Dealing with Discussion Sections

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Hi all, I'm new to this board. I'm an undergraduate college student at a public university in the U.S., and I've returned to school in my thirties after a couple of earlier attempts.

My classes are mostly large lectures (110+ students), with smaller discussion sections of about forty people that meet once a week. The large lectures were difficult for me at first: the room gets very crowded, and there are lots of sounds and smells. I have to choose whether to sit in the front, and have people sitting close to me and behind me, or in the back, where it's harder to see and hear and I risk being distracted by the ocean of laptops open in front of me. I go with the back, because then there is no chance someone will knee me in the head, and it's easier to find a seat where no one will sit next to me. (I need to mention that I don't dislike people, not at all, I just don't like it when people I don't know are very close to me.)

So, I think I have big lectures figured out, or well enough. But it's the accompanying discussion sections that I still can't figure out how to manage. Usually, there's a group activity worksheet for us to do. The TA breaks us into groups randomly, we work with our group to do the worksheet, and turn it in at the end of the period. But I just... can't. There are about forty people in a room that is meant to hold only about forty people, everyone's holding cards up and trying to find their groups, then the jostling and everyone dragging their desks together, and THEN we try and puzzle out the assignment, and each other... I can't seem to adequately explain to anyone why I find this so unbearable. It is nightmarish to me. I usually talk myself into showing up, sit down and listen to whatever short presentation the TA has for us, and then I bolt when it's time to break into groups. Sometimes, I'm not really aware I'm doing it until I'm already halfway across campus. It's embarrassing, and frustrating, and I need to figure out how to deal with this, because the situation isn't going to go away anytime soon.

I've tried dealing with this on my own without luck - I just accept the hit to my grades that comes with not being able to participate in the discussion sections. The damage has already been done for this semester (and past ones), but I hold out hope that maybe, next semester will be the one where I figure it out.

Does anyone here have similar issues? What helps you cope? If you've used your school's Disability Services Office to get accommodations, what accommodations enabled you to successfully participate?

Hey ThatBear.

Welcome

Do the front rows really get filled? I'm surprised because the majority of students usually avoids the first few rows especially in a large lecture hall. If sitting in the back is too distracting for you and you find that you're not really paying attention to the professor, then try sitting in the center seat in the first row. That way, people are less likely to bump you in the head when they're getting to their seat or leaving class early. Or if the lecture hall has left, center, and right side rows, then sit somewhere on the side rows.

With the discussion sessions, I would suggest looking at the times when the sessions are held. Not all sessions will be filled, especially the night ones (6pm and later) or early morning ones (like at 8am). If you live on/somewhat close to campus, and don't mind going to class at night or waking up early in the morning, then this is a good option since there's generally fewer students willing to register/show up for these sessions.

Hope that helps. Congrats on going back to college!

In terms of discussion sessions, one thing that my institution's disability service office does for autistics is that they provide interested students with a "Letter of Introduction" which is separate and distinct from a "Letter of Accommodation." The letter of introduction is an MS Word-based document on the letterhead of the office that students can customize which (1) introduces one to the professor or TA, (2) explains the nature of autism, (3) how it affects them and (4) how autism may impact certain aspects of the class--such as discussion sessions.

I used this Letter of Introduction in two of my classes at my current institution and my experiences have been positive as a result of doing this. I will note that this letter of introduction was not a formal accommodation but rather an avenue of disclosure about my autistic tendencies to the TA in a discreet manner. I find that when I disclose to instructors and professors that they would take this into consideration when determining participation marks.

You might want to discuss this approach with your coordinator at your institution and if it would help.

Best of luck

~CGKings317