I just finished my last class, and now I’m a college graduate! It was the hardest thing I’ve done, but I made it. It means so much because I was such a bad student in high school. I repeated the ninth grade, and went to summer school for the other years. I got all C’s and D’s in high school, and it seemed like I was the most forgotten about student on Earth. It took ten years before I attempted another class, but when I finally went to college, I was ready. And guess what? My GPA is 3.9, and I’m going to graduate with honors (Summa Cum Laude!).
I’m posting this partly out of a sense of pride and accomplishment, but also in the hopes that it will provide inspiration to some of you struggling in school. It takes us longer to realize how to adapt and perform in some situations. People with AS are often classic “late bloomers”. I didn’t get magically smarter in the past ten years, it’s just that over time, I’m able to figure things out, learn how to do them, and tune out the unnecessary stuff. The world is complicated, and I can only do one or two things at once. With time, I’m able to figure it out, and I know that many of you are the same. I graduated high school in 1992, before they were diagnosing AS very much (if at all), and especially not to people that seemed capable of the work. (I was labeled a “slacker” or not motivated, or whatever. “Why don’t you try?” Was all I heard, but as we know, it was deeper than that…) People now have the benefit of more understanding, as well as services designed to help. I know it’s not perfect now, but it’s getting better for you, and us older aspies (I’m 34) can’t help but wonder what may have been if we had similar assistance, instead of punishment.
So, if I can do it, you can. The key is to not give up, EVER! It’s hard, but that’s the point. If you could mail away for a college degree, and have one in 4-6 weeks, then they’d be worthless. Things may be tough now, goodness knows how miserable I was in high school, but they get better. I promise. Life gets less confusing as you get older, as you figure out the patterns of how the world works. It’s not going to be perfect, but it certainly gets better and easier (for me anyway, there may be some who disagree, but I’m certain of my own experience). Your low score on a test in 11th grade math means nothing in the grand scheme of things. You have the ability to overcome difficulties as long as you don’t give up, and realize that it can be done.
Beethoven wrote his 9th symphony while completely deaf. If that didn’t hold him back, then I had no excuse to not attempt, and finish college.
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O Wonder! How many goodly creatures there are here! How beauteous mankind is!
25 Jan 2008, 1:09 am
