[nabs-l] college! Aah! freaking out

Thu Aug 6 16:37:53 UTC 2015

Kayla,

I don't know how there is any truth left to mention after Mary's post but here is another angle for you to consider.

When you are nervous about starting something new, this is the fuel you need to let that fire burn inside you. We are all a little nervous or scared to begin something new especially when we have already been told point blank the odds are stacked against us before we ever step foot on job or campus. I will echo what Mary and others have already said because they said it so much better than I could, and that is be nervous, be a little scared of the unknown,but also be confident in yourself. Here are a few tips for you getting started.
• Contact your disability services advisor and schedule a meeting in person as soon as possible. In this meeting you need to lay out everything you can think of that you may need to be successful. Some examples of this are a computer with a screen reader or zoom text software, talking calculator, note taker, extended time for exams, assistance getting acclimated with your campus and classrooms, etc. If you do not ask chances are they will not either then you end up struggling half way through the semester. In short be your best advocate.
• As Ashley mentioned use a calendar for everything!!!! Everyone who knows me knows that my phone is always vibrating with appointments or classes. When I get my semester schedule I put them all in my iPhone calendar right away so I know where my obligations are first then I can schedule other meetings or events around that. Some examples here are; advising meetings, club meetings, school events i.e. football games, meeting for lunch with a friend, or even when to study. It sounds funny but set alarms for every one of these because you will see how easy it is to miss something because there was no alarm to remind you.
• Meet your professors! I will say it again, meet your professors personally and almost annoyingly. Every semester before classes begin I email my professors to let them know who I am and what I might need from them this upcoming semester. If I know the class will be project based I ask them to explain to me the requirements of the project so I can come up with my own project which will meet the course competencies yet allow me to do it a different way. Especially in Software Engineering where everyone wants to develop video games or mobile applications it is very difficult to find a class where the project is to do just that. If you meet your professors a head of time and let them know who you are they will be much more understanding when you come to them during their office hours to ask a question before an exam or assignment. 
• Finally I want to encourage you to always make time for studies. Again I feel like I am repeating everything Mary and others said here but you will have a great time in college. You will attend football games where the ASU Sun Devils beat your team like 60 to 10 or something, meet friends, join clubs, find a work study position, and I am not sure what Mary is talking about sleepless nights, or parties I have never seen that at Arizona State, but I guess that does happen as well. If you make time for studies you will be fine I promise. Fun is 90 percent why we go there in the first place. It is the most expensive cover charge to a fun event you will ever pay and continue to pay for 4 years or more!!!

Here is a quote I love from Thomas Edison:
"I have not failed I only found 10,000 ways that wont work"

You will never fail if you try, you will only fail if you do not try or if you give up! Good luck Kayla and I want to see you on the stage during a national convention receiving a national scholarship some day soon!!!

Go Devils!

Bryan Duarte
ASU Software Engineering
QwikEyes CEO

> On Aug 5, 2015, at 10:23 PM, Mary Fernandez via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Kayla!
> First, take a deep breath. And grab a bar or truffle of your preferred
> chocolate before continuing. If there is no chocolate, ice-cream will
> do in a pinch. If you are really running low on options, jam and
> toast?
> Anyway, everyone has a bit of a breakdown before heading to college. I
> did. I mean, you have to live on your own, you have to do your own
> laundry for crying out loud! You have to feed yourself. You have to
> get up and ready and show up to class, all on your own. You have three
> tests in the semester and that's what your grades are based on. OH
> yeah, and then there is the socializing, and finding your people. And
> have I mentioned the academics?
> So, yes, college is very different than high school. But think about
> it this way. I am not sure if you are going out of state, and moving
> into campus, or whether you are commuting. But college gives you an
> opportunity to expand your mind and way of thinking in a way that you
> have not yet experienced. Yes, there are those exams, but honestly,
> professors teach because they actually love teaching. And professors
> like few things more than having a student come to them with
> questions. They actually want you to succeed.
> Socializing is also a chance to build new and awesome relationships
> which will probably last for decades to come. Let's put it this way,
> in August countless 17 and 18 year old across the whole of America,
> are having this same freaking out moment. Everyone will be just as
> lost as you are when they get to campus. They won't know where any of
> the buildings are, and they’ll be scared to death about the unknown.
> But then two weeks will go by, and you find that your French class
> partner is kind of cool, and you have lunch together.
> I'm sure you have questions about accommodations, and materials, and
> books, and these are very legitimate and real concerns. Work closely
> with your professors and disability services office to make sure that
> you get the materials you need. You'll have to be a strong advocate
> for yourself. Also, be as prepared as possible. Go on Bookshare and
> see if some of the texts you'll be using are there. Use NLS, learning
> Ally, etc. Google articles when all else fails. Chances are, if it was
> in an academic journal you should be able to access it through your
> school’s library.  Be resourceful, and ask questions. Always ask
> questions! And don’t forget, you have all of us on this list serve when
> you have questions.
> Most people recall college with great fondness. It is a time when you
> start to really grow into the contributing member of society that you
> will be. It is a time of discovery, of intellectual stimulation, of
> making friends, of partying too much and regretting it the next day.
> And then, three years after you graduate, you’ll wonder how you were
> ever able to pull an all nighter, take an exam the next day, and
> manage to pass… All of that is to say, that you too will survive!
> Warmly,
> Mary Fernandez
> 
> 
> On 8/6/15, Kayla James via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> I have just registered for courses in this fall semester. People, I am
>> freaking out!! Do you hear me? Freaking out! I am so nervous and so
>> scared that I am going to fail. Again, I repeat, I am FREAKING
>> OUT!!!!! Advice, encouragement, and chocolate are required (and not
>> exactly in that order). Freaking out!!!
>> 
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> 
> 
> -- 
> Mary Fernandez
> "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will
> forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them
> feel."
> —
> Maya Angelou
> 
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