[nabs-l] schools

Thu Aug 25 03:18:35 UTC 2011

Kerri,
Your questions are very broad and one could write a book on college 
experiences.
I don't have too much time, but I'll try and summarize my experience and 
answer your questions.

Selecting a college should be based on how you like the school; do you want 
a large school or a small school and small classes?  Do you want one with 
diversity? A religious private school adhereing to your beliefs?  I 
recommend touring a school and even visiting a few classes if you can. See 
how you like it. Of course the school may  be determined on who accepts 
you. But if several schools accept you, you can choose.
Also, I recommend having the solid academic skills; if your grades are only 
average, you may want to attend a community college to start. College 
admission is very competetive now.  Some scores accept the SAT, others the 
ACT, and some don't require any scores.
You do not want to get to college and struggle with the basics that they 
assume you have.
Also, have a way to take notes, have good computer skills, and if you live 
in a dorm know how to do laundry, hang clothes, make a bed, and other basic 
daily tasks. You will need computer skills such as typing in Word, basic 
formatting in Word like Bold, centering, spell checking etc. Know the 
internet and email too.

I say this because such skills help you in college. No one is perfect and 
other life skills will be practiced and sharpened in college.  I mean such 
skills as planning a schedule; I used my braille note calendar for that. 
Also notetaking and test taking skills are important. You should be a good 
advocate to your professor; communication skills are important too. And, 
finally, if you live in a dorm, you'll want to go out with friends or 
shopping alone and maybe out to eat; so have a system to identify money. If 
your parents can assist you in getting a bank account and a  debit card, 
this will help a lot.

So what college did I go to? I attended George Mason University as  a 
commuter; I heard some nasty things went on in the  dorms and did not have 
the confidence to walk so far from the dorm, so I wanted to commute. I 
transferred to a small school, Marymount university, and liked it there. I 
had a roommate on campus some semesters and experience the ups and downs of 
a public bathroom.
What was my major?
I couldn't decide; I tried to be an education major and got too discouraged. 
I  was a
liberal studies major; so a general BA degree focussing on psychology and 
communication.

How were disability services? At GMU they were huge; the DSO was  large and 
more impersonal. You met with a counselor and filled out an accomodation 
form and took a copy to your professors.
GMU provided more services, but when they scanned texts it was not always 
efficient; I'd get the text after I needed it; but they improved since I 
left.
Accomodations included: accessible texts via electronic format or Learning 
Ally, testing accomodations such as extended time and alternative formats 
including braille, copies of professor's notes and handouts that he/she 
showed to the class, human notetakers, and computers with adaptive software 
like jaws.

At MU it was only one DSO counselor and she really new students by name.
They had less services. I was not able to get braille tests; they said the 
equipment was too expensive. But they did procure jaws for the library.
I worked out accomodations with professors though and did not run into much 
trouble. My hardest thing in college was access to textbooks and research. 
The library had a wealth of material such as encyclopedias, reference books, 
periodicals, etc which is not accessible.
I used readers to get me through those research tasks.
At MU services were: accessible texts if available, testing accomodations, 
electronic handouts from the professors, human notetakers, and adaptive 
software on the public computers. They put jaws in the library and one 
computer lab.

So college is tough, but its hard for any student. I found the pace of 
classes rather stressful. I even got extentions on some papers occasionally.
But some classes were very interesting and some professors could be 
entertaining.  I enjoyed the class discussions too. It fostered my thinking 
skills and gave me some new perspective on an issue or topic.
I suggest finding a major you like and one that will prepare you with skills 
for your desired career. If you do not know what you wish to study, you can 
go undeclared for a year or two. Another suggestion is if you are caught 
between two majors, either do both or decide on your best one; take some 
classes in both areas and talk to those students in those majors.
This way you can get a feel for the work involved in that area of study.

Ashley
-----Original Message----- 
From: keri
Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2011 1:51 PM
To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nabs-l] schools

I'm looking to hear of personal experiences with colleges.
what college did you attend, your major, how was the accessibleness for you, 
and how were disability services there.
keri

"Sometimes your nearness takes my breath away; and all the things I want to 
say can find no voice. Then, in silence, I can only hope my eyes will speak 
my heart."
--Robert Sexton

"For every beauty there is an eye somewhere to see it. For every truth there 
is an ear somewhere to hear it. For every love there is a heart somewhere to 
receive it."
--Ivan Panin

Find that guy that will pick up every piece of your shattered heart & put it 
back together; Replacing it with a piece of his.
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