Tips for starting university?

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I am looking for tips that I should be aware of when starting university this fall

I went to university once for about 3 months before dropping out. Back then, I had no idea I was on the spectrum and burned tout real quick because I found it hard to adapt to the new environment. In retrospect, I also wasn't that interested in what I was studying. If I had to give advice to not do what I did:

- make sure you enjoy your field of study.
- be kind to yourself and accept that it might be tough at first while you adapt to your new environment.
- don't pressure yourself to socialize and make friends if you don't feel comfortable at first, even if eveybody else is doing it.
- eventually find a few people you are comfortable being friends with.
- focus on doing good work and being proud of yourself.
- find a place to live where you can have some recharging time

The fact that you are commuting from home and have professors for parents will make uni life a lot easier to cope with. I also lived at home when I was at university, though I drove rather than took public transit since the commute by car was twice as fast as by bus/metro.

If you are looking to find a social group early on, I would recommend finding out if your university has a student club (my university called them student organizations) for students on the spectrum or with disabilities in general. I co-founded such an organization at my university.

I would also recommend taking one less class than a full load your first semester if you are worried about being overwhelmed by the workload.

I'm also starting university by the end of this month!

What's your major?

I'm starting my second year very soon. Which is still a little odd to me since my first year seemed to go by in practically no time at all.

Unfortunately, I don't have any relevant advice regarding your major. I study digital media production. However, I do have more general tips.

- Make sure you understand your assignment completely. Keep in mind how long each task will realistically take.

I cannot stress this one enough. The main mistake I made in my first year was poor time management. It can be surprisingly easy to get caught up in small sub-tasks and miss a big one in the process. Ask yourself; what needs to be completed first? How long will each part take? Is there a section in particular that's more important to learn / or one that demands a lot more time compared to the others? Planning is important.

-Don't fall into the trap of using planning as an excuse for procrastination.

To-do lists can be useful. However, if you find yourself spending more time colour-coding and making sub-lists than actually doing your projects or research...then chances are you're secretly using this time to procrastinate than truly preparing. As I mentioned before, of course planning is important, but you have to do it properly.

-If you have to reference something, be sure to use the correct format.

You'll probably write references. The format that you will have to use will vary depending on the context, preferences and regulations of your University. If you're not sure which one they want you to use, ask your tutors.

- Try to stick to a healthy sleep schedule. Beware naps. Eat regular meals. Take breaks and give yourself some down time.

Whilst this one might seem obvious, I think that falling into unhealthy sleep routines and skimping on meals can be an easy pattern to fall into. My lesson schedule varied, some days were short whereas others were quite long. It was tempting to take naps on the long days when I got home (or rather, my student accommodation), and I must admit I fell victim to this temptation on several occasions during my first year.

Unfortunately, a quick nap can easily turn into several hours. It confuses your sleep routine. As for food, if you're like me then you might have a tendency to get so wrapped up in what you're doing that you forget to eat lunch or an evening meal if you're not careful. If you're working at home, then you might want to set alarms for regular breaks and to remind yourself to get up to eat something. Avoid stress eating.

If you've had a long day of working, you might want to have some down time before attempting more coursework. Give yourself time to relax.

- There will be off days. Don't neglect your physical and mental health.

Sometimes there will be days where you just can't seem to focus, or stare blankly at page unable to come up with anything to write. Perhaps you've been sitting in the same environment for too long and it's starting to get to you. I find that going for short walks can help, or just a simple change of scenery. Taking a break to do something else has led to some of my best ideas during moments like these.

I also experience the complete opposite, days where I'm suddenly incredibly productive out of nowhere. Days where everything just seems clearer...as though I can think a lot faster than usual. I once had a really bad case of writer's block with an essay I was working on, and one day it suddenly started to come together. The writing naturally began to flow.

Hopefully this helps. If you have any questions feel free to PM me or ask me in this thread.