College and I think it's too much for me to handle...

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I dont normally give up on things but i have less patience now that im older and i learnt more about aspergers, my difficulties wont go away.

I swear there are more students this year than last.

Also last year everyone in my classes wee also new so I was more confident but now people know me.

I feel so much worse about being in college environment. I love the subject but hate waiting for class to start, finding classrooms, break and lunch. I asked last year if I can study at home but since my course has practicals I can't.

I feel like I'm walking into a place were everyone hates me and is waiting to jump me and I can't do nothing about it.

Also I found out that this year's timetable is different and I've missed 2 days, nobody called to tell me and when I went in to ask at college what I must do they didn't help.

How can I stop being such a p****.

I can relate. I tried to make college work out twice, but the material was too hard, and I couldn't handle the stress.
Currently what signs do you have that everyone in your class hates you?
Now let's just assume that everyone does hate you, all those signs are the extent of their hate and you've been handling it just fine.
The first 2 days of school are some of the least class work oriented, so you missed the best two days to miss.

As a student advances through college the requisite classes gain more students because their are fewer and fewer such classes avilable in the overall college.

Like high school, I dropped out of college because it bored me and I learned first hand that what was being taught was years old to begin with. Still, attending college is extraordinarily beneficial to anyone.

What I tried to do when I felt overwhelmed was to cut back on my class loads. There is an expectation to graduate in four years, but most students never meet the goal. So, slow down, take some easy classes to balance the tough ones, and try to enjoy it all.

Your college should have a department or office that is in charge of disability accommodations. I would suggest asking your RA who to put you in touch with. If you are a commuter student, you could ask a professor, an academic advisor, or even the campus health center who you should contact.

I brought books with me everywhere. If I had to wait for class to start, I would wear headphones or earplugs, and then read until the professor officially started.

If I was uncertain of where a class was, I would find it a couple of days in advance and then write myself directions on how to get there.

Unless someone is saying or doing something aggressive to you, I assure you, they are likely too wound up in their own worlds to think anything negative about you. I had similar fears in college, because I had a hellish time in high school with bullying that was occasionally violent. Every time you feel afraid people hate you, ask yourself what solid evidence you have for it. If your experience is anything like mine, you will find that you are experiencing "feelings" rather than "facts". Calm your self further by reminding yourself that you are doing a positive, wonderful thing, and that you are proving that you are strong and capable by just showing up.

Does the college know about your Asperger's, and understand some of the difficulties you are having? If so, you could maybe ask for more support? Sometimes just having somebody to talk to who will listen and understand, someone to vent to, makes it easier to get through the day. Do you have a personal tutor or a counselling/therapy service available to you?

It sucks you can't study at home. I tried the whole college thing and it didn't work, but with a little persuasion and a professor advocating for me, I can study at home now. I only have to go in for exams etc., which is great because I hated being there.

Why do you think everybody hates you? Not that this will help, but I'm sure they don't. When I was at uni I lived in halls and I internalised my loneliness and confusion so much that I turned it into hatred. I hated my floor-mates and I was sure they hated me, despite the fact I barely spoke to them. Seriously, I would get angry at the sound of their voices even; it was so irrational !

I actually somehow missed three days of classes/orientation at the start of the year. It knocked my confidence right away because I felt like I'd already failed before I'd even begun. Is there a person you sit next to in class, or a person you can persuade yourself to talk to, who might be able to share their notes/information from the days you missed? Otherwise, you will have to try asking staff again. I remember when I missed those 3 days, the tutor I asked for help was so rude and dismissive that I walked away without getting the information I needed (and I never spoke to her again beyond taking attendance, I thought she hated me )! In the end I went to the department office and asked for any materials from the first 3 days, and they gave me a stack of paper, reading lists etc.. Why the first tutor couldn't give me that I don't know!

Hope it all works out for you. It's horrible not fitting in at college because it feels like you either have to sacrifice your mental wellbeing for your academic future, or vice versa. If you can be more pro-active in getting support, that's probably the best course of action, but, you know, easier said than done!

Update: I've improved a lot now. I'm not nervous at college so much and I don't leave class. Sometimes I talk to the other students and ask them questions and I don't distrust them so much anymore. I don't feel as threatened. This is largely because I've been getting support by a support worker and the college staff and some students are aware that I have aspergers, luckily the students don't mind me too much and sometimes help me.

So things have gotten better. This is my second college year. I still have no friends and I'd actually like to have some but at the same time although I'm doing well it's a fragile thing atm.

Long time no see.

Glad to see you back on WP.

Glad to hear that you are doing better.

Wish you could do still better. College was actually a pretty good phase in my life. Interacted better with my peers in college than I did in junior high, or in highschool.

In modern society, college matters only in terms of communication. If we talk about the level of education, then it will not be lower on online courses from the university.

Good to hear about your improvements, Starfoxx!

College is overrated

as it is done here in amuuurica, higher education is basically a racket just like the rest of the corporate world. it is designed to make a small number of people rich at the expense of the end users.

College was just like school, a nightmare. Having to explain Autism to people that do not have it and do not understand, is so frustrating. I preferred working and studying on my own instead of working part of a group. In a group assignment you have different personalities and the team chemistry may be lacking and the assignment completion relies heavily upon all group members doing their task(s).