University/college

There was a post about this a while back. It was a rough experience for this girl. I got diagnosed 4 months after graduation, so I'm not really sure what it would have been like.

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=17&m=2517249

I was diagnosed when I was 18. I am now in my second year in college. One thing that will help you tremendously is registering with the university's disability center. Crohn's is a disability. They'll usually just ask for a doctor's letter stating what you have and medications and such. But they'll provide accommodations like frequent breaks,disability absence, priority seating,etc. And like my DRC asks that I give them my schedule at the beginning of the semester and I fill it out with the professors emails and class numbers and such. Then they'll send an email to each one letting them know I have theses accommodations so if I have to miss class or I step out of the class 3 times they won't penalize me. My first semester was rough but I got through partly because I had to have the strength and a big part was the help of the DRC. So definitely check them out in whatever university you end up going to! Wish you luck!

Hey girl,

Look, I love the Healingwell forum. The community here is great, and their advice and support has been indispensable to me on more than one occasion. That said, it's important to recognize that a lot of people come here to get support and seek advice when things are at their worst, so this is not really a representative sample of the average experience.

I was diagnosed in high school, and I'm now a senior in college. Yes, my college experience has had its ups and downs (whose hasn't?), but overall it's been largely positive. I feel a lot better in college than I ever did in high school, I think largely because I have a lot more control over my life. In high school you have like a half an hour at the beginning of the day to decide if you're feeling well enough for a full school day; in college, you'll have one or two one-hour classes a day, and the building is a five minute walk from your room. That's a lot less of a commitment, and a lot less stress-inducing, and it's usually no big deal if you have to miss them. I don't know where that other girl goes to college, but I've never taken a class with a strict attendance policy. It's just assumed that since we're all adults, we're responsible for our own education.

I definitely think you should register with your school's office of disability services, because since Crohn's is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, it's not licit for a professor to subject you to the same attendance/deadline restrictions as other students, especially if you have a flare-up. Even if you're feeling well, it's good to meet with someone in disabilities, because professors can be jerks, and you never know when you might need someone to advocate on your behalf.

Regarding housing: with the ADA, schools are require to accommodate the housing requirements of disabled students, so they usually have like at least one large single room with a private bathroom/ kitchenette on every floor in dorm buildings. Of course, I don't want to discourage you from renting a single room somewhere, but it's also fun to have other kids around, and you would still have your privacy. (Also, it's a great way to ensure that you have the best dorm room of anyone you know - when I was a freshman, my dorm room was incredible compared to my friends'. I didn't even tell anyone I had Crohn's at that point, I just pretended I lucked out in the random selection process!)

Other considerations: smaller schools are usually more sympathetic to these sorts of things - big schools can get pretty bureaucratic, and typically provide the bare minimum of support. I go to a small liberal arts school and I've had a very positive experience with the administration, but I've heard plenty of horror stories from kids at bigger schools. Also, smaller schools typically have smaller class-sizes. If the professor doesn't know you (see: massive lecture halls), he/ she is way less likely to be understanding.
I always like to make appointments to meet with all my potential professors during the shopping week at the beginning of the semester, to tell them about Crohn's, talk about how it may affect my performance, and gauge their reaction. And I just don't take classes with professors who don't seem accommodating. It's not worth it, and they don't tend to be good professors anyway, so no real loss.

Anyway, in conclusion: college is great, and can actually be really empowering if you're struggling to feel in control. I was terrified before I went to college. I remember I posted a thread on Healingwell that was nearly identical to yours, and all of the responses I got scared the hell out of me! In reality though, the last few years have been the best of my life so far. I have lots of friends and thriving social and romantic lives, I love my classes and have great relationships with my professors (fostered in part by the amount of time I've spent in their offices over the years), I had a great experience studying abroad in the middle east, I'm captain of the debate team and actively involved in a number of other school organizations, I have a radio show, I'm working on honors, I've held competitive internships, etc. Yes, Crohn's is unpredictable. I've had a few mini-flare ups in college (often around finals season, tragically), and I have way more than my share of rough days. But at the same time, I think I benefit from a resilience, independence and self-awareness that the other kids generally lack, so I don't feel too sorry for myself.

Anyway, sorry to be long winded! I guess I just wanted to be thorough. Let me know if you have any questions or want advice or anything. Also, as I recently became somewhat involved in the disabilities advocacy community, I have some sense of which schools tend to be better and worse for people with conditions like Crohn's, so if you'd like, you're welcome to run some names by me.

Best of luck,
Erica