[Hydrophobic1212]

So, I just got accepted to the college of my choice and I'm beyond happy... But it's brought about some anxiety already.

I'll have to drive there, and I'm not good at driving. On top of it, what if the work is really hard? I don't know if I can do this... What if I fail out of college?

Just some concerns of mine... Dx

Wow, really short post. xD Usually mine feel long-winded...

[manicminer]

I didnt think i would be able to do college even though i got accepted to PSU main campus. And that was before my dx. I had to deal with intensifying mania, extreme alcohol abuse, then hospitalization and recovering, all while remaining a full time student.

If i can do it, anybody can do it. beleive in yourself. You can do anything you put your mind to

[kaliope]

Take it one day at a time and you will be fine. After the first week or so of driving you will get used to it.

Also, make sure to contact the disability office on campus to get special accomdations for classwork, like extra time to get assignments turned in. There is nothing shameful about doing this. I was a strait A student, my advisor made me do it and i never thought i would use it, but i was cycling, really manic and i had three assignments due for midterms. i knew i could get them done, but my mind was freaking telling me i couldnt get them all done "well" enough to meet my satisfaction. So i asked for extra time in one of the classes, just the weekend, and was able to relax and focus to get all the work done without making my mania worse.

Congrats on getting into the school you wanted and good luck!

[Hydrophobic1212]

Thanks for the words of encouragement.

I can't drive, which is a problem. I can do in town driving, but anything other than that and I'm stuck. I get scared... I'll have to relearn how to drive all over again, it seems.

But thanks again! I feel a little better! I will be contacting the office for disability. I've got a 504 right now, and I know those can carry on into your college career. So I'm hoping things go well!

[Detach]

Solve some of the issues now...relearn to drive by practicing with a good driver. But don't get to far ahead of yourself with future worries or you'll be stopped in your tracks by fear. Fear of all the "what if's" can be paralyzing if you realize that is what you're doing then say to yourself "stop", then "what can I do about it now". If the answer is "nothing", then lay the issue to rest, it's just your mind looking to cause problems in your present moment.

[Seaswept]

I know how you feel. I'm planning on going back to school and full of anxiety but take the others advice as I will. One step at a time.
and I figure if I made it working full time and raising 3 kids it should be okay.

[nacht]

First of all congratulations are in order That's fabulous.

Second, get in touch with your campus and talk to them about disability accomodations. It will make your life so much easier if you can do this for yourself.

Third, is there anywhere you can practice? Maybe with a friend or a relative along in case you need help? The best way to lessen anxiety about highway driving is to do it often and as part of a routine, so maybe you could set aside some regular time per week to go on a short drive with someone you trust.

[expressiveone]

Congratulations!! It is so exciting! I am in my first semester after getting accepted to college as well and I've been cycling so it can be difficult, but I think contacting the disability office is definitely the way to go! I haven't done it yet out of denial! lol

[AniManiac]

Congrats, that's awesome news!

The reality is that college will probably be considerably harder than high school. However, you're able to choose how many courses you take at a time, so that's one way to try to keep things from being overwhelming - you could start off at or near the minimum credits for full-time enrollment if you're concerned about being able to handle the workload.

Definitely go to the Office of Disability Services. Contact them and get things set up before you arrive on campus. Otherwise by the time paperwork is all set, it may be too late to make accommodations for classes during your first semester. Your instructors need to know as early as possible so they can help - I had this come up this semester with one of my students.

The other major thing I'd suggest is being prepared to police yourself really hard when it comes to keeping a sensible schedule. Most bipolar people need a lot more stability than the average college student has. You'll be better off if you avoid the late nights and keep up on nutrition and exercise. The chaotic residential undergraduate lifestyle had a lot to do with the initial emergence of my manic symptoms.

Good luck, and congrats again! College is a great adventure - many of us have made it, and I'm sure you will too.

[nacht]

I didn't even think to suggest taking the minimum full-time courseload but that's a good idea. 12 hours is the minimum I've usually seen, you might want to try that first and see how it treats you.

(Don't do what I did in college. 20 hours a semester is not good for a stable schedule.)

[Secretum]

Congratulations! It's an awesome feeling to open that big, fat envelope. I'm completely with you on the driving...I can't drive on expressways because semi trucks scare me beyond what words can express. Definitely practice during the summer; you'll probably find that you become more confident. If by the end of the summer you're still not comfortable, then you can find other solutions. At my school, most people do not have cars. The campus is large, but definitely walk-able. Your college probably has solutions for people who don't drive. If you need your car, and only expressway driving scares you, can you have one of your parents drive your car to campus while the other drives another car? It might be convenient to have the space of two cars anyway; you'll be amazed at how much stuff you'll take with you.

The best advice I have for all college students (including myself, but I find it so hard to follow) is to develop a studying routine. The material taught in college courses is not too much more difficult than what you learned in high school, but college is still hard. College is hard because most classes don't have homework, and you only have around 3 exams (or a few papers) each semester. It sounds like a dream come true, and it is...until it actually is time to take one of those exams and you realize that you have to learn a month's worth of material in one night. And when the whole cramming thing doesn't go as well as you were hoping it would, it sucks having the miserable grade you got on that exam contribute so much to your overall average.

So...study often and regularly. (I'm a hypocrite. I have an organic chem test on Tues. (!!!panic!!!) and I'm spending my time on PC instead of the last 50 pgs of reactions that I need to learn.)

I'm sure that you'll do well. Though it is awful that you have had to live with MI for so long, coming to college already dx'd can be a blessing. You know the warning signs for depression and mania, and you'll already be connected w/ MH professionals who can help you navigate your way through them. A kid experiencing his first serious depression may be so thrown off by it that he fails a few classes or even has to drop out. You'll catch that depression early, have your meds adjusted, struggle, and hopefully make it through without as many dents. My therapist also told me that she has written letters to professors for many of her patients, explaining how an acute episode of the student's illness impacted his/her academic performance. She said that many professors are actually very accepting.

Do you know what you are going to major in?

[Hydrophobic1212]

Thank you everyone for all your advice! I'll definitely take it all into account.

Secretum, I'm going to be majoring in pyschology. Growing up with a mental illness, I've always wanted to help others like me. I'm hoping to become a psychologist, but we'll see. It's a lot of work, I know... I worry I won't have the strength to keep going.

But for now, the major stays psychology.