What is your current college or alma mater?

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I am currently a high school graduate. I had applied to several local colleges near my home and I am still waiting results. I expect to attend school within a few months.

I just have a question that I want to ask everyone here, if it applies to you.

I want to know:

(1) What is your current college (or university)? Or what was the college that you had graduated from?
(2) What's your major?
(3) How do you find your experiences in college?
(4) Do you want to repeat your experience as a college student again?
(5) Last of all --- (This applies if you are somewhere on the ASD) Do you think College is a really life-changing experience for us as people with ASDs, who loves to read, write and think critically (but still may not be that socially adept)?

1. University of Washington (graduated 2005); Southern Illinois University (current)
2. bioanthropology (undergrad); behavior analysis (masters, current)
3. Undergrad is what you make of it, it can be anything you want it to be. Mine was awesome.
4. Apparently I decided to do it again 4 years removed...
5. ASD or not, if it's your first big transition step into the adult world, first long-distance move from home, etc. it will likely change your life quite a bit.

1, Eastern Washington University.

2, I majored in history, which I have a four year degree in.

3, Well, that's a tricky one. I absolutely loved learning just for the sake of learning, and having the world open for me in ways I have not experienced since. On top of that, I found myself stepping from the childhood of my high school year, into adulthood in college. All of a sudden, my instructors and professors, as well as older students treated me with the respect given to an adult. Plus the weirdness which had made me an outcast in the public school system was largely overlooked by my peers, amazingly enough. But it was also in my college years that I had begun grappling with depression that would dog me for years after. It was this sense of despair that I carried with me everyday of my life, beginning in my college years, that casts a shadow over memories of those days.

4, I've often thought I'd probably enjoy reliving those days of being a professional student, and just enjoy filling my brain with knowledge. With the support given to me by my wife, and the wonderment and love my little girl fills my life with, I doubt I'd have a relapse of my depression.

5, Finally, I think college is a great experience for those of us on the spectrum. Speaking for myself, I look back fondly at sitting in the library or the ride home from school on the bus, reading text books or going over my notes. My NT peers figured I was a super brain of some kind, because my study habits payed off in grades. Talk about an ego boost! And it was during my college years that I had finally decided the life of a fiction writer was for me, as I discovered I had a talent for writing fiction in creative writing work shops I had taken (no, I did not in fact do anything with my degree in history). Not to mention how I was able to eat up all the fiction assigned in the lit classes I had taken, and wanted to ask for seconds.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

(1) Texas State University-San Marcos

(2) Geography-Urban and Regional Planning, minor in geology

(3) I found them very easy and not stressful.

(4) I would consider it at the graduate level.

(5) It was a great experience, and it was a bit life-changing, and I learned what it takes to be out on my own.

(1) What is your current college (or university)? Or what was the college that you had graduated from? Molloy College
(2) What's your major? Psychology
(3) How do you find your experiences in college? I found it to be great. I liked it that I was able to make friends and that the class sizes we're small and that I was able to get help from my professors, and they had a great disability counselor there. I really enjoyed college.
(4) Do you want to repeat your experience as a college student again? Yes I would.

I'm at a community college right now (I've just finished my first year) and I'm not in 4 year college/university yet. I can't really answer about all my experiences since I'm not at my 4 year school yet. I have not enjoyed community college...many people think it's an easier transition, but in my case it has been sort of a pain and I'll just have another transition to university to deal with. I went to CC this year because my health held me back a bit.

Freshman at the University of Wyoming. Go Pokes!

In heaven there is no beer,
That's why we drink it here,
And when we're gone from here,
Our friends will be drinking all the beer!

George Mason University (Class of 2010)

B.A. in Integrative Studies with a concentration in Social Science for Education

I found my experiences to be full of excitement and learning. I have learned a great deal from attending Mason and living in the dorms.

At the moment I just graduated from Mason so no but I enjoy my time and courses there.

In my personal opinion, attending college itself is a great feat for anyone with Asperger's Syndrome. I was not good at writing and had limited social interaction but I like to read and do critical thinking. From my freshman year to now, I have become more social and understand than social life much better than I did in high school.

1. Community College Rhode Island
2. Histology technician
3. I found that college has the best supports and encouragement I ever had. Plus all of the friends I made, many of them who have Asperger's. Plus, I loved my classes and feel like I am on top of the world.
4. Yes I would.
5. My experience is that my school has a better understanding and a great encouraging support system than even the Autism adult day programs that I have attended in the past. Plus, there are many more students with Asperger's that I was able to be friends with.

[humor]

School of Hard Knocks. Working on my 3rd doctorate.

[/humor]

(1) University of Minnesota, though I can't afford to stay here anymore.
(2) Economics with a math minor
(3) Horrible. Absolutely horrible. People are stupid, class is mind-numbing, and it's giving me a huge load of debt that I probably won't be able to pay off, because I highly doubt my post-graduation job prospects.
(4) Absolutely not!
(5) It was certainly life-changing in the way that it made me more cynical, misanthropic, and increased by hatred of "educational institutions". I've learned to stop trusting conventional wisdom, and I've grown an interest of learning things outside of school instead of in it.

Before this thread, I once thought that people with ASDs are not meant for colleges. It must be due from the experiences I had personally. In the place where I live, there are a handful of university students with ASDs, but somehow they dread college. In addition, there is the prevalent thinking presently that autistics should just focus on vocational or employment skills to serve the employer(s), not working towards self-realization and the unlocking of individuals' potentials.

The purpose of this thread has been partially achieved - as you have contributed to this thread, and showing all users our possibilities.

I am going to college this year, no matter where I will head to in a few months' time, I know it is possible for people with ASDs to achieve success in life, to work towards maximizing one's potential in life, and to lead a meaningful life ahead.

Thank you for posting and answering my questions. I hope to have more answers to the question on the original post though, to give us more hope

Actually Many people with ASD's do well in college. People with Asperger's who have mostly normal to high IQ's could succeed in college or anyone with ASD's who may not have mental retardation. There are even people who actually have even mild mental retardation who could go too. Usually the typical person with an ASD that would be in a vocational or employment day program type are usually ones that are either severely mentally ret*d, low functioning, and/or have issues, whether learning or behavioral, that would interfere with college skills. But then again you here things about someone who is very low functioning taking art classes at colleges and then you have ones who are higher functioning who are unable to deal with the stress. Back in the older days, typically you would automatically be in a day program if you had mental retardation with an ASD. Since I did not I went to college, but when I did not know what I wanted to go for and needed some guidance to figure out what I could do with my disability, I got put into a day program. Not a good idea, worst thing ever in my life. Now, on my own, I know what I wanted and am going to college and doing much better than I did in that horrible day program. I actually love college much better. it is a wonderful supportive environment.

I don't feel comfortable giving away too many identifiable personal details, but I want to reinforce that yes, you absolutely do not have to be NT to go to college and enjoy it.

I am currently at a fairly large, well-known research university, majoring in cognitive science. College is the perfect fit for me, and I love it. I've met brilliant, supportive professors, labmates generous with their time and advice, and a few good friends. I want to go to grad school, but I don't know if that counts as "repeating your experiences as a college student again" since it'll be a lot more work, and I'll probably live in an apartment then rather than an on-campus dorm. As someone who is socially awkward and somewhat socially anxious but loves to read, write, and think critically, yes, college is absolutely a life-changing experience. It's a chance to get out of your comfort zone, but just far enough. It's a chance to be around people who also like thinking and talking about ideas, and can introduce me to new interests. It's a chance to turn your geekiness and obsessiveness into an advantage rather than a disadvantage--IMO, "academic social skills" are different, and in some ways opposite, from "peer social skills," and probably a lot easier for someone on the spectrum to master. For someone disorganized, it's also a great opportunity to learn how to manage one's own time and space with plenty of structure from classes and activities, but without reminders from parents. So yes, for anyone able to go, I definitely recommend it. Best of luck, ruennsheng. I hope you enjoy college as much as I do!

[quote="ruennsheng"]I am currently a high school graduate. I had applied to several local colleges near my home and I am still waiting results. I expect to attend school within a few months.

I just have a question that I want to ask everyone here, if it applies to you.

I want to know:

(1) Goddard College
(2) I'm in an individualized BA program which in theory means I get to study what I want to study as long as I cover wide knowledge (math, natural sci, social sci, humanities, the arts) and their other reqs (thoughtful action, social and ecological context, critical thinking, positive self-development.)
(3) Mixed. It's a low residency program. I like that I can study at home. But the faculty all push an agenda. There's a lot of focus on issues of power and privilege. It's almost always reduced to race or gender. I have been misinterpreted because of how I communicate. I'm only ever identified as autistic in order to scapegoat me. One faculty member who used to work at a respected ivy league university has made veiled antisemitic comments which were ignorant but not malicious. I have found one sympathetic member of the teaching faculty. I would like to leave but because they have no grades (narrative transcript only) I will probably have to stay here for another two years. They are NEASC certified but I don't believe they should be.
(4) I will be pursuing further ed when I leave but I would never want to repeat my experiences at Goddard.
(5) It could be.

Right now I am attending a Community College and honestly, I have literally took 4 heavy courses and to be honest with you, I actually don't regret it as well as regret it. I have to admit that I have made a couple of mistakes on the way, but I have clearly assessed what I have done wrong. I guess after struggling so much in school and not being a happy person in the past, I guess I just want to succeed and go extremely far in my life. What I would usually do is when I have vacations from now on, I feel like I want to get extremely prepared for the next. I am like super determined to go far. Some AS people can go for it, some don't, depends on your attitude, how patient you are, how perseverent you are, how much you are ready to take risks and how clearly you evaluate your mistakes. If you can do these things, go for it! If your AS is very problematic, try something else.