How I’d fix the mistakes I made at university

After struggling to even get in the door to university, I didn’t want to stand out when I got there.

So it’s safe to say that I made a load of mistakes.

And if I could go back now and do it all over again, I’d make a few changes!

And if you can choose just one of these it would be to talk about it.

That’s how you succeed, how you build closer relationships, and how you make life better for people with epilepsy.

I went to university without embracing what epilepsy meant for me.

And that made university harder than it needed to be.

I didn’t tell people about it because of how people had treated me before.

This was unsafe.

Friends didn’t even know how to manage my seizures.

I didn’t ask for any help.

I didn’t want to seem like I wasn’t as good as other students.

I realised that accommodations didn’t equal “advantage”.

They would have given me equity.

I was so afraid to fail.

This made me push myself too far sometimes and created more stress.

It would’ve been better to fail an exam instead of pushing my body to failure.

I wouldn’t be the only one who needed a redo.

I drank alcohol to fit in.

Everyone else was, and social activities revolved around it.

But I had a seizure in first year after drinking alcohol.

I should have chosen my health over “being normal”.

What I’d do now: ✓ communicate my seizure plan to teachers, classmates, and friends ✓ ask about accommodations and advocate for what I need ✓ make responsible choices to manage my triggers like sleep, stress, and alcohol ✓ communicate with teachers when my stress level was too high ✓ don’t be afraid of failure, because it’s not the end of the road ✓ stop apologising for basic needs