New college student starting soon. Any advice?

Post Reply New Topic

I'm 21 years old and I will be starting community college this fall semester, but I am EXTREMELY scared and nervous. See, I have Asperger's Syndrome, and I was bullied very much in high school. I also didn't stand up for myself, which I regret, but now I'm afraid that the same thing will happen in college. I also wasn't really a smart student either. I got A's, B's, C's, D's, and even F's. I'm also afraid that since I got F's and D's in some of my high school classes, college will be too hard for me. I'm not exactly the brightest in mathematics.
I'm not very social either and making friends is not my cup of tea. What's college really like? Is it like the movies with lots of partying and craziness?

My advice? Study hard.

As far as bullying goes, assuming you will be taking academic courses, you shouldn't have too many problems with it. College is like the real world: If you look for problems, you can certainly find them. But unlike high school, the problems shouldn't come to you unsolicited.

Good luck.

You won't find as much bullying in college, most college students aren't quite so cruel but there are always the bad apples in any crowd. My advice would be to find some clubs that you're interested in and join them, it'll help you to meet like-minded people and hopefully make some friends. Also any sort of volunteer clubs or organizations are great, the people you meet through those are some of the nicest you'll ever meet.

Now as for the grades, high school is far easier than college, so you will likely have to make some adjustments in order to succeed academically. You say that you aren't a smart student but I'm here to say that it doesn't matter much if you are or aren't. You just have to put in as much work as it takes to learn the material and complete all of your assignments fully and with the utmost quality. If you do that, then regardless of your level of intelligence you should do fine. I've known some people who really weren't very intelligent, but made great grades in school because they worked their butts off. Just remember, college courses are structured around a 40hr work-week basis, meaning that you should be spending a minimum of 40hrs per week on schoolwork and classes, and oftentimes more depending on your major.

I agree with what other people have said--but I also encourage you to take advantage of any study supports your college offers. Most have study skills classes, writing labs, sometimes even free tutoring. If you have an Aspergers diagnosis, a lot of support should be available to you. Work hard and I hope it goes really well for you.

Not in community colleges... The partying stuff happens in dorms, fraternities, and sororities

How are you getting to your classes from home? Driving or public transit?

Spend as much time developing social skills and networking as you do studying.

I've learned that who you know will have more to do with your getting a job after college (and keeping it) than your grades ever will.

The school WILL NOT try to help you do this. They will be more than happy to let your socially awkward ass fail in life. They presume you should learn all that stuff on your own without help.

1) learn about all the services out there. Many college libraries will have the ability to book the time to teach you how to use databases and research. This is golden as there are many individual quirks to resources and databases. They can even help you organize research.

Learn about all the supports they can offer to people with Asperger's. Learn if there are student mentors who can help you navigate first year. Invest some time in the career center and get one of their professionals to set you up with their services, like finding internships.

2) join in! Visit some of the clubs on campus... there might even be a clubs' day. And pick one or two to join. Do not overwhelm yourself in this area, but it is best to have a bit of a social life. It's practice for the world of work.

3) See if there is a work/study program available if you need to earn money.

4) never underestimate the value of planning your time wisely. Invest in a good agenda, wall calendar or device to list off all your major projects, breaks, class times, club events, work hours, and study/reading times.

5) some colleges have counselors for the students for free. So see if this is an option for you... it might be what you. Red to get through that first year, or your diploma... I know mine helped me!

6) some colleges have essay editing services in their student service departments. And this is worth it.

College is different from high school. Your unlikely to encounter bullying issues unless you actually go out and instigate.

Advice

1.) Study.

2.) Check into possible accommodations through the Disability Support office.

3.) Learn to advocate for yourself. The school will not hold your hand.

4.) Seek out social opportunities through clubs/activities.

5.) Don't be afraid to ask for tutoring, there should be an office that can help with that.

6.) The library often hosts study skills workshops.

I'm in the same position as the OP. I'll be starting university in September. Obviously, because I haven't experienced it yet, I can't give the OP any advice but I must say that the advice given here is also helpful to me.

If you are commuting, you shouldn't have to worry about the social issues. Just focus on your course work. Take one or two courses in a field that interests you in addition to your prereqs. Staying in the dorm my first year of school was one of the worst mistakes of my life. The social climate was so unbearable for me that I developed full blown agoraphobia and had to withdraw my second semester, because I could not leave my dorm room to go to classes.

Be sure to meet with your advisor to make sure you don't take a lot of unnecessary classes, i.e. stick with the programme criteria. Also, if you are on financial aid, there is a limit to how many credit hours you can ATTEMPT before they cut off your aid. Check with your Financial Aid Office for more info.

Do what you can to avoid student loans. YOU WILL be required to pay those off, as they cannot be written-off through bankruptcy. HOWEVER, federal student loans are better than getting in mountains of credit card debt. Right now I'm $27,000 in student debt. That is only two years of being on financial aid. Of course the federal aid system is the reason college is so expensive in the first place, but I'll spare you the economics lecture.

Study. Don't screw around. Community Colleges are usually a little easier, but not by much, than traditional universities--but you still have to study.

Don't take too many classes in one semester. I wouldn't take more that three or four 3-hour classes. If you take a science course in that semester, only take three classes, as science courses are usually 4 credit hours (the traditional 3 plus 1 lab hour).

It you ever feel overwhelmed by your course load/ college life, don't be afraid to take a semester off and re-evaluate your situation. Basically, do the opposite of what I did.

You should be advised that college is pretty much a scam. I know you've probably been told from day one that you need a college degree and blah, blah, blah, and your guidance counsellors told you that having a college degree means you'll earn $1 million more money in your life time (on average). Well, that's basically a crock of sh*t. Every year college degrees are worth less and less and tuition costs more and more.

I guarantee you that every year your tuition costs will go up by at least $100-200.

And when you say "community college" I hope you mean an actual state-subsidised community college. If you mean a private, for-profit "college" you are wasting your money.

So true, the key word here is "Regionally Accredited"
"Nationally Accredited" is nice, but only in conjunction with the former (it's worthless on its own)

If you need some inspiration, google "TED talks" and browse through the education lineup. One of those talks mentioned a study of Harvard Law students and West Point cadets which tried to determine how IQ scores affected success rates. What they found was that determination (motivation, perseverance, grit, or whatever you want to cal it) had a bigger impact on success than IQ scores. I'm not saying school won't kick your ass, it's just that your ability to recoup and try again is what really determines whether or not you succeed.

Lastly, if you plan on college leading to a career, don't pick a major like communications, psychology, or history (social sciences). I know they say to pick what you enjoy, and I certianly found those classes to be enjoyable, but there are all kinds of reasons why a BA/BS in social / artistic fields is an unpromising move (unless you're really good at what you're doing).
Fields like computer science and engineering are not easy, but you'll find youself in a much shorter employment line when you finish. Heck, a certificate program like machining (especially if you learn CNC stl or G-code) will land you more job prospects than being an A-student in history.