Are y’all able to study in a college or university environment? Before I was diagnosed with schizophrenia, I studies Mass Communications and graduated with a diploma. But now I am thinking of getting a Degree in Information Technology or Information Systems. I wanna have a career in something that I can do with computers or computer management.
Is it possible for a schizophrenic to go to uni, sit through the lectures, comprehend the slides and get a degree certificate? What about distance learning? Is that easier or at least easier on the stress levels?
You stole a question of mine, or you took my thought from me! Hey… Hey! Cant do that!
Just kidding, yet what an interesting question!
Now that im going to class it is unfortunate to say it is so hard to concentrate. But it depends on your condition … stable or not? Im doing HR and want to study IT aftermath. Good luck
Last time I attended school in person was at a community college from 1990-1995 when I was in my early thirties and living in a board & care home. I had been schizophrenic since 1980.
Now I take one online course at a time.
I rate attending in person for all those years as a positive experience. I met some friendly people there in my classes and I felt perfectly comfortable having lunch by myself in the cafeteria occasionally.
I got mixed grades; some A’s, B’s and C’s and I think I failed one class. But yeah, I walked around and no one gave me a second look. I took academic courses mainly but I also took Physical Education classes and they got pretty fun sometimes.
Then I moved out of the group home and rented a room in my sisters condo and concentrated on working.
I didn’t take any more classes again until about 2009. I tried online classes and they worked out fine. Now I prefer them. I mean there are many advantages to distance learning.
I can make my own schedule to study when I want to in the comfort of my own home. I used to dig sitting at the computer reading an assignment eating a bowl of chocolate pudding with the radio on in the background, in my boxers, and occasionally petting my cat sitting at my feet and the heater on.
That’s why I personally prefer online courses. If I attended in person now at age 58, I doubt the school would let me eat pudding in class so that’s the main reason I take online classes. Pudding rules.
But I still take online classes, in fact my next class starts in about two weeks and I’m looking forward to it.
Attending in person of course, is a good thing in many ways. Socially it’s better and being physically in a class on a campus is a good environment to be in. It’s socially healthy to be interacting with people in person for sure. But you just have to weigh the pro’s and cons of both and make an informed decision.
I’m unable to attend classes in rooms with a fair number of people. Trigger for my symptoms. Same reason I didn’t last long as a technical trainer despite being certified as such. Distance ed classes where I can work on my own, I kick arse and chew bubble gum.
I did it but I was pretty isolated so just focused on my studies. I also had a psychotic meltdown in my final year, but managed to graduate with a decent grade in the end.
I was hospitalised for a few weeks after graduation, and I was lucky that it didn’t happen sooner, otherwise I may have ended up not passing my course.
So here’s my plan. I’m going to attend an online distance learning school to take Business Administration majoring in Business Information Systems. Why this subject? Well, my father graduated from Harvard and knows economics pretty well. He also has a stash of business books in his library. I also think it’s most easiest ACCESS for me since I only attend classes face to face once a month.
At the same time, I’m looking for a part time job where I only work less than 6 hours. The government in my country has an incentive where they supplement Disabled citizens additional salary. So I’m thinking of getting a job where I reach the maximum limit and get the Disabled Person’s Allowance.
My goal is to live and work in Japan. I’m studying Japanese taking classes on Sundays. Who knows what will happen in 3 years. If everything goes according to plan, I will be a very, very happy… schizophrenic!
A note to those ill: take advantage of your government and disability benefits. Use the disabled bathrooms when you really need to. Get discounts for school. Commute and avoid traffic jams via public transportation, use the discounts if possible This will unload stress in the traffic.
It definitely is possible, but you have to evaluate your own capabilities. They are not determined by your diagnosis. I am in university now and I’m doing very well. However, I would not recommend distance learning. It will most likely not be easier and not equal in terms of learning, either. If you are not well enough to attend lectures, you’re probably not well enough to go back to school.
In the insurance industry the in person training is always of lower quality. The eLearning modules are more rigorous and complete. And of course, the best agents are always reading the policy wordings themselves whenever possible.
My daughter is doing a business degree in college and she is also disappointed in the quality of the lectures.
Maybe it depends a lot on the quality of the school. But for me, the lectures, seminars and study groups provide most of the enjoyment of studying, and also a kind of learning the books can’t provide. It would also be very difficult for me to complete my studies without class friends that I meet regularly, because the work load alone would easily lead to social isolation.
Each way of going to school has it’s advantages and disadvantages. So many colleges offer distance learning and if the quality of the education by online classes was significantly inferior I think someone would have noticed by now and did something about it. But online classes seem to work. And yes, colleges vary in quality in certain ways. I would get a different education from attending the college down the road then I would get from attending Harvard or Yale or Stanford.
There are lots of basically scam online schools out there, where you don’t get what you pay for. It’s basically unregulated, and there have been lots of news stories about this. Also, online degrees will generally not get you the same jobs as other degrees.
Anyone can buy books and learn things. An education is only as good in the job market as it is a trusted certificate of your competence. And online degrees are usually less, and in some cases, not at all trusted by employers.
I wouldn’t deny that there are scams out there. But there’s plenty of legitimate online learning.
I don’t claim to know everything about it but some proof would be nice. To me, a degree is a degree and a diploma is a diploma, however you get it. My counselors never once told me this.
I would think it depends on the employer and what type of job it is and which college it is and what the degree is in and other related factors. Like I said, I’ve never been told this by anyone. I would believe it more if I had heard this in at least one other place.
Yes, i´m studying a second degree in music, after beeing diagnosed and on medication. Music is a very competitive field that requieres that you work and study each day a lot.
I just started this september and everything is going well. Not missing almost any of the classes and beeing able to keep up with my peers.
They’re the worst part of it for me. I can’t function in crowded venues. I’ve spent 35+ years trying and failing miserably. I always have both my Asperger’s and SZ triggered. The most I’ve accomplished is being able to DJ (which is NOT studying) in crowded clubs because I can lose myself in music. That I could do daily. The rest, I’m good for a couple hours a week at most before my high level of function degrades.
I’m taking some courses through Athabasca U here in AB, Canada by correspondence. It’s very highly regarded. It’s important to pick a good insititution.
I’m the same way. I found going in person was bad for my paranoia. This way I can handle going full time so it won’t take me ten years to get my bachelors. I plan to do remote work like you as well, which should be not too hard to find once I get my masters in the tech field I’m in
I always took classes in person. But, I received my bachelors degree in 1986 and I completed my last classroom college course in 2001. I finished a continuing education course online in the late millennium. I don’t plan on ever going back to college now at age 60.
