It’s hard. I am currently in my 3rd year at university and it has been a really long and tiring journey, but it has also been worthwhile; I’ve met the most incredible people and had a lot of fun along the way. Getting to uni was hard as I had to get permission from my doctors, and sort out future appointments and tests that needed to be done before I left and whilst I was at uni.
It is important to get in touch with your course leader, the university’s disability services, the accommodation, as well as student finance disability services (for those of you who live in the UK), before you move, in order to inform them about your conditions and any needs you may have. My university has been very helpful with all of this, I was given accommodation on campus and in a disability room, in which there was an en-suite wet room that was cleaned once a week, and enough space for all of the things student finance had provided me with.
My course leader also turned out to be my tutor, which was great, as I had regular meetings with her and kept her up to date about my health so she could inform my lecturers, and they would therefore be able to support me accordingly. I also have meetings with disability services just before my exams so that they are able to make reasonable adjustments for me during the exams
Adjusting to the idea of living alone, away from home and having to do everything yourself was very challenging and it still is sometimes. Juggling school work, cooking, cleaning and trying to have a social life meant running around all the time but, I managed to handle it all for the past 3 years, with a billion break downs in between a and a lot of ups and down. I got through it with the support of my doctors, my family and my friends whom I am overly grateful for.
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