The Perennial Sam

This week I went to see my psychologist at school.  He had prepared a letter of support for a petition I began some time ago, with regard to having two courses removed from my transcript.  My psychologist seems to be very much like me, which probably has a great deal to do with why I feel comfortable talking to him, but I think we possess some of the same weaknesses as well.  He is a very forgetful and absent-minded person.  This was my second or third visit meant partly to pick-up the letter and he did not have it at hand.  However, he said he would send it directly to the Undergraduate Advisor; she needs to sign the petition before I can submit it to the Committee That Decides Your Academic Future.  I can’t remember exactly what their name is…

 There are a couple of my incomplete courses that I am not able to finish, and that is what this petition is about.  One course was taught by a visiting professor, who has since returned to her own university.  It was a Middle English Literature course, considered to be somewhat of a language course as a great deal of it involved translation.  A large portion of your mark was derived from class participation and a presentation at the end of the term.  Since I barely went to class and completed very little of the work, I don’t think it would be worth it to seek out this professor in an attempt to somehow finish the course.  Nor would I relish such a task.  The other class I am hoping to have removed from my transcript is an English Grammar course that was also meant to entail a great deal of class participation.  (more…)

Tonight I am briefly going to touch on the services available to disabled students at post-secondary institutions. 

When I began university, I came prepared with letters from both my psychiatrist and family doctor.  One was an official diagnosis of my condition, and both requested accomodations I may need in order to succeed at university.  I was not aware at this time that there was an Office for Persons with Disabilities (OPD) at my school, nor that I fell into the group that could access the resources there - no one had ever mentioned the word disability to me.  As I was not sure where to go with my letters, I took them to the registrar of my small university college.  The college does not have a policy for sharing information with the large main campus, so I was never directed to the OPD.  Eventually I wound up there, a few years later, and my life has been better ever since.

As a student with a mental health issue, the resources that have been most helpful to me through the OPD are my access to a psychologist, exam accomodations and the assistance of the learning strategist.  Other accomodations are available to students with other types of disabilities.  If I were not registered as a student with a disability, I would have to go through a separate office (Counselling Services) to access the help of a psychologist.  This could easily mean a wait of several months/most of the school year.  However, once I became registered at the OPD, I was able to visit a pyschologist at both Health Services and his OPD location.  I realize that there may still be a wait for individuals to see a psychologist or psychiatrist even if they are registered through the OPD at their school; it just so happened there was no waiting list when I arrived at the office.  I was also assigned a student advisor, to help me maneuver through the forms and formalities of being a student with specific needs on campus. (more…)

My sister asked me the other day where I was at with school.  I have a number of incomplete courses that I need to finish and she was wondering how many were left.  Presently I have 6 left to complete.  One is in the process of being finished, so it will soon be 5.  After this, I will need another 1-3 classes to graduate with a three year degree in English Language and Literature.

Several things have factored into the development of where I am at present: uncertainty as to whether I even wanted to be in university, a lack of enthusiasm for my work, anxiety(!), and side effects of the depression (and medication).  Of course, each of one of these plays off the others.  I know a few people who despise their education or work and yet continue to carry out the tasks expected of them in an efficient and professional manner.  Unfortunately, I am not one of these people who can “force” themselves to complete something if they are miserable.  Sometimes I have wished I possessed this quality - I’d be finished school by now, at any rate.    (more…)