College panelists advise teens

As a college freshman with a primary immunodeficiency, Darcy Gott provided the school’s accessibility team with documents supporting her need for accommodations. Darcy requires the flexibility to make up missed work without penalties if she is absent due to illness.

Still, every year she has to ensure that professors understand her accommodation requirements. She sends a copy of her plan to each professor and follows up with a meeting, which is helpful because most professors assume she just needs extra time for exams.

Darcy recommends other students with PI entering into college do the same.

“Try and talk to your professors one-on-one and explain to them what your accommodations are, so they know that it’s not just extra time, that you have different accommodations instead,” said Darcy.

Darcy shared these words of advice during Teen College Night, an IDF Forum designed to inform middle and high school students with primary immunodeficiencies about what they should consider when attending a post-secondary institution.

Four college student panelists answered questions posed by the teens and IDF moderators. The panelists included: Darcy Gott, who attends Colby College in Maine; Emilee Brock, who attends Washington College in Maryland; Ethan McGrew, a student at Indian River State College in Florida; and Jesse McCall, a student at Santa Fe College in Florida.

Topics garnering discussion included:

• Choosing a college
• College essays and disclosing a PI
• College application process
• Accommodations request process
• Commuting versus residency
• Sharing dorm rooms
• Social considerations

Most teen panelists said having a PI influenced where they attended college and whether they commuted or lived on campus. Jesse and Ethan chose to commute for health reasons, accommodations, and academics.

“I had limited choices about where to go to college, just because of my PI and my other health issues. Also, I knew I had to be at home, and I had to be within driving distance,” said Jesse, a child psychology major. “I chose Sante Fe and was able to meet with the accommodations office about a month before the term started, so I could get a feel and make sure everything was handled.”

Ethan’s health caused him to miss high school, so he chose Indian River College because it offered both a GED program and college degrees. Attending Indian River also saves money.

“Indian River had a really great class price, and I could get scholarships, so I paid nothing for my current class schedule,” said Ethan, a political science major. “I’m planning to stay here for the first 2 to 4 years. I’m trying to get a doctorate, so afterward, I’ll transfer.

Both Ethan and Jesse agreed that commuting doesn’t diminish the college experience.

“I think commuting is really good, especially for your first two years because later on, nobody’s going to care where you got your first two years done,” said Ethan.

“I think there’s a lot of real benefits. You can have all that extra time to save or buy a car. You can get all the basic classes out of the way, like math and English 101. You can lock down what you’re interested in and take classes that you wouldn’t normally take if you were at a more expensive college.”

Jesse said he’s been pleased with his college choice.

“To me, the college experience is going to classes, interacting with other students, speaking with professors, being a part of clubs and events. As a commuter, just because I don’t live on campus, I can still join clubs, groups, and events,” said Jesse.

Emilee, a psychology major, said she chose Washington College because it offered her an opportunity to live on campus while being just a few hours from home. The school also provided her with the accommodations she required, including a single dorm room with her own bathroom.

“I looked at a handful of different private schools because I knew that I wanted small classes and one-on-one with the professor because they’re more likely to form a relationship with someone, and they’d be more understanding versus being one in a thousand,” said Emilee.

“The other thing I looked for was accommodations. One of the schools I looked at said we have this set, and that’s all you get versus where I’m at now. They’ll work with you for anything you need. They’ll get on top of your professors if they’re not responding to you, or if they say you can’t do something even if your accommodations say you can. They’re fantastic with everything, and I couldn’t have asked for anything better, honestly.”

Darcy said her PI didn’t dictate her choice of attending Colby College. She didn’t meet with her accommodations team until partway into her freshman year, mainly because she is a Florida resident and the college is in Maine. Darcy lives in a dorm with two roommates, and the three of them share a bathroom.

“I don’t feel like (my PI) had a huge impact on anything. We have a whole club called the Disability Awareness Board, so the school tries really hard to make the college as accessible as possible. There’s definitely a lot of things that need to improve, but we’re working on it,” said Darcy.

Most of the college panelists said they based their college essays on their experiences with PI. Overcoming adversity is a common essay topic required by colleges, they said.

“I wrote my college essay on my struggle through school and how it’s not perfect. It’s messy, but I’m willing to fight and be the best I can be. The school was really great about it. They said, ‘You seem like a good student. You seem like you want to work hard. You’ve just got an obstacle in your way that you’re overcoming,’” said Emilee.

“I know not everyone discloses, and that’s fine - you don’t have to. I like to because I think it’s easier to talk about accommodations.”

Ethan said he discussed his PI in college entrance papers and scholarship applications.

“I think my school is very good with accommodations, and if they’ve accepted me knowing I have these problems, they’re probably going to be better about it going forward,” he said.

Jesse said that because he has other health challenges in addition to his PI, he had plenty of material to expound upon. But, ultimately, it’s personal preference as to whether or not a student wants to share his or her health experiences.

“I think really they’re just trying to get a feel of how you write and what your life’s been like, specifically how you’re able to overcome issues, and show that you’re willing to put in the work if you’re faced with challenges,” said Jesse.

The college panel said working out the details of receiving accommodations presented a major challenge. Create a well-thought-out plan, they said, and contact the college accessibilities office several weeks prior to the beginning of the school year.

In addition, make personal contact with professors, either through email or meetings, and explain how the accommodations work. The accommodations may include extended absences from class, extra time for tests and assignments, acceptance of late work without penalties, or an adjusted schedule.

“Before school starts, contact the disabilities office and get yourself established with them. Once you get established, then send your stuff to the individual professors. Make sure you’re very clear about your accommodations, even if they are just extra time. You don’t have to give your professor your life story, but do give them enough information so that they don’t think you’re just trying to get extra time,” said Jesse.

“If you’re able to explain why you need the accommodation, in my experience, you’re a lot more likely to have understanding professors instead of ones that just brush you off.”

Some schools have case representatives that will step in if a professor is not abiding by the accommodation requirements, but it’s up to the student to take action, said the panel.

“The number one thing I would say is advocate for yourself. Make sure your needs are met because you are paying for college. If you have any issues, don’t hesitate to contact the accommodations office just to make sure that you are being treated fairly,” said Jesse.

When it comes to applying to colleges, the panel suggested not applying to any more than ten because of the time required to write college essays. Equally important is to start your search early.

“If I could go back in time, I’d start looking at colleges and different options a lot sooner than I did. I don’t think there’s too early a time to start planning, or at least looking, at colleges. And if you don’t know what you want to do when you get into college, that’s OK, too. A lot of colleges offer basic courses that are good for anything,” said Jesse.

On the topic of socializing, the group didn’t view having a PI as a hurdle to making friends. Since the pandemic began, some on the panel connected with new friends online, such as playing video games or joining social media platforms like Discord, where they could find others with similar health challenges.

“It’s really just making do with what you can find. If you find really good friends early on, stick to them, but don’t be discouraged if you can’t find people right away that you don’t like, especially in today’s age where everything is so hard,” said Ethan.

Having attended the last two years of high school online, Emilee said she looked forward to starting college. She recalls making friends on pizza night by introducing herself and sitting with fellow students she didn’t know.

“I was really excited and didn’t tell people (about my PI) right away, but it’s something that I’m kind of proud of. I’ve done so much good with this whole thing that’s there’s nothing really to be ashamed of,” said Emilee.

“It’s brought me closer to my friends, definitely. I’ve only got a handful of really close friends I’ve made at school, and it’s great.”

Darcy told teens to seek positive social interaction and strive for authenticity.

“Being in college, be true to yourself. Don’t hide things just because you think somebody won’t like you because of it. If somebody doesn’t like you because you have a PI, they can just not be in your life,” said Darcy.