[nabs-l] Getting Connected with Collleges

[lizzy]

Hi Lillie,
I personally believe that there is no such thing as beginning the 
college search too early or that one can be too prepared for 
college.  I started my college search the summer after 8th grade 
and started visiting in my sophomore year of high school.  The 
next step is really up to you, I can't tell you exactly what to 
do because it depends on your interests and what you find 
important.  Also, I don't know what you have done thus far so 
it's hard for me to say.  I can tell you what I did though.  I 
read tons of books about different schools and programs that fit 
me.  Academics, extra-curricular activities, intern/externships 
and atmosphere were very important to me so I found colleges that 
met my needs as a school first.  Then I called the disabilities 
office to ask what they offered.  Don't be discouraged if a 
school has never had a blind student, just get a feel for their 
attitudes (are they willing to work with you and help you out).  
Read any material you can get your hands on, especially info 
posted/created by current students (blogs, newspapers etc.).  
Then visit, go for a tour, ask questions, go to an info session 
(they may even be held in a public place near your home), and of 
course meet with the coordinator of disabilities.  In your 
meeting be sure to tell them how you do things now and ask them 
about the similarities and differences between what they offer 
and what you are currently doing.  Practice things that will be 
different, for example, if they give you your books 
electronically but you're used to hard copy braille, start 
getting your books electronically so that you can get used to it.  
I don't really recommend summer campus visits because the 
students are not there to show you what life is really like, but 
if you visit your top choice over the summer be sure to visit 
again while students are on campus before making your final 
decision.  If you want to do campus visits this summer then 
schedule them.  As I said before, I do not believe that you can 
do this sort of thing too early.  I'm sure that people think I 
started pretty early but I can honestly tell you that I feel 
confident that I chose the perfect fit for me.  What you don't 
want to do, is do things too late and cram or not have the 
opportunity to visit schools that you really like.  You're going 
to be a junior next year which is when my friends began visiting 
schools so you're on the right track for being proactive if you 
start visiting this summer.
As always, if you have further questions or need more explanation 
about something, let me know!
HTH,
Lizzy