College

[purpleangel28282]

Thank you all SO much for the wonderful advice, you've really all lifted up my spirits quite a bit about the whole college situation, and although I still don't know for sure what I want to do I will remember that I can do anything that I want to do and I can't let CF take control of my life and hold me back from the college experience.

 

[purpleangel28282]

Thank you all SO much for the wonderful advice, you've really all lifted up my spirits quite a bit about the whole college situation, and although I still don't know for sure what I want to do I will remember that I can do anything that I want to do and I can't let CF take control of my life and hold me back from the college experience.

 

[gsplover]

I never had a doubt that I was going to college. I went and graduated with a 3.81 GPA. I even took part in a gene therapy study while I was attending. The most important piece is finding the right college. I went to a small Catholic College in Maine. The campus was small, so getting around wasn't bad. During the winter months I was issued a pass to park where ever I felt I needed to. They gave me a room with my own bathroom. I never asked for anything. They always seemed one step ahead on me. The instructors were awesome as well. Now, I work for that college. I would not change a thing. My battle now is if I should get my Master's degree. One other option is online or distance learning courses. I work in that department here at the school and many people I work with have health problems that prevent them from attending classes in a classroom. Good Luck with whatever you do.

 

[gsplover]

I never had a doubt that I was going to college. I went and graduated with a 3.81 GPA. I even took part in a gene therapy study while I was attending. The most important piece is finding the right college. I went to a small Catholic College in Maine. The campus was small, so getting around wasn't bad. During the winter months I was issued a pass to park where ever I felt I needed to. They gave me a room with my own bathroom. I never asked for anything. They always seemed one step ahead on me. The instructors were awesome as well. Now, I work for that college. I would not change a thing. My battle now is if I should get my Master's degree. One other option is online or distance learning courses. I work in that department here at the school and many people I work with have health problems that prevent them from attending classes in a classroom. Good Luck with whatever you do.

 

[cdale613]

I'm glad to hear you're thinking about college!! I think that a lot of people have made some good points, and would like to offer you some other alternatives to think about.

1) As Julie implied, college debt is a serious issue. However, depending on your academic talents and interests, community college may not serve your needs. I would recommend looking at your state's public universities and colleges. I went to SUNY Geneseo (State University of New York). As a state resident, I qualified for state tuition rates, and ended up paying something like $5,000 for a years worth of tuition. State schools can be a GREAT deal. Obviously, depending on the school, and the levels of state funding, the quality offered at public colleges/universities varies. I think that my undergrad education was wonderful, and it made it possible for me to take on debt in my graduate degree.

2) I think a lot of what has been recommended in terms of living accomodations, distance from home, course load/ schedule, quality of life, depends greatly on how managable/severe your individual case of CF is. If you feel you have to stay close to home/ live at home for your health, then by all means do. However, if you're up to it, it is possible live healthy in college. It involves taking responsibility for your space, keeping your dorm room clean, and minimizing "controlable risk". If needed, many colleges will help you by offering you a "medical single" where you have your own room due to your CF.

Personally, college was four hours from my parents, which was far, but close enough for emergencies, I lived on campus, had a roommate, etc. College gave me the opportunity to truely "own" my CF. Going to college forced me to handle my CF independently, and to take full responsibility for it... I think that often, when people stay at home they have a harder time making this transition. I think that you might also loose a big part of the "college experience" by living at home. I am not talking about parties, etc - I had a total of three beers in college... I'm talking about the sense of community, close friendships, etc. that develop outside of the classroom within the living environment of college.


3) I would strongly recommend NOT waiting a year before going to college. Going back will be much harder, and if you are currently under your parents health insurance, you would have "lost" a year, and may not even be covered while not in school. My mom's insurance covered me as long as I remained a full time student, up to age 25. This greatly affected my decision making when it came to grad school - I went right after undergrad to make sure that I would have health insurance while in school. Now that I'm older, going back for more would be very difficult, as it would mean finding other sources of insurance somewhere else... as I'm not married, this would be virtually impossible.


Hope this helps! Study hard!

Chris

25 w/CF

 

[cdale613]

I'm glad to hear you're thinking about college!! I think that a lot of people have made some good points, and would like to offer you some other alternatives to think about.

1) As Julie implied, college debt is a serious issue. However, depending on your academic talents and interests, community college may not serve your needs. I would recommend looking at your state's public universities and colleges. I went to SUNY Geneseo (State University of New York). As a state resident, I qualified for state tuition rates, and ended up paying something like $5,000 for a years worth of tuition. State schools can be a GREAT deal. Obviously, depending on the school, and the levels of state funding, the quality offered at public colleges/universities varies. I think that my undergrad education was wonderful, and it made it possible for me to take on debt in my graduate degree.

2) I think a lot of what has been recommended in terms of living accomodations, distance from home, course load/ schedule, quality of life, depends greatly on how managable/severe your individual case of CF is. If you feel you have to stay close to home/ live at home for your health, then by all means do. However, if you're up to it, it is possible live healthy in college. It involves taking responsibility for your space, keeping your dorm room clean, and minimizing "controlable risk". If needed, many colleges will help you by offering you a "medical single" where you have your own room due to your CF.

Personally, college was four hours from my parents, which was far, but close enough for emergencies, I lived on campus, had a roommate, etc. College gave me the opportunity to truely "own" my CF. Going to college forced me to handle my CF independently, and to take full responsibility for it... I think that often, when people stay at home they have a harder time making this transition. I think that you might also loose a big part of the "college experience" by living at home. I am not talking about parties, etc - I had a total of three beers in college... I'm talking about the sense of community, close friendships, etc. that develop outside of the classroom within the living environment of college.


3) I would strongly recommend NOT waiting a year before going to college. Going back will be much harder, and if you are currently under your parents health insurance, you would have "lost" a year, and may not even be covered while not in school. My mom's insurance covered me as long as I remained a full time student, up to age 25. This greatly affected my decision making when it came to grad school - I went right after undergrad to make sure that I would have health insurance while in school. Now that I'm older, going back for more would be very difficult, as it would mean finding other sources of insurance somewhere else... as I'm not married, this would be virtually impossible.


Hope this helps! Study hard!

Chris

25 w/CF