Non-Traditional Undergrad Transfer Returning to School and Requesting Insight
Hi! I am a 25 year old transfer student at a community college who recently got accepted into a top California state school. I have some concerns over whether or not I should actually accept the admission and I'd appreciate some insight from professors who are willing to give their professional but very honest 2 cents.
TLDR at the bottom if you prefer.
To begin, my concern is that I am very excited about taking on this new opportunity but I am worried about setting myself up for failure by failing to properly account for my limitations. I have never been a "bad" student-- I am very passionate about my course of study-- but I have always struggled with issues related to Autism and ADHD that were not diagnosed until just recently. This partially why I had to leave school for so long, alongside housing insecurity, health issues, needing to take care of other family members with disability, and a couple encounters with natural disasters that caused me to withdraw from most my courses one semester. Events kept accumulating and I was so burnt out anyways that I decided my best option would be to try my hand at college once again when I turn 24/25 and become eligible to receive financial aid (parents always refused to give me their info which was required to submit the FAFSA app).
I eventually returned to community college and am currently holding a 4.0 GPA, with acceptances to schools I applied to (because it was free) but did not expect to receive (with mostly full-rides!). I thought I had my mind set on an online school like SNHU or an online CSU because it allows me to manage my conditions-- but the more I look into the in-person university that actually excites me to attend, the more I am getting pulled into accepting the admission.
I love to learn, I love collaborative environments, and I love being part of something bigger than myself-- which is why going back to school in-person excites me so much. But I have only gotten this far (this time around) because I minimized my life as much as possible to accommodate for my studies AND my symptoms, and though it has been kinda lonely, it is a privilege I have been able to do that.
Though I am motivated, I am worried I am underprepared. I did all my community college courses entirely online due to housing issues, financial issues, and my recently diagnosed PMDD and POTS, which both cause episodic symptoms that tend to wreak havoc on my life. I have yet to speak with my doctors about what accommodations would be appropriate but I have never asked for accommodations before and worry my conditions may not actually be eligible for accommodations as they're largely invisible.
I don't want to waste time explaining my conditions but they tend to make my performance very inconsistent and unpredictable. I am prone to fainting spells, have days where my brain fog is terrible and I legitimately cannot articulate my thoughts, experience intense fatigue that makes it impossible to leave the house, and I am worried because these are days I am entirely not myself and they occur for maybe a week or two every month.
If I do end up being eligible, I'd hope to ask for:
- extended time on exams/reduced distraction environment for exams
- ability to record lectures or receive note-taking support
- on-campus housing placement in the dorms closer to campus
- somewhat flexible attendance policies or the ability to attend class virtually for bad days
But I also think, if I "require" such extensive accommodations then shouldn't I acknowledge my limits and just accept an online university? Maybe I am being too eager and too greedy to take on an opportunity that just isn't fit for me. Am I just giving into the hype of the university?
At the same time, I just want to grow. I want to have real conversations in-person, actually have the chance to get to know my professors and experience the world... not just type another discussion post that gets lost in a sea of (possibly) AI-generated slop.
And my good days are also really good. I don't want to live a life where I can't challenge myself.
I'm trying to be very thorough about this decision because college is obviously not a cheap investment. I keep going back and forth because I just have not been out in the world for a consistent amount of time in quite a while. And I don't expect my professors or my university to accommodate me when I am a student who applied and expressed my own interest to attend.
I would just appreciate perspectives from professors because I am sure you all have your own experiences dealing with students, or perhaps being a student yourself, that can help inform my decision. I appreciate anything you are willing to share.
TLDR; non-traditional student transferring from community college contemplates acceptance to a competitive top-state school but considers chronic mental & physical conditions that affect schooling. Wonders if their proposed accommodations are reasonable/possible but questions if accepting their fate at an online school would be best, instead. Student feels kind of dumb and is not a "competitive" student by nature but is just really passionate and loves to learn. Would appreciate professors' perspectives.