Worried about going to college

[Argus]

I only have 1 and a half years before college. My mom brought it up and I almost freaked out. As you may know from my last posts I have autism. I also have trouble learning in English and spelling and a consoler suspected ADHD. My mom suggested I go to a local college. But no offence to anyone at all it is just the way I was brought up but my dad whet to harvord then Yale for a masters then again for 2 doctorates. My dad tells me that community college is for people who are (again no offence this is the way I was brought up) incapable of making it in to college for being to dumb to be accepted. So I threw that out of the suggestions be haze my dad would never talk to me again. I am really scared to go to college. I still sleep with a night light. Another thing. I will be going to college at almost 17 since I skipped a grade. So with where I live I just get my license at 17 so I can't really drive anywhere. I am really worried about going. I had thought about taking a gap year but most of the time people don't get back into the rhythm of school and I don't think I would get back. Also I will be getting a service dog soon for my autism and do colleges allow that. I really just want to know if you guys know of a college that isn't a special school so my dad will allow it but acomidates autism and service animals. And is there anything like an aid in college. I have had an aid for my whole life and I am in need of one to help me focus or I will not learn at all. Anyway I am really nervous that I am nearly an adult but am still only 15.

[Armalite_]

Dude, honestly, its nothing to worry about. It's like going to any other new school/going to high school. I've seen it all in college man. I'm still there for another year then I'm supposed to find one o' them fancy jobs sitting in an office from 9 to 5.

You're still young and you got a long way ahead of yourself, don't let it bother you. College has all the resources and help you could think you need. They'll get people to take notes for you and basically hand you all this free stuff like laptops and learning software as a bursary (but you're really paying for all this in your tuition out of your parent's pocket/student loan) if you're learning disabled and qualify under their terms.

There's a huge variety of people you'll meet there. Everyone's cool and chill, it's nothing too childish or aggressively different from any other place/school. There will be a lot of people older than you and varying in age, so they are usually pretty mature and don't bother you unless you give them a good reason to.

I found there was also a lot more food involved because I was surrounded by it. Everyone just eats to pass time next to sleeping between 3 hour classes. Some students get pretty fat the first year, but that's also why most schools like mine offer free gym memberships to their huge gym all year long (also paid by tuition). Basically, you spend your day in the student lounge watching movies, drinking beer, eating cheetos, and napping on couches. It's pretty cool.

I've seen a few people in my school who have service dogs and such. It's no big deal man, everyone's treated the same and respected. I think the fact they get their dogs to come with them to class is pretty sweet, I wanted to bring my dog to school too.

I've found college to be one of the best educational phases of my life next to high school. You'll do just fine, you'll meet a lot of new peeps and make new college buddies. It's literally no thing to worry about. College life is a busy life, but a really chill and awesome one filled with crazy experiences waiting to happen.

Enjoy it man, it'll be over before you want it to be.

[anoni]

Most colleges have a special education and disability division of some sort, they will help you out as much as you can. The problem is, with college you are no longer "handed" aid, so like in school you didn't have to think about stuff, you just had to go to school and aid people tend to help you out and tell you what to do. In college it's different, you have to actively seek out the aid, so you should try to research more into the college you are going to find out whether or not there is a disability division and if there is try to get involved in it and seek the help you need.

  As Spike said, college tends to be a very free and different education system to school, generally change can be frightening and unwanted, but sometimes it's for the best. I am also going to start University in a few days and I am also nervous, I have aspergers (but it is relatively mild) and I have a vision impairment. So I had to go through the special education and disabilities unit in order to just make sure I got all the aid I needed. I am also nervous about college but I have been told by countless sources that people are open and accepting, it is much more free and you can do much more. You'll enjoy it, make sure you tell your parents about your concerns and when the time comes you'll be ready, you'll get the aid you need, you'll be ok. It's rather far off so you don't have to worry about anything just yet, but when the time comes you'll be fine.

[Argus]

Are service dogs allowed in most colleges. And also in classes. I use to have a service dog but it was getting to old and I really miss it. They are training my next one now and I should get it by the beginning of next month. It is very hard for me to cope in a room with a lot of people so when ever I see a college on tv they have this professor with like 100+ kids. I would probaly meltdown if there were that many people in a room with me. I can't even go in to Boston without crying. I am really worried about it. I am going to be a senior next year so I am almost done being a kid. I am just really afraid

[anoni]

1. Yes service dogs are allowed in most colleges, even in the class.
2. You will generally have three types of classes depending on the degree you are doing, these are the classes:

Lecture: This is what you see when you look at videos of college. A lecture is usually a large room with a lot of students, for subjects such as first year mathematics there can be over a thousand students, so it may be a bit worrying for you. It's good to try and sit at the front perhaps and focus primarily on the board so you don't think about the other people but if that's impossible there are other solutions. For one, lectures are usually recorded, either via voice or video-voice, in this case you can literally download the lecture from a computer and get pretty much the same experience as you would in the lecture. Lectures are not hand-on experiences, it's simply a lecturer talking at you and maybe doing some drawing on the whiteboard, if the recording is audio only you obviously won't be able to see the whiteboard. You may also be able to get note-takers to actual record the lecture notes for you or the professor himself may hand out lecture notes. Lectures are primarily optional and you do not need to attend the lectures, though some lectures are mandatory.

Tutorial: Tutorials are made up of much smaller classes of maybe 10 to 15 students. In a tutorial they usually go over what happened in the lecture and these are usually mandatory. Though the class size is much smaller so you it will be easier to cope with. Unfortunately, on many projects, you will have to work with other students, but it's a good experience and can help you grow if you see it as such. Tutorials are more like your high school classes

Lab: Labs are only applicable for engineering/science degrees, so if you aren't doing a degree like that you won't have a lab. Labs are exactly what you'd expect them to be, hand-on lab work, so doing experiments and what not, I assume in groups. So you will probably be working with other students but again that can help you grow.

Again, I haven't been in to Uni yet, so this is all what others have told me and if I'm wrong anyone who has been to college correct me. Generally, I think the thing you'll have most trouble with is the lecture but that's not a problem because they're optional and there are alternate means to get the same experience.