There’s a lot to think about when even looking at, let alone picking, your future college. What study abroad programs they offer, whether they have your prospective major, greek life or no greek life, what clubs they offer, sports, scholarships, the list goes on and on. However, when you have an autoimmune disease, like lupus, or any other health issue or disability (learning and/or physical), the list becomes even more overwhelming. Initially when I started the college search I was only mildly thinking about my knee problems and was more focused on my learning disabilities. A month and a half before decision day I was diagnosed with lupus and had absolutely no idea what to do, but in the back of my mind I knew my dream college aesthetic was probably out of the question (for me). I had no idea what I would be needing or should even be looking for. By the end of my senior year in college my school ended up being an almost perfect fit for me, but there were some things, like an on campus health clinic, that would have made my experience a bit better, but I didn’t even realize that was something until it was too late. Down below I have five things I think anyone with lupus (or really anyone) should take into consideration when they are looking at colleges.
Campus Size
When looking at a colleges it is important to look at the campus size, both in the physical acreage and the class/student body size. From the time I was little I always imagined going to a big state school. I dreamed about the football games, sorority life, and the overall atmosphere of a “big school”. Size affects everything. The time it takes to walk to class, your dorm, to get food, it changes the amount of people that you interact/have contact with on a daily basis, the ease of relationships with professors and administration, and so on and so forth. Fast forward to now, and I graduated from a small liberal arts college. When I first began touring colleges I didn’t know I had lupus, but I did have knee problems that I knew would factor into my experience. After visiting a few larger schools, where walks to class could be up to 30 minutes on hills, I started to realize that maybe a larger school was not for me. However, it wasn’t only the size of the campus that was holding me back, but the size of the student body. With a larger school comes a larger number of people, which could mean someone like me, who has particular needs, could be swept under the rug. In the end it is your decision and whatever fits best for you, but I thought I might be losing out on some of the college experience and ambiance by going to a smaller school, but instead was able to do more than I ever dreamed while being supported.
Dorm Accessibility and Location
This kind of ties into campus size, but even smaller colleges can still have dorms that are 15+ minutes away from the main campus. Some dorms have elevators, air conditioning, and accessible bathrooms, and some do not. Usually on campus tours college likes to highlight their “best” dorm, but do not be fooled, not all dorms are created equal. A 15 minute walk on a tour might feel easy breezy, but imagine carrying your books and laptop either trudging through snow or on a 90 degree day. My freshman year dorm did not have air conditioning, an elevator, or an accessible bathroom, but they put me in that dorm because it was a 2 minute walk to the majority of the buildings. Pros and cons, but that 2 minute walk to my 8:30 was pretty nice. Moral of the story is think about your specific needs, what is most important to you, and get in touch with the housing coordinator as soon as possible.
On Campus Health Service
This is huge. I had never thought about an on campus clinic being important until I needed it and it wasn’t there. I got sick a lot in college, like multiple times a trimester, and being able to walk to go see a doctor or pick up medication instead of trying to get a ride or rely on the hours of the med car would have saved me a lot of stress. My alma mater now has an on campus health clinic (literally months after I graduated), but I cannot express how important this is and how much time and pain you will be saved by having one.
Disabilities Coordinator
Depending on what school you’re looking at the roles can be slightly different, but almost all colleges have disability coordinators. Whether or not you are going to an in person tour you should be able to set up a meeting, phone call, or email exchange to go over your specific case and what the school has to offer. Not only do I have lupus, but I also have learning disabilities and my particular college wanted me to have a letter from the disability coordinator, to send to my professors to “prove” and show what accommodations I could need/was eligible for. Starting a relationship with them before you’re even on campus will become so important for the future years. Whether for housing, a professor, or a class, their guidance and input can be extremely helpful. Always be open and honest about what you really need, there is no shame in asking for help and advocating for yourself (something I still struggle with).
Dining Services
Another thing I didn’t really think about till I was actually in school. Dining services are super important. I had to stop eating gluten a few months before I graduated from high school, so I didn’t have much time to do research on the schools before I got there. Making sure they have your allergies or dietary preferences, and actually have options throughout the entire week is something I wish I looked into a bit more. I did have some options for gluten free dining, but depending on the day it could get very rough. On Friday’s they no longer had all of the stations open, two of which were my main sources of gluten free food, which left me eating mostly grilled cheese, cereal, and salads on the weekends.
There are so many things to take into consideration when looking at colleges, but these are five important ones that I think can be overlooked or forgotten. I was not super worried about the food situation since we had toured it and everything seemed nice enough, but come to my first weekend and majority of the stations were closed leaving me with some less than satiating options due to my gluten allergy. Before going to school I figured having a med car to take us to the urgent care clinic or the doctor would be good enough, but then my appointment took too long, the med car was closed, and I ended up having to beg a cab driver (who the school allegedly had an agreement with) to take me back to my dorm, where I then had to walk myself a little over a mile to pick up my medication. Again, in some cases these can be minor inconveniences, but you have to think about what it would be like to live there on your best days but more importantly on your worst days as well. I visited many large campuses that I absolutely loved and could imagine the best version of myself thriving there, but once the curtain closed I had to really think about my needs and what would be the best for me and my body.