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As a blind or low vision high school student, you might think that preparing for college is something you can wait until later to do. But trust me, starting early makes all the difference. I was once there, too—thinking that my future was far ahead of me. But the truth is, the sooner you start preparing, the smoother your journey will be.
Start Early
Why start preparing early? Here are a few reasons:
- Planning ahead helps you avoid feeling overwhelmed. If you wait until the last minute, it’s like tumbling down a million stairs.
- As a blind or low vision student, accessibility issues might arise that you’ll want to address in advance.
- Taking early steps helps you feel more in control and confident about your future.
It is human nature to hesitate and procrastinate when making big decisions. Remember, you can do anything you put your mind to. Planning and calculated risk-taking often leads to a more successful future.
Think About Your Future
Thinking about college early on in high school can relieve a lot of future stress. However, before you dive into the specifics of college life, it’s essential to get to know yourself and what truly matters to you. Take time to explore different activities, try new things, and step outside your comfort zone. This process of self-discovery will help you identify what you enjoy and where your strengths lie.
For instance, when I was in high school, I decided to try indoor skydiving, something I never imagined myself doing before. It was an exciting way to challenge myself and explore an interest I hadn’t considered.
You won’t truly know what you enjoy or where your passions lie until you put yourself out there and embrace new experiences. This exploration is crucial for discovering your interests and prepares you for the independence and new opportunities that come with attending college. College allows you to meet new people, expand your horizons, and gain experiences you might not have had in your home community. For blind or low vision students, this is especially important, as it helps break free from the familiar and allows you to grow in ways that will set you up for success in the future.
Learn About Yourself
Focusing on getting to know yourself during high school will allow you to discover new interests, hobbies, activities you enjoy, what kind of people you like to be around, and what your dream career may be. This will help you discover a lifestyle you aspire to live when you go to college.
After you know what you’d like to do, you can take the steps to prepare in chunks, rather than all at once.
Take Advantage of Opportunities
It is important to take advantage of opportunities that will help you figure out what colleges have to offer and if you could see yourself possibly attending them. To achieve this, you must be willing to push yourself to get to know others and let them get to know you.
Talk to current college students and representatives, visit the campuses if possible, attend virtual info sessions, and interview student disability services. These activities give you a sense of what a college is like and show your interest in the school, which can make a big difference in the admissions process.
I advise you to participate in as many of these things as possible for the schools you are interested in. By doing all of this, you will gain more insight about the colleges and show interest in going there, allowing staff and students to get to know you better. It is important to remember that the admissions teams only learn so much about you through your application essays, which is why engaging in these activities is helpful.
Utilize Resources
Finding resources to help you embark on the college process is important because you don’t know what you don’t know. Having someone you can trust to assist you with making decisions is a big help. This support may come from your family, high school, a service organization, or the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. It is more than just asking questions; sometimes you may not know what to ask. What is important is that you know where to search for resources. One resource I am fortunate to have is Upward Bound to assist me.
When searching for resources, you can use APH ConnectCenter’s Directory of Services on their homepage: Home – ConnectCenter.
Upward Bound
Upward Bound is a college readiness program that taught me everything I know about college. They’ve introduced me to things as simple as creating a dream board to help me better know myself and turn my aspirations into realities.
As far as college preparation, this program has taught me how to write efficient college essays and given me guided research projects that helped me find colleges that suit me. Upward Bound has taken me on various trips to visit college campuses to get a feel for college life and discover colleges I’m interested in attending. My advisers are the ones who have told me about most of the scholarships I’ve applied to that I most likely wouldn’t have known about. They’ve made it possible for college representatives to come out to talk to my group, as well as their previous alumni about their experiences. Overall, joining a program like this, talking to family, counselors, or friends who have experience will be a key to your college journey, because we all need some sort of guidance.
Preparing for an Essay
A crucial moment in my college preparation was when I had to write an essay to apply for the Davis New Mexico Scholarship, a full-ride scholarship only offered in my state. I was unsure of what my essay should be about until I was encouraged to write about navigating the world as a blind person. This had never occurred to me, because as most of you can probably relate, as blind individuals we tend to avoid speaking about our blindness. Like many others, I struggled to embrace my vision and take pride in who I am, but this opened my mind. I was afraid people wouldn’t look at me the same if I exposed this side of me. However, as I wrote, I realized how much I could use my senses to make readers understand my point of view, and I felt relieved to finally discuss my visual impairment.
Creating A Future Pathway
Once you’ve applied to all the colleges you’re interested in, apply for as many scholarships as possible, even if you receive a full-ride scholarship. Remember that not all full ride scholarships are accepted at every school, and in the end, you will realize any money you receive will count towards something you might not have thought about.
Choosing a College or University
Here are some tips that were helpful to me when considering what college to attend.
- Research or ask questions about the disability services offered at the schools you consider applying to. Some may provide a huge amount of support. Others expect you to fully advocate for yourself without support from an office dedicated to assistance and guidance for students with disabilities.
- Determine if public transportation surrounds the potential colleges. As blind individuals, we need to get from point A to point B for necessities or leisure activities.
- Find out if the school’s online platforms are accessible. You can even become familiar with them before attending.
Hard Work Pays Off
At the end of the process you will feel relieved and secure. It is way better to plan your future, even if plans change, rather than graduating high school and having no idea what’s next. When you feel disappointed, look at the brighter side of where you will be years from now. Your hard work will pay off even if you don’t see it immediately. Soon you will look back on these moments and be proud of yourself.
College Is for Everyone
Attending college is possible for anyone who wants to attend who has a standard high school diploma or GED, whether you have low vision, light perception, or no vision. You have to believe in yourself, and remember not to let people’s assumptions and doubts define your capabilities and stop you from reaching your aspirations. We are just like everyone else and can accomplish the same goals in our own ways. I hope this helps all high school students who want to go to college but don’t know where to start. Remember, starting early and planning ahead is the best way to set yourself up for success.
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