Off to college!

Hi everyone! :slight_smile:
I’m heading off to college up in Fort Collins, CO in the fall and I’m wondering if any of you have any advice for me?

Yup, never, EVER drink from any container that was not in your hand the entire time!

Several stupid food poisoning issues and a couple of nasty flu viruses, etc. went around the dorm because somebody was careless with food & then who drank from what. Never got either because Stuart’s cans were a) solely Stuart’s, b) cosmetic and empty of soda anyway! “…No really, no thanks see I have something to drink already no idea what concoction is in that nasty bowl but I wouldn’t flush it much less drink anything from it… but thanks anyway…”

Stuart

Hi Brittany! Congrats and Welcome!

Along with what the others mentioned, I just have to say again, TEST OFTEN and make sure that you eat your meals. When I was in College, my head was in the books so much
that I forgot the rest. And I must say that I had a doozy of a seizure while at the College. I’ve seen better seizures probably but I heard that mine was pretty decent. ;o)

Oh and College is not ALL work. Have FUN too.

Hey Brittany,

Congrats. College was a very fun and exciting time in my life and yes I had type 1 diabetes the whole time. If you have any questions about things definatley send me an email.

One piece of diabetic advise. If you drink alcohol as many college kids do diet coke and vodka was always a great choice for me. I used to drink screwdrivers (OJ and vodka) or pineapple juice and malibu and it drove my blood sugars sky high. Then my senior year I figured out that if I drank diet coke and vodka or drinks that weren’t as sweet with a ton of juice my blood sugars weren’t affected as much.

If you choose to drink definately figure out what works for you body.

Non-diabetic advice. Pick a major that you actually will use after graduation. I know this may seem overwhelming now but seriously with degrees in education, business, nursing, engineering, ect it is much easier finding a job than a psychology or com arts or general liberal arts major. (I was a psch and communications major). Also I highly recommend taking an accounting and business course as well as computer classes and public speaking. These classes will come in handy. I wish I took more practically classes.

and Have lots of fun and meet lots of people and expand your horizons.

I am psyched for you!!!

Thank you all! These are great tips. I’m so so so excited!! I’ve already informed my roommate of my diabetes and she was so supportive and eager to learn more about it. Diet coke and vodka… i’ll remember that :wink: My mom said I could always carry around a diet root beer bottle and act like its beer. Ha. Ha.
And in regards to what I’m going to study… I have no idea. Well, I’m drawn to the medical field for obvious reasons. I saw a Health promotions major and I’m looking into that. We’ll see!!
Stuart, scouts honor, i will never drink from a drink that is not mine!

I was on injections my first year of college at SMU and on a pump for the last three years. I lived in the dorms with roommates, in the dorms in a single room (which can be a bit scary on your own with T1), in an apartment with a roommate, and after college, alone. No matter what your situation, it’s so important you have somewhere or someone that knows your diabetic basics - who to call, where to take you, how to get into your dorm, and where you stash your supplies. ALWAYS have fresh supplies stocked in some kind of retrievable bag that your friends could find in a pinch. I found that the campus health center was of very little use for me, but I made sure I had a great endo off campus that knew I had a crazy college courseload and would work with me. I started a campus support group and found out that an administrative admin in my major and even one of my profs had diabetes. It was nice to be able to reach out like that. Two different years, we all walked in one of the benefit walks together as an unofficial team.

I remember my pump going off when it had gone empty in the middle of a class where the prof had just made an announcement about turning off cell phones and pagers. I was mortified to have to slip up to the front and whisper that I needed to leave to take care of it. Turns out his sister was diabetic and he was very understanding. Everywhere you go, you’re going to find that people are ready to be educated about what you need specifically. Just don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Even your RAs in dorms can be of a help to you - like helping you find sharps containers or the vending machines, or whathaveyou.

Best of luck!