As someone diagnosed with autism, I have faced many challenges at university. However, I have learnt from my experiences and made a lot of good memories. Here, I give my advice on managing four areas of University life as an autistic student.
1) Living Out and Settling In
A good proportion of autistic students aren’t fond of change. Therefore, the prospect of having to live out and be away from their parents can seem extremely nerve racking. Even if you are living at home and commuting, there is still a lot of things you have to adapt to. Luckily, my university allowed me to arrive 2 days early which allowed me to adapt and settle in before things got busy with Arrivals Weekend. However, it can take time to settle in to university life, and you will make mistakes initially– this is completely normal and nothing to be ashamed of, and one thing I always advise to any upcoming fresher is to give this process time. You will learn from your experiences and mistakes as you begin to settle in, which will help your personal development.
One thing I would also highly recommend is to visit the university beforehand, so that you can get a feel for the environment and the surroundings. I visited the university twice before I started, and it certainly made things easier when I moved in.
2) Making Friends
Before university, I had massive doubts over whether I would be able to make friends due to my autism. However, despite my worries I went to university with an open mind and ensured that I made an active attempt to meet people and initiate conversations. And that worked extremely well for me! On my very first day at university I met someone from my course who also moved in early, and we are still really close friends today. This put me immediately at ease, and after meeting lots of people I quickly came to realise that everyone you meet is very understanding of autism so I didn’t need to worry about whether I would make friends just because I had autism! The advice I would specifically give to autistic students is to just be yourself, and don’t try and change your personality just to “fit in”; if you be true to who you are and give yourself opportunities to meet people, you will make real friends that accept you for who you are!
3) Extracurricular Activities and Getting Out of My Comfort Zone
University can throw many challenges for students with autism, but at the same time it also offers a lot of highly rewarding opportunities to get out of your comfort zone and grow as a person. Whilst at university I have joined several societies, including the Hindu Society, Krishna Consciousness Society, Badminton Society, which have allowed me to try new things and gain new perspectives. I have also been fortunate enough to have taken 3 different society committee positions and volunteered in India, all of which have allowed me to develop many soft skills and expand my comfort zone. My advice to autistic students would be to keep an open mind and take every challenge that comes your way as an opportunity to engage, enjoy and thrive at university. Getting out of your comfort zone can be challenging but the rewards are certainly worth it.
4) Specific Support Available for Students with Disabilities
There is lots of support that is available at university for autistic students. Before fresher’s week, I visited the Disability Services support team at my university and they were extremely helpful in ensuring that arrangements were put in place to guide my transition into university, such as allowing me to arrive 2 days early. Throughout university, they have always been easily approachable whenever I have needed something.
It is completely up to you whether you want to disclose your autism to your university. But if you do, you can be assured that it is against the law to be discriminated against due to your autism. Furthermore, it is worth noting that the university wants you to do well, and they are willing to help in any way they can.
Remember that autistic people have unique qualities that enable them to thrive and succeed at university. Good Luck!
I originally wrote this blog post for Student Minds.
Niraj's blogs 
You’re a strong man. Thanks for sharing your experience and I hope this helps autistic students to settle in.
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Thank you very much!!
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Moving on to University is scary for anyone, but those with an invisible disabilty it is more worrying. It is so lovely to hear that there are support networks there to help you settle in and thrive x
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It’s good to hear that there is plenty of support at University. It’s a frightening step to take, I know I was really nervous on my first day at uni.
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There is certainly plenty of support available for students at University. Being nervous on your first day at uni is normal – it is such a big transition from school!
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I remember being a bundle of nerves during my Freshers Week many years ago. The entry into university life can be very challenging but the way you grabbed the bull by the horns and pushed yourself out of your comfort zone must be very inspiring to other students with autism.
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Thank you for the comment! Certainly, the transition from school to university is very challenging but can be done with a positive attitude 🙂
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Your courage and your belief in yourself were so important, because helped you to move forward and faced all your doubts about others and your life in university.
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Thanks for the kind words! The belief I had in myself certainly helped me for sure 🙂
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I am glad you were able to adjust very well into university life. It is nice to have a support system whom you can ask for help or advice. I wish it was the same here. I think they are more focused on students with physical disabilities.
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Its unfortunate that some people think that if you don’t have a disability that is physical or seen then it doesn’t affect you, and more awareness needs to be raised on this. Having a support system was really nice and allowed me to settle in!
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That’s so nice that your uni allowed you to move in early and get used to things a bit before the chaos. I can’t begin to imagine how tough that first few weeks/ months must have been x
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The transition from school to university was indeed steep, but it got easier over time. And I certainly agree that it was very thoughtful of the university to allow people with autism and other disabilities to move in before the chaos of welcome weekend!
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I am glad you were able to adjust very well into university life. It’s good to hear that there is plenty of support at University. It’s a frightening step to take, I know I was really nervous on my first day at Uni.
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I was very nervous as well on my first day at university but the university really supported me and other students with disabilities in order so that we could all settle in!
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So glad to find out that you have received so many wonderful support from the University to help you settle into a new environment as I am sure you must have felt anxious.
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I was certainly anxious! But the university really helped a lot in making sure me and other students with disabilities got the support they needed to settle in at university
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I’m pleased you had such a great experience I believe People with autism are super
Gifted amazing people and should reach for the stars and beyond in their goals x
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Thank you for the kind words!
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It’s great that the university really supports you with this. I too have autism and find socialising very hard. So I did an Open University degree from home instead of attending a physical uni.
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I see, I hope that went well for you! It was great that the university supported me and other students with disabilities and helped us settle in
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My son is going to university in September and he is really worried too. I’m glad you made friends.
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I wish your son all the best – it is a steep transition the one from school to university, but it is one that is also massively rewarding!
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Thank you so much for sharing your insight into how Uni was for you, I know this honest post will really help others who may have questions too! It sounds like the uni were really supportive for you which is great and I am sure really helped your journey too!
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Thank you for the kind words! The university were very supportive and that helped a lot!
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It sounds like you have settled in well and made some friends. Going to uni is a big step for everyone, I know I was nervous when I went and I was 29
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Thank you for the kind words! You are right, university is a big step for anyone
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