Starting Uni

[Dyspraxiccatholic]

I'm going to be starting Uni in a couple of weeks and I am very worried about being bullied due to my Dyspraxia, and my religion as I was in secondary school.
In secondary school I was emotionally and pyschologically bullied due to my condition and mocked relentlessly for my religious beliefs.

In university should I just stay under the radar and pretend my beliefs don't matter to me, and should I tell people about my condition as I did before?

[peterkeegan]

Speak to your Uni Disability Advisor or tutor

[conor]

you wont be bullied in uni,unless your surrounded by the same people from secondary school,the reason why you got bullied cause of your beliefs,cause you wore it like a hat,like your id for this site,like a woman in a small amount of clothes,you get more attention,in your cause you got bullied,which is not your fault,i was bullied to when i was in school,just for being me,not something else like religion.when you go to uni your eyes will be opened,you need to learn to accept you disorder,and not wear that like a hat and the same goes for your beliefs,why is it nessesary to have it out in the open when its a private matter?no-one can say or do anything if its part of your privacy.....As with your disorder,let people ask about it,dont tell them until then,when they figure it out they can understand more than if your too forward in telling them.....only person who should know is the guidence conselur....

[Osymandus]

Well teh law is a lovely thing with relgioues and disability discrimination covered ... narrrr seriously meet with the guidnace people , uni is a different ball game entirely the narrow minded don;t last to long and you will find like minded people. Personally id choose a different religion Norse is good , maybe Taoist , druid

[Captain_Ludd]

Uni is a completely different mind environment from either school or college, there whole reason to exist is to foster learning and an open minded approach to things, bullies tend to be closed mined people ( that's normally why they are bullies cos they like to poke fun at things that are different.) and don't last long at uni.
From personal experience I can say that support for disabilities at my uni has been great, so go get all the help you can, as for the religion issue since people at uni tend to be more open minded they (for the most part) tend to be pretty tolerant, speaking as an atheist I don't have a problem with anybody having beliefs as long as they don't try to force them on me.

[Lady Fluff]

definitely don't hide your faith - it's a part of who you are, and you should be proud of what makes you 'you'. Osymandus is right - there are so many anti-discrimination laws in place that you ought to be covered fully. Many universities have a Christian Union and some specific Catholic societies, so that could be a good place to meet others. I know Christians and esp. Catholics are having a particularly rough time as they seem to be 'fair game' by many to pick on, but I disagree with that - as long as your beliefs do not harm anyone else, then I don't see why anyone else should have a problem.

With regards to your dyspraxia, I see no harm in mentioning it when relevant, though going up to someone and saying "hi, I'm Ethel/Melvin [I have no idea if you're male or female, sorry!] and I'm dyspraxic" probably isn't the best opening gambit. Just mention it if the need comes up - for example, I joined a choir last year, and had no need to mention it at first but I have done subsequently as we've got some choreography for some of our songs, and it's something I struggle with, and they make allowances for my clumsiness. They didn't know what dyspraxia was before, but I was able to educate them at least!

Anyway, I've only just seen this post and just realised you've started by now - I hope you're having a great time so far! Let us know how you're getting on

[sanabitur_anima]

As a fellow dyspraxic Catholic, I have to say that University will probably be a lot easier for you, although you still may run into nasty things from time to time. I hope University goes well for you.

[salems24]

lol did he ever actually say what religion he belongs to haha it seemed like people just assumed hes catholic

[meow]

Don't worry about uni. I was bullied all the way through primary school and secondary school and the people who bullied me didn't even go to uni.. university is totally different from high school. The people there actually want to work and will have grown up. and if you do have problems the lecturers and your tutor will be a lot more help than in high school too.


What course are you doing?

[Lady Fluff]

lol did he ever actually say what religion he belongs to haha it seemed like people just assumed hes catholic

Not in the post, but as it was posted by 'DypsraxicCatholic' it was a bit of a giveaway!

[Osymandus]

lol did he ever actually say what religion he belongs to haha it seemed like people just assumed hes catholic

Not in the post, but as it was posted by 'DypsraxicCatholic' it was a bit of a giveaway!

Mind you as we are both Pagan's and heathens in the eyes of the Catholic church should we really be helping them (he he )

[Meg]

I am currently studying at uni and I told one of my best friends in the first term and now I make her come with me when I have to tell the lecturers I have dyspraxia, but I haven't been bullied at uni, as there everyone is more grown up and actually want to be there.

Luv Meg
Xxxx

[cookiegirl]

Hey firstly, try not to worry

University in general is completely different to school, i'm in my third year the year that counts as 1st and 2nd aren't particularly important in my course and opinion. But obviously given your history in school that cant have been pleasant.
But then i am studying fine art...think what you like!?

Secondly its hard for me to answer your question as I've only recently found out about having dyspraxia. Because obviously I have been told by barmaids and stuff in my local spoons (Pub) that I can't have another drink, as in her opinion Ive been to drunk, but when I explained that I had dyspraxia at first she was like whats that? After explaining it to her though and her seeing that I am still capable of having a conversation. And because she was the head bar lady and I actually talked to her rather than just being abusive in response like not all but a percentage of young people these days might react.
Its up to you whether you want to discuss your religion with friends as it is one of those subjects, by which i mean, a possible argument starter while drinking, as in the saying 'dont bring up religion or politics at a dinner table' . But if you feel that you would like to defend your religion or inform other people of it because you feel that conversation is lacking. Bring it up by all means just don't say i didn't warn you, as there will be people who view your religion as closed minded/open minded and depending on this and the people who are debating religion with you.
You may need to toughen up slightly as socially its all about how you appear on the outside that counts.
Either way i think you should definitely contact the university's student services. As they can support you better whilst at uni..
Its completely your choice how you deal with these kinds of situations one of the perks of turning into an adult, i'm afraid.
hope Uni goes brilliantly for you
and feel free to ask about anything else after all were all here to help each other!
Sorry if this is a bit longgg
once i get started i find it hard to stop

cookiegirl
xoxoxoxox