College Advice

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Hey, I'm living in Northern California and attending college in the fall. I was hoping I could get some advice about what to expect for my first year

Hey, congratulations.
College is a big step and can be really intimidating.
My advice is stay organized. Keep a calendar that shows the days you have class, exam dates, days tutors are available, days you work (if you get a part time job), and anything else important.
If stay organized and focused I know you'll have a great time in school.
All the best!

Have you gone on a tour of your school? Will you be living on campus in a dorm?

Advice for your first year?

1) If you're living in a dorm, get a small 1.9 cubic foot refrigerator. These are great for storing cold drinks and it's a lot cheaper if you stock your own beverages instead of buying them from a dormitory's vending machine.

2) Buy used textbooks. They're much less expensive than new textbooks and if they're in good shape, you can sell them back to the store after the course ends.

3) Your school should have a map that shows where all of the buildings on your campus are located. When I went to college, I taped a copy on the inside cover of a binder. These days you can probably store this as a file on your smart phone. Having a map will help you navigate your way around campus.

4) Unless you're attending a community college or a small college, freshmen classes for universities can be really large especially with all of the prerequisite classes like History 101. Large classes will often be taught in a theater like auditorium with raised tiered seating ... and the professor will be the tiny figure standing behind the podium. Some classes like chemistry 101 come with a lecture class and a discussion group. Discussion groups are typically headed by a graduate student known as a TA (teaching assistant).

5) Each class will start with a syllabus. The syllabus highlights what will be taught, how the course will be graded, and what your responsibilities are as a student. Be aware that some professors take a really dim view of ditching classes so read the fine print ... otherwise if you miss too many classes you could wind up with a lower grade due to your attendance.

6) If you're living in a dorm, you might want a stash of snack items that don't need to be refrigerated. Since you're likely to have 1-2 roommates, you might want to invest in a foot locker with a padlock. I know from personal experience that hungry roommates will sometimes pilfer your supplies if it's 2 AM and they have the munchies. You can avoid having your snacks mooched if you keep them under lock and key.

7) Space is always at a premium in a dormitory so keep your personal belongings to a minimum. Your dorm room will most likely be furnished with a bed with mattress and pillow, a dresser, some closet space, and a desk. You will want a lamp, bed sheets, pillow cases, a comforter, and towels.

Unless you're going home to do laundry, you'll have to learn how to do laundry. The dorm should have coin operated washers and dryers. It's generally considered rude to throw your clothing in a washing machine or dryer and to then leave. If you do this, don't be surprised if you find your laundry piled on a table when you return.

9) Dorms come with cafeterias ... either in the dorm or in a centralized location. The dining hours are set, so if you miss a meal you'll have the choice of dining out, ordering pizza for delivery, or snacking on whatever you have stashed in your dorm room. Cafeteria menus tend to be really boring. Even now, several decades after I earned my first degree, I still hate grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup because this was a popular lunch item at my cafeteria along with watery canned stews and over cooked spaghetti. After my first two years in the dorm, I opted out and got an apartment with a couple of friends. One of them had a car and we split the grocery bill. I did all of the cooking and they did the cleaning.

10) If you're autistic, you might check to see if you have an assigned faculty adviser or counselor. Make sure they know about your condition. Some schools are really good about supporting those of us who are on the spectrum. Others still follow the old sink or swim policy.

11) Extracurricular activities are an important part of student life. In my day there were bulletin boards in the student activity center that advertised each group. Although these boards may still exist, in this day and age there's probably a website with email addresses to contact officers or club sponsors.

Once you've settled into the routine of college life, you might want to find a group to join. In my day I joined a gaming group and we played board games on Saturday at the student activity center. Not only was it relaxing to play games but this was also a great way to meet people who shared a common interest and to make friends.

12) Jobs - Some schools are really good about understanding that students may need part time jobs to help out with expenses or pocket money. Different schools have different organizations. In my day we found jobs through the student union (activity center). I got a minimum wage job at the School of Public Health library. It was pretty simple. I sat at the desk checking out books and I collected books that had been turned in and sorted them before putting them back on the book shelves. Not only will a part time job provide you with money but this a great way to meet people. It also provides you with job experience that you may put on your resume.

13) It's my understanding that some schools issue laptops. You should check with your school to see if they issue laptops or have suggestions as to what sort of laptop you should get. I would imagine that WIFI should be available. You should check to see how reports or notes you type on your laptop can be printed out.

I hope this advice helps. I hope you have a wonderfully successful year!

David

From personal experience I definitely agree that you need. To. Stay. Organized. If you're prone to forgetting, have trouble starting tasks you aren't particularly interested in, etc, organization is KEY!

Also, DON'T SKIP CLASS. This one might seem obvious but yeah, don't do it. There might be a little voice that tells you, "I'll just skip today," but do not listen to it.

Additionally, I think it's important to assess yourself and what you can realistically achieve as opposed to your neurotypical peers. For example I realized I more often than not needed alternative testing since the noise of the other students around me made it hard for me to concentrate on the actual exam. If you come to the conclusion that you might need certain accommodations to be on equal ground with the rest of the students don't hesitate to look into your college's possible accommodations.

Try to socialize and find like-minded people. College get way harder as an aspie when you're alone among a sea of students. But there's no pressure, try to have fun and make a few close friends.

Most of the more important stuff was mentioned by ChefDave but I hope I was of help. Good luck, I hope you do very well!