University With Asperger Syndrome: My First Thoughts And Impressions

I want to start this article by opening out to something: I've lived my life for nearly 19 years and ever since I was little, I have been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. This curiously-named condition sits on the autistic spectrum and varies in effectiveness. For me, it's relatively mild, but that doesn't mean that I behave like normal people. It's stupidly complicated to explain, as there is so much that affects me and the way I look at life. These are things that normal people will certainly not understand - maybe such as yourself sat in front of this glaring, white screen reading this instead of Clarkson, Hammond or May's latest post. I will try to explain the various different struggles and symptoms in the future, but this article aims to simply introduce my experiences.

People with Aspergers aren't by any means disadvantaged in life; in fact, they tend to be extremely intelligent and creative in specialist subjects. For me, that would be the glorious world of the motor car! Well come on, what else on Gods earth did you expect me to say?

Mad sesh.

Mad sesh.

Nevertheless, after the glorious success of my A-Levels and a 40 mile cruise in a 30-year-old Mercedes later, I arrive at the University of Lincoln: the definitive top choice out of all my desired placements. Unloading the stuff out of my dad's beloved W123 and into my room wasn't remotely tricky - what was however - was getting my head around the fact that I had to take full responsibility for myself.

This is trickier than it seems.

People with Aspergers (or any sort of autism, for that matter) don't tend to embrace change too easily; I like a well-sorted routine. It just makes things less stressy. Which neatly brings me onto Fresher's Week; which is mostly a synergy of alcohol, late nights and people dressed as ducks handing out leaflets; most of which are probably just as forgotten about as the film, 'Over The Hedge'.

Fresher's week is also - and I quote - "THE ONLY WAY TO GET YOUR UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE STARTED." They also say that I will meet lifelong friends, whilst I'm at it. This is what I was - and still am - extremely worried about.

DJ night.

DJ night.

You see, I've always found it difficult to make friends - for people with Aspergers, it's one of life's difficult challenges. And in the first few days, Uni has been no exception; social interaction has been nerve-racking so far. I have great relations with my flatmates and I've met a fair few people from my course, but it kinda feels like I'm going to spend a lot of time alone.

I won't be mentioning names in this article, but I met up with some people recently and I've got to be honest: I felt isolated. I didn't feel as if I could fit in with these people - which is awkward, considering I'll be knowing them for the next 3 years... mind you, I didn't say too much during that time, but as someone with Aspergers, my mind was blank and I often find it difficult to say things on the spot. But the inside of my head was more active than Richard Hammond on that Vincent Black Shadow motorcycle.

This fond quietness that I have was emphasised in the first couple of clubs that the Uni had organised. I was initially one of those sober twerps which holds a cup of coke and almost pretends to enjoy themselves. Standing around whilst others were jumping was ridiculously embarrassing for me: I felt as if I was being judged and every damn time, I often panicked and simply went back to my flat at around 1am.

That shyness however, was about to be short-lived.

Because on Wednesday night, there was something called 'Quack' - which is a beach-themed party which plays some more nostalgic and timeless tunes. Trust me, it's one of the best things ever conceived to exist! I was photographed several times and the energy pumping through my shy veins was simply astonishing. I slagged off clubbing all my life, but I have officially been converted. God, that was a good night!

On that basis, I noted to myself in the past that I would rather spend the night cruising the open in a 1965 Pontiac GTO (tri carbs and a 4-speed manual - also in Fontaine Blue!) while also listening to 'Mississippi Queen' by Mountain. But each have their own vibes, and I've not only fitted in better with other people, but I learnt an extremely valuable lesson.

Cruising in this would also be fabulous!

Cruising in this would also be fabulous!

Earlier on that exact day, I had met up with a few others who will be taking my course. Either my social skills had improved overnight or they were genuinely nice people who didn't think I was an awkward nail in an array of polished bolts.

Anxiety is a huge aspect of my condition too, yet I now feel there is hope for my social self to fit in properly.

But nevertheless, I still feel as if I am the only petrolhead in the land. Of course, you've got to accept that people have various different hobbies and interests, but I almost feel others think I'm weird because I am a car lover. My joyful eyes spotted a lovely E30 BMW 325i convertible in the main lecturer's car park on the second day of Freshers: I immediately hurdled over to check it out: I peered inside to see what retro options had been fitted back in 1988. Black leather, automatic gearbox and still had the original cassette player! Because my family have a couple of old German brutes at home (check out my profile to see them). It made me giddy to see that car, but as a lot of things go in my life, I bet you 10 bucks I was the only one...

Other students who were walking past glanced at me like I was some sort of glorified weird-arse punk. And chances are, I might get recognised as the one who smiled at a crappy, boxy old car. My anxiety was on top-level high at that point, but I can never change who I am in a matter of seconds - even if I somehow manage to score a hot date with Kiera Knightly.

Great car, huh? Well, if you're not a petrolhead, then chances are, you don't care much.

Great car, huh? Well, if you're not a petrolhead, then chances are, you don't care much.

I'll conclude the article at this point, I reckon. Because Freshers week isn't quite over yet and I'm planning to update you guys by the end of this week and mid-way through the Journalism course!

So, anyway: overall, my life at University seems to be looking up. And who's to say the sky's the limit when there are footsteps on the moon? People with Aspergers tend to look at the world very differently than those who don't have it. But as I've gotten older, I feel I've learnt to deal with it more constructively. And hopefully, the people and places of Lincoln will support me during my weird, perilous journey.

It does seem however, that University is not a place for a petrolhead: according to the BBC, half of young people surveyed recently want to own electric cars in the future, and despite the massive array of societies on offer, none of them offer anything to do with cars. Plus, there's nowhere to park.

But I'm not going to let those details ruin my time here. Because (touch wood) things should get better, and I really want to say at some point that I have a bunch of brand new people who I can call... my crew.

Still, these are my thoughts and impressions of University for the first few days. I hope you enjoyed reading, and feel free to leave feedback by commenting or messaging me :)

Thank you!