[NABS-L] Starting College, I'm Scared!

[Mikayla Gephart]

Hi Alisha,

     Thank you for posting. I hope you are doing well. My name is Mikayla, and I am a sophomore in college. I am still deciding on my major, but am strongly considering Social Work.

    It is totally fine that you are scared. It is a big transition, but remember you are not the only one. Many other freshmen are in the same boat. However, you made the right decision by coming here for help. My experience has made me learn a lot, and therefore I have a lot to share. I will probably mention things other people have said, but I will also add some new thoughts.

     First of all, make the most of your experience. You will only have a few years in college, so enjoy them while you can.

     Second, I agree with the advice to find your social footing. There are many ways of doing this. Like Sabrina, I started with the people in my dorm. I also would talk to people who sat next to me in class. My best friend and I met during my first semester in History class. Also, while this has probably changed due to COVID19, there used to be lots of social opportunities during orientation. If your college is hosting socials, I would recommend attending. My dorm also used to have socials, which is helpful. Before the pandemic, I also tried to make friends with people at the dining hall. I made a few friends at the dining hall.

     My school is a small school, and we do some things differently. We have Student Advisors, who are assigned six to twelve students to lead through orientation. I am a Student Advisor this year, and I loved working with my Student Advisors freshman year, and I wanted to be like them and support other students. The Student Advisors also hold connections throughout the year to encourage socialization. If your school has anything like this, I would take advantage of it. If there are other mentoring programs, take advantage of them also. What college are you attending?

     I have also found clubs and organizations on campus good places to get involved, as well as to make friends. At my school before the pandemic, clubs and organizations had a major role in move-in. During move-in, two different clubs sent members to my door to welcome me. Sometimes they brought treats, but others just came to say hi. I exchanged phone numbers with girls from both clubs, and ended up getting involved in both. One of the clubs I am involved with also has social activities the first two weeks. Even though these activities might not be on your orientation schedule, the clubs are happy to have you. You can ask student leaders or other upper-class students if they are involved in any clubs and organizations that are hosting social activities.

     Another important discussion is working with the Disability Services Office and your professors. If you need accommodations, you will need to go through the Disability Services Office. Reach out to them so you can start the conversation as soon as possible. As a student who has had issues with my Disability Services Office, you need to advocate for yourself and lead all discussions. If you are passive and rely on them to know what accommodations you need and be in charge of everything, balls will probably be dropped. Please speak up any time you have concerns! If you need advice, you can always post here.

     Going along with that point, it is important that you communicate with your professors as soon as possible. I usually send an email, introducing myself and what I need. If I have to involve Disability Services for any reason, I still insist on leading discussions as much as possible.

     Disability Services is not the only important resource. Colleges also usually have counseling, tutoring, advising, and other services. The Research Librarians are also good people to get to know. I have found it particularly important to connect with the tutoring services. The tutors are usually fellow students, and I have met several tutors through multiple places. Speaking of fellow students, I have found students who are ahead of me to be good resources. My Student Advisor, Resident Assistant, and other students are great at pointing me in the right direction. 

     Also, are you involved with your Nabs division in your state? If not, I would highly recommend getting connected. Sometimes, it helps to have local people to talk to. If you are not connected, feel free to post your state and we can help you.

     This semester will definitely be different because of the pandemic. My advice is based on my non-pandemic experience. I’m sure it will be weird for all freshmen this year. 

     Feel free to reach out here or to me directly if you need anything. We are all here for you.

Best,
Mikayla

> On Aug 2, 2020, at 10:33 AM, Alisha Geary via NABS-L <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hello,
> 
> As you might could tell, I've just graduated high school, and I'm starting
> a new chapter of my life, and I'm kind of going in blindly, pun extremely
> intended. 😎👍 Did I get any props on the comedy? I don't like being the
> extremely scared weirdo lol, but that's not the point. Anyways, does anyone
> have tips for this first time college freshmen blind girl? If so, please
> please please share them. Give me all you got. Thanks for reading my
> strange cry for help.
> 
> Kind regards,
> Alisha
> _______________________________________________
> NABS-L mailing list
> NABS-L at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for NABS-L:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/mikgephart%40icloud.com