College Transition Tips for Success

Agnes Ferris
Doctoral Student in Human Rehabilitation
University of Northern Colorado

Wow!  You’re going to be a college student!

When you transition from high school to college, you will enter a different world with new responsibilities and expectations. As you embark on this new adventure, you will experience many differences between high school and college. You will be greeted with both opportunities and challenges as you address your personal, academic, and disability needs. Here are some tips for success.

Important Questions to Ask

What is Your Role in Acquiring Disability Accommodations?

When you were in high school, your parents may have informed your teachers about your disability. At the university level, you choose whether or not to disclose your disability. However, to receive disability assistance, it is your responsibility to provide disability documentation and request services that fit your needs.

For more information about your rights and responsibilities as a university student with a disability, please refer to the article entitled “Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education: Know Your Rights and Responsibilities.” This article can be found on the Web site of the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights.

What is the University’s Role in Accommodating Your Disability Needs?

When you were in high school, your assignments may have been modified because of your disability. At the university level, you will be expected to meet the same criteria as all students.   Universities have disability service offices that provide accommodations and services to give you the opportunity to pursue your academic goals.

The University of Northern Colorado offers accommodations and services to individuals with disabilities through the office of Disability Support Services. The contact information is

Mail

Disability Support Services

University of Northern Colorado

Campus Box 139

Greeley, CO  80639

Telephone - 970-351-2289 (Voice, TTY)

Fax - 970-351-4166

Web Site

The DSS is located in Harrison Hall 159A.

For more information call Ann Anderson, Director at Ann.Anderson@unco.edu.

What Are Your Academic Needs?

Classes are larger, some with 150 students. Instruction is provided through lectures, readings, research projects, and written assignments. You may have true/false, multiple-choice, and/or essay exams. In high school, your teachers may have given specific guidance about what to include in your notes and how to prepare for exams. College professors may not offer this type of guidance. Some classes are offered online or through a combination of classroom and online instruction.

As a college student who has a disability, how will you

  • Complete your assignments on time?
  • Communicate your needs to your professors?
  • Complete readings and research projects?
  • Handle note taking in class and for readings?
  • Access your online instruction?
  • Take exams?

What Are Your Personal Needs?

When you were in high school, your parents, other family members, and/or friends may have assisted you with meeting your personal needs. These needs included providing you with a place to live, preparing meals, doing laundry, assisting with shopping, managing money, and providing transportation and orientation. As a college student with a disability, how will you

President John F. Kennedy once said, "All of us do not have equal talents, but all of us should have an equal opportunity to develop those talents."--John F. Kennedy, 1963, Commencement Address at San Diego State College.

Hopefully, these "college transition tips for success" will help you begin your new and exciting adventure.