At the end of high school, many teens living with T1D go on to college, experience greater independence, and manage their own disease. Kate Lucas, of Alexandria, VA, gives her advice to rising college freshmen.

Five College Freshman Tips

Freshman year of college is super hard, and I’m not talking about just academics. Freshman year is a huge adjustment period…especially with diabetes. There was a lot I learned my first year at college that I want to pass on to you!

TIP #1: Find a nurse at the health center and make her your best friend. Let me just tell you, Martha (my nurse) is probably the best resource I have on campus. In the morning, if I’m too high or low, I simply send her a picture of my Dexcom and she excuses me from my classes. The health center also has a generator so if your dorm ever loses power, your insulin is safe in their fridge.

TIP #2: Get the nutritional information for your dining halls. I know…we all know how to carb count; but trust me, college is a whole new ballgame. I thought I was above nutrition labels but my blood sugars suffered from my over-confidence. My three worst foods are pasta, pancakes, and sushi — basically anything white is my worst enemy.

TIP #3: Learn how to order your own medications. I was so used to my mom ordering my insulin and Dexcom supplies that when I got to college I had no idea how to get refills. A lot of insurance companies and drug stores have iPhone apps which make ordering medications so much easier. Definitely download those and test them out before you go to school. Also, once you turn 18, doctors might not reach out to your parents concerning your medications/refills. So it is imperative that you learn how to handle them yourself.

TIP #4: Tell your friends you have diabetes because they will look out for you. It sounds super cliché, but the friends you make in college are some of your closest friends. After making good friends and telling them about my diabetes, I feel a lot safer. I know that if anything happened, they would know how to handle it, and I don’t have to worry about being in a dangerous situation. They also took an interest in diabetes and are now a lot more knowledgeable if they ever have to deal with it in the future.

TIP #5: Communicate with your worried parents. Perhaps my biggest mistake this year was not communicating well enough with my parents. One night I awoke to my Dexcom alarming to find out that I was around 45. As I was snacking away in my bed, I decided to look at my phone and text my dad. I told him I was 45 and then we continued to talk about other things. When I finished eating, I went back to sleep. Thirty minutes later there was a pounding on my door. I ignored it. A minute later, the knock came again but this time accompanied by a man’s voice saying, “Campus Safety”. They came into my room and said, “where is Katherine Lucas?” When I timidly admitted my identity, they simply said, “Text your dad back.” It’s safe to say I was furious. And frankly, I’m still pretty upset that that happened. But I did learn that even though I was the one who moved away, my parents still needed help adjusting. At home, they could come into my room and make sure I was fine; but 350 miles away, they have no idea what’s happening.

These five tips are definitely the most helpful from my experience. The truth is that you need to figure it out on your own terms. Everyone’s experience is different but eventually you’ll learn to thrive in your new college life.

BONUS TIP: The last tip I will give is — Try Not to Worry Too Much.  You’re going to have good and bad days, but in the end it will work out!