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So I’ve been through uni twice now. Once undianogsed autistic the other time diagnosed autistic.
This thread will be part one.
Going through uni as an undiagnosed autistic.
This thread will be part one.
Going through uni as an undiagnosed autistic.
Let’s go back to 2013 and little (and naive) 18-year-old Sarah was leaving home for the first time. I was excited as I& #39;d always craved that independent life. I also thought it would be an excellent opportunity to ”reinvent myself.”...
All the NTs went on about it, so I automatically assumed that it was the usual thing to do. As there is the stereotype of drunkness and partying. I tried to live up to that through masking. But I did this too much
I would get horrifically drunk, say outrageous things as I thought that is how I would make friends at uni (I seriously cringe at this now) and I also get too intimate with people for the wrong reasons (I think I just wanted to get away from the good girl image I had at school)
I also thought I had to go out every night to be accepted as I was told this was ”fun” It was fun for an hour and honestly I just got bored or overwhelmed. I would often leave early (sneak away from the group I was with).
People even started to joke about me being Where’s Wally I did this so often on nights out
Ok, let& #39;s get onto the studying. At first, I found it hard to just academically as it was completely different from school. I found it hard when my first marks back we so low Rejection Sensitivity Disorder (RSD) kicked in big time.
As I was diagnosed dyslexic, I did get 1-2-1 academic support which made a massive difference.
My undergrad degree had A LOT of group work. This was hard as there too many disagreements, people not pulling their weight and drama. I& #39;m so glad this is a thing of the past 
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😂" title="Gesicht mit Freudentränen" aria-label="Emoji: Gesicht mit Freudentränen">
With the right support, I managed to get decent grades in the end. But to be honest, I lost my interest in my undergrad degree by my final year.
Living situation
First-year halls I was utterly unprepared for. I had low executive function skills which made daily living so challenging and I had to learn how to look after myself quick.
First-year halls I was utterly unprepared for. I had low executive function skills which made daily living so challenging and I had to learn how to look after myself quick.
I also wasn& #39;t prepared for the judgment I would face for ”being myself” I was even shouted at by one of my flatmates for ”always eating the same thing.” and was told ”How could I live like that”
This made me so self-conscious that I would avoid eating in the kitchen when over people are around. The same is true today because of these few comments made.
A lot of the people I lived in with the first year we& #39;re very NT and very judgemental of my autistic traits. I always noticed they spoke to me in a slightly patronising way, and I didn& #39;t understand. Now I do.
TW: Sexual assault
As I was often walking around the campus ’alone’ This made me a target for sexual predators (who were also studentshttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🙄" title="Gesicht mit rollenden Augen" aria-label="Emoji: Gesicht mit rollenden Augen">)
As they would approach me and I didn& #39;t know how to escape the situation, I was assaulted.
THIS IS WHY AUTISTIC FRIENDLY SEX ED IS CRUCIAL
As I was often walking around the campus ’alone’ This made me a target for sexual predators (who were also students
As they would approach me and I didn& #39;t know how to escape the situation, I was assaulted.
THIS IS WHY AUTISTIC FRIENDLY SEX ED IS CRUCIAL
I didn& #39;t have much of a reaction at first, but this did lead to PTSD
Friendship. I did have friends for most of uni. There were a few falling out, but I made up with most of the friends in the end.
Tbh most of the real friends I made at uni were ND, even if they didn& #39;t know it themselves.
Tbh most of the real friends I made at uni were ND, even if they didn& #39;t know it themselves.
My uni course was supposed to have a placement year. I had loads of interviews for placements but failed miserably at most of them. Now I know this is because I was an undiagnosed autistic clueless at interviews.
To be honest I enjoyed most of uni first time round, but a lot of challenges wouldn’t have been there if I knew I was autistic and had the right support. I could have advocated for myself and have my needs met.
I’m gonna finish this thread here, but I will do part 2 tomorrow. For my second time at uni!
