University-Way too much change!! !

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Hi, I'm in my second year at uni and I think I might just consider calling it quits. I thought that over time I might just be able to adapt to all the change, but things are going terribly. Ok let me explain.

firstly I moved from my parents house to uni accomadation, which is a big enough change for anyone. Every term the modules change along with the time table and so at first it really messed with my sleeping pattern because it wasn't the standard get up at 8.30 and get to school for 9. then just as soon as i'd adapted the next term came about with a whole new schedule. I had a job in 1st year so it supplied me with some consistency.

then second year same situation. moved into another new house and then the whole timetable thing and I don't have a job this year and cant seem to get one. As a result my sleeping pattern has been destroyed. i spent the first term sleeping throughout the day and missed 80% of lectures. this terms' been worse.

And my housemates say we're moving next year again-they don't no about my AS- so I'm just going absolutly crazy because it feels like everything is just in a state of constant movement and I can't seem to find an anchor.

As a result I feel I'm missing out on the uni expirence because I've been spendin so much time alone in my room trying to find a sense of balance.

So any ideas on finding an ancor and also has anyone eles ever felt like this before

ps, sorry for the lengthy post

My solution? I got rid of my roommates. I'm lucky enough to have parents who can afford to pay for me to live off-campus, and I've lived in an apartment and a condo so far. Since moving out of the shared living space I had with my roommates, I was better able to adjust to school life and set up my own routines. These routines help because, like you said, each semester brings a new timetable. It helps when you have your own space in which to decompress/seek refuge. After the constant overstimulation I experience in my classes, walking down halls, walking through throngs of students on campus, etc, a place of my own is a great place to be. I'm a happier person, too. Maybe, if you can afford it, you can ditch the roommates. Or at least find a quiet space where you can regroup and come up with a good routine to stick to.

As for the "uni experience," forget it. It's not worth stressing yourself out while trying to hang with the rest of the cool kids, especially if it's against your nature. First and foremost, you're at school to get your degree. Worrying about the "uni experience" should be secondary at this point since you're missing classes and considering dropping out. Get yourself centered first.

ETA: Alarm clocks are also nifty to have around.

Thank yo for your imput, I will take that advice on board.

Don't be so anchored to your living quarters. I know this sounds unintuitive for AS, but those living quarters are temporary, like a hotel. You are perhaps seeking a kind of permanent comfort zone like you had at home, but that doesn't exist at school. You need to become less dependent on living quarters for your study habits.

You should transition at least some study and working habits to depending on your being somewhere on campus, like a library near your core major's building, or a corner of the student lounge.

Some schools have a lot of private corners where people stake out semi-permanent study lounges for themselves while in school. The University of Virginia supposedly had tons of private corners, sitting areas and stone walls where people could develop their favorite study areas on campus while they went there. Some schools have good libraries, some schools have good student lounges.

At any rate, being so dependent on your living quarters means you have to totally uproot your study zone and readjust every couple of semesters. The moving wouldn't be so disruptive on your studying if you had at least some study areas in some subjects linked to the campus. Start with one subject, like humanities. Like, you could study just humanities on campus in a particular garden on nice days and in a particular spot in a library during bad weather. And then when you have a fixed humanities-studying routine linked to campus, you can work on the next subject. Like, develop the habit of studying Math in an empty room in the Math building, on the days you have a Math class.

If you work up to having more on-campus study habits, your studying doesn't have to get disrupted every time you move living quarters. And you can be consistent in your studying during your entire time at the University. It also helps you be more focused in studying to have different study places for different subjects.

I can relate to this, I'm also in my second year of uni and do pretty much what you described, I only found out about asperger's 3 weeks ago, but I feel sure enough that I'm considering assessment .

I haven't got any ideas I've tested yet, but maybe making yourself follow a 9-4/5 day could work, maybe schedule study time and gym time into mornings so that you have to be up everyday for 9. I know its not ideal but its something I have been considering myself.

In relation to the issue of moving about I think ephemerella's idea of not becoming too reliant on where you live may help, for me having favourite soft toys that I've had for years around helps me feel more comfortable initially

At university the first two years were the most difficult for me. Getting used to new things, a lot of things to learn and a different way of organizing my day.

There are some things that were important for me:
- getting enough sleep, always sleep before 23.00; being rested gives a better chance at an exam than those few extra sentences you learned between 23.00 and 3.00
- planning free time, first I was feeling so busy that I stopped investing in free time. At some point I gave a bit up and starting investing in free time again. For some reason my results got better and I finished more courses than expected
- study at a quiet place, if it is not quiet at your room, than you seek some room at the university. First I studied at the library, later I had access to the lab and could use one lab for myself (I was lucky). Studying with friends does not help, the energy will go into socializing
- try to build a schedule, it sounds boring but it helps. Even when lecture times change, you can feel in the time with studying at the university. So you still get a full day of 'work'.

I am doing poorly due to bad roommates too. I am in first year at a top university in my field. and I find it so difficult I had to get a tutor for my core classes. I cannot wait till next semester when my timetable will allow me to get the sleep I need to do my morning routine, and hopefully my roommates that I will have then will be better for me, and its not hard to be better roommates than the ones I have now.

Do yourself a favor and ask for a single room. That solved the problem for me. I was told that all freshmen had to have a roommate. This was before my AS diagnosis, so I didn't know HOW bad it would be to have a roommate. Combined with all of the other changes of college, I almost had to take a semester off. But I got my own room in November of my freshman year, and that changed everything around.
-OddDuckNash99-