u/AdeptFlow2458

i’m writing on my phone so excuse the formatting and any typos.

so i’m in my final semester of college at my community college. i graduate in about 8 days.

maybe a week ago, my dad fell really ill. after 3 days, we forced him to the hospital. he was pre-septic from a nasty uti. he had 3 seizures. they hooked him to an iv and gave him a strong antibiotic to take for the next 10 days. for context, my dad is elderly and has epilepsy.

so today is day 3 out of the hospital and on the antibiotic. in a lot of ways, he said he felt better. but in a lot of ways, he looks and is acting worse. so he just went back to the hospital.

i have 2 more final exams. one is a portfolio for sociology + a 4-5 page essay. the other is for abnormal psych. i spoke with my prof and she actually gave me something completely different for my final, which is a 3-5 page diagnostic paper.

here’s the thing. i know i can plow through both. and i truly love to write. i also know that right now, im not doing well. i’m really scared. i have ocd that i just started treatment for, so it isnt under control. so while im doing my best to keep my composure, when im by myself, im having a difficult time.

part of me wonders if i should go to accommodations or something and just…ask? but i dont know what could be done. i cant do an incomplete because the last day of the semester is the day i graduate. so i can plow through it, but i don’t think it’ll be my best work.

in my psych class, i currently have a 98. in sociology, i have a 100. im truthfully a little bit concerned that my finals will be awful and ill tank the grades i fought like hell for. on the other hand, i’m not the one in the hospital, so i feel responsible to do it. i know i can if i just sit down and do it. just right now im struggling to actually sit down and do it. is accommodations the correct office for this? i’ve never been in this situation before so excuse me if this is an obvious question. i’m panicking while trying not to panic

forgot to add: i would also feel guilty to make my psych professor accommodate yet again after she made such a drastic change for me to complete my final. so im struggling with if it’s unfair to do anything else with that

He has a bad UTI and was pre-septic when hospitalized. He was given a medication that he believes was working, but he doesn’t look good and doesn’t act good, so he’s back at the hospital. My dad is elderly and had epilepsy. He’s already had 3 seizures and sees his neurologist tomorrow. Please pray for my dad

I’d like to create a bag that has products for anyone who might need one. I was thinking pads, tampons, liners, maybe like small chocolates? Wet wipes. I’m definitely missing something. What else should I add? 🫣

TLDR;

I’m meeting with a program director tomorrow, and I’m nervous because my academic background is very limited. What would a professor hope to see from a student like this, and how can I prepare so I make a good impression? Do you have any additional advice?

Full story:

I’m coming here because I’m absolutely overthinking this, but I’d love some perspective 😊

I’m finishing my associate’s degree this May at a community college and transferring to a 4-year institution. I was originally accepted to my dream school and offered a scholarship, but ultimately couldn’t afford to attend.

While looking through my new school’s website, I found a combined program for my major that’s connected to a graduate school at my original dream university - essentially the graduate-level version of the field I want to pursue. The program (and the grad school) is highly competitive.

I reached out to the program director last Friday with some questions, and although he’s currently on sabbatical, he offered to meet with me tomorrow to talk about how I could become a competitive applicant and discuss the program in general. I’m really nervous.

Part of it is that I don’t have much of a background yet. I struggled academically for a long time - especially in high school - and it took me most of my associate’s program to figure out how I learn best. I ended up taking 3 years instead of 2. This past year is when it finally clicked. I made the Dean’s List last semester and will graduate on the Dean’s List next month, but that’s really the extent of my credentials so far.

I know this meeting is meant to help me build a path forward, but I’ve never done anything like this before. I’m driving 2 hours because I genuinely care, and I want to be respectful of his time and come prepared. I’ve already written out some questions and researched the programs he mentioned, but I still feel nervous

.

For anyone who’s been on either side of a meeting like this: what would you hope to see from a student? Is there anything specific I should bring, ask, or be ready to discuss? Is there anything additional you could tell me? Any advice is appreciated!