This section on Choosing a College or University covers:
Distance From Health Care Providers
Quality of the Campus Health Center
Housing Options and Residential Life
Recreation Center & Fitness Facilities
Distance From Health Care Providers
You have many options for your education. You can choose to go to a school close to home or far away. You can start at a community college close to your home and health care providers and later transfer to a school that is farther away.
Consider the school’s distance from a Hemophilia Treatment Center (HTC), hospital, and other medical and pharmacy services. If you will be using a new treatment center, most HTCs have referral resources and other services to help ease the transition.
Quality of the Campus Health Center
As you visit potential schools, go to the campus health center, and ask questions. You want to be comfortable with the staff and services. Also, check if the school offers any emergency health services.
For treatment and care of your disorder, ask the following:
- The health center hours.
- If you do not self-treat but may need to, if they have staff members able to do this.
- If they will store your medication if needed or help with accommodations related to your bleeding disorder.
Having medical help easily accessible on campus may help decide what school to choose.
Campus Layout
Consider the size and layout of the campus.
- How far are the classes from the residential areas?
- What are the transportation options? Is there a shuttle to carry students between classes or must you walk? It’s especially important to have an idea of the amount of walking you will do if you often have knee or ankle bleeds.
Check out the accessibility of campus facilities, including residential areas, classrooms, library, and recreation centers. For example, you may need easy access to buildings if you have an injury while in school.
Housing Options and Residential Life
If you’ll be living on campus, find out what are the housing options. If any are located near the health services center, you may want to ask if you can live there.
Think about your medicine or treatment regimen. Do you need special storage like a refrigerator? Access to sharps containers and disposal? Accommodations for storing needles in your room?
The school’s office of disability services will be a good resource for you. Once you arrive at school, they will be able to help make any special arrangements you need. The office of residential life and housing may also be able to help you with information on your housing options.
If you live in a dorm, you’ll probably have a resident advisor (also called an RA). The RA is responsible for providing guidance, advice, and supervision to students in the building. Typically, RAs are older students. Your RA might be someone with whom you can confide about any difficulties you are having, including those related to your blood or bleeding disorder.
In addition to talking to the staff at the office of disability services and the residential and housing office, you may want to find out what types of rooms are available at the school. The rooms may be singles or doubles, in a hall, or part of a suite. If you’re not comfortable sharing a room, you may want to find out what options you have. Whether or not you have a roommate, you may want to tell your RA about your bleeding or blood disorder in case you need help.
For more information on telling others about your blood or bleeding disorder, go to Disclosure and Life on Campus.
Services
What resources does the office of disability services provide? They can help you arrange to make up a test or assignment you missed for health reasons, take a class online if you can’t physically attend, or schedule less classes.
It also may be a good idea to speak to current students with blood or bleeding disorders or students who require similar health accommodations from the school.
Scholarships
Attending colleges, universities, or other educational opportunities after high school can be very expensive. Costs often include tuition, fees, books and supplies, housing, and meals. Other costs can include health insurance, transportation, and spending money. You can help cover these costs by applying for financial aid and external funding, such as scholarships. Some financial aid offices can help direct your funding search. Check out the scholarships available specifically for students with disabilities.
For more information about special scholarships, go to Scholarships for Students With Bleeding Disorders.
What to Know About Insurance
Health care for people with blood or bleeding disorders can be very costly. Until now, your parents or caregivers may have been financially responsible for your health care needs. However, as you get older, health insurance provisions may change. Often, some type of personal change, like a change in school status or work, creates the need for health insurance adjustment.
Here are some things to think about:
- Does your family’s health insurance cover you on campus?
- Is health insurance available for students at your school?
- Is it required?
- Does it cover the following?
- Medications
- Blood work and laboratory tests
- Visits with health care providers
- Procedures
Usually, colleges offer student health insurance plans that cost less than private policies. Be aware that not all the costs associated with your care and treatment will be covered by your school’s plan. Make a list of your medical needs and call to see what’s covered and what’s not.
If your parents or caregivers have health insurance, you may be covered by their policy. The recent Affordable Care Act mandates that insurance companies allow kids to stay on a parent or caregiver’s plan until age 26. Check with your parents or caregivers or their insurance provider about the cost. If you’re eligible for coverage under both your school and your parent or caregiver’s policies, you can compare them and choose the best plan for you.
Recreation Centers and Physical Activity
Playing sports at school is a good way to get involved in campus life and meet people. Being physically active builds strong muscles and bones that can stabilize joints and prevent injuries and bleeds. Choose sports and activities that won’t hurt your body now or cause problems in the future. Play safe by using protective gear and doing stretching and strengthening exercises.
See what sports and physical education options the school offers. Are there physical education (PE) class requirements? According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, campus recreation facilities must be accessible.
For more information about safe sports and activities, go to Playing it Safe.
Climate and Weather
If your joints ache when it rains you may not want to choose a school in an area with high rainfall. If you do not like heat, you may not want to choose a school in a location with high temperatures. These are just a couple of examples of why you should consider the climate of the school’s location and your body’s reaction to different types of weather.
Clubs and Activities
It may be helpful to explore what clubs and activities a school has. These can usually be found on their websites under student life. While this does not directly impact your bleeding disorder, you can get an idea if they have activities you’re interested in. Being a part of clubs and activities help you adjust, meet people, and feel more at home on campus.
Majors and Academic Programs
It’s helpful to look up the majors and academic programs schools offer to see if they align with your interests. For example, if you’re interested in pursuing business or teaching one day, it’s helpful to see if they have majors or programs in those areas. You don’t have to know exactly what you want to do yet but exploring programs can help you decide on where you want to go.