Grad School

Grad school is a great undertaking and that's awesome you're doing it! When I was in Grad school, I spoke to the university's department of disabilities or accommodations about my health concerns and needs. This helped me feel more comfortable with starting the program and to be aware of what resources and assistance the university and my professors would be able to provide.

Congratulations on starting graduate school, that's amazing! Living with a rare disease while in school can be difficult to juggle. Make sure to utilize the disability resource office at your school. They will help you figure out any accommodations you might need for your classes. I remember on my campus we had a transportation option available for people that were unable to walk long distances across campus to their classes. If you need extended assignment due dates because of your condition, that is valid too! As a person with narcolepsy, I had to utilize this accommodation often in graduate school. Best of luck to you! Warmly, Tatiana (narcolepsy.sleep-disorders.net Team Member)

First of all, there are people to help along the way & I ,honestly, found grad school easier than undergrad. If you have your bachelor's degree, hopefully, you have availed yourself of the center on campus to assist students with disabilities. Life will be much easier to immediately seek out this office as a new grad student. Secondly, you know your body better than anyone else & you know both your strengths & limitations. If you are going to grad school for data analysis, then you must be somewhat familiar with how to study in the field & what will be required of you. You chose this field so you have an interest & skills which have prepared you for further study. When I went to grad school, I took a long, hard look at myself & what I knew I was able to do & what was beyond me. I had to be honest & admit that law school would necessitate too much time to do the job I wanted to accomplish with my weakened health, so I chose to look at PhD programs in one of my strength areas. It worked. I had to admit that by 10 at night, I was shot, physically & mentally so no late night studying for me. I had to be diligent about scheduling: class time, study time, eating times & with healthy diet choices, down time, & sleep time. I had to be efficient in studying, knowing that my health could not be impacted because I had to keep myself in good shape so I could do what I needed to do. As I said, grad school was easier in many ways because I could now just concentrate on my interest areas, I had a goal in mind, & I was familiar with the resources available on college & university campuses. Good luck to you.