wright.edu/students/dis_services/
At least give them a call and see what they can offer you. The bigger a school is, generally the better their disability services (and health services) are. From my time there, I feel like Wright State is just the right size to not be overwhelming, yet be able to provide what is needed. Also...and this was awesome...I NEVER had to do a group project there...only group discussions during class on occasion. Group projects bite the big one.

Additional WSU highlights:
tunnels underground so on wet/cold days you don't have to go outside to get to class
small class sizes
bus system
walkable to A LOT of restaurants and there's a large mall about 1.5 miles away--easy bike ride
anthropology classes where you get to interact with chimps (I'm a nerd)
low tuition
you can get a job in your dept. as a research aide

GOOD LUCK! Whatever school you pick, don't be afraid to transfer if you don't like it. I wish I would've when I had the chance! Sorry you've had such a frustrating time with the admissions departments. College can be a frustrating thing sometimes, but I think it's worth it.