10 Tips for Teens With CF Going to College

Starting college was a big change for me. Now that I have just graduated, I want to share some tips that helped me be successful with teens with CF who may soon be starting college.

| 5 min read
Kaitlyn-Vargas-Headshot
Kaitlyn Vargas
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Hey, everyone! My name is Kaitlyn and I am a 22-year-old who has cystic fibrosis. Just this past May, I graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with my bachelor’s degree in social work. Moving out of my family home and starting college was a huge life change. I picked up a few tips here and there for navigating this life change and being successful in school all while managing my CF! Here are some tips to being successful in college while keeping up with your CF care.

Kaitlyn-Vargas-Graduation-OG
  1. Show your roommate (if you have one) your vest and other treatments before you agree to live together. I found that when I was upfront from the beginning it made living together a lot easier, especially when it comes to treatment time!
  2. Know yourself when it comes to treatment times and class times. My first year in college I had classes from 8 a.m. - 1 p.m., making it very difficult for me to get my morning treatment in. I am not really a morning person and waking up at 6 to do treatments wasn’t my thing. So, the following semester, I scheduled my classes to begin at 11; I was able to get up at 9 and do my treatments before my day and classes started.
  3. Set a schedule. Just like you need to set up your schedule for success, it’s helpful to plan out your sleep time, homework time, social time, and treatment time. Making a schedule and sticking to it really helped me manage my time!
  4. Make sure you have your accommodation letter on file with your school's disability services. My accommodation letter helped me be flexible with absences in case a medical emergency ever came up. Your accommodation letter may also help if you have a university-related job or are living in on-campus housing.
  5. Introduce yourself to your professors as soon as the semester begins and make them aware of your accommodation letter. Before you need to be absent, you want to already be covered with your professors. It is also a good idea to always have a digital copy with you in case you ever need to email it to your professors.
  6. Don’t lose focus on why you are at school. At times it is going to seem impossible to juggle your schoolwork, social life, extracurricular activities, and your health. Remember, you are there because so many people believe in you and your future success.
  7. Step out of your comfort zone; try new and safe things. This is where you will learn and grow the most. I always challenged myself to do and try at least one new thing a semester. One semester I was a teaching assistant and another semester I tried yoga. Don’t let CF hold you back or make you afraid to try something new!
  8. Get involved. COVID-19 is definitely going to change what getting involved looks like on your campus. Pre-COVID-19, I was president of the Rowdy Rams at my school, which is a group that supports our school’s sports teams. I met so many new friends and had the best time of my life at basketball games! I also was a resident assistant and an orientation leader -- both brought me lifetime memories and friends. When it’s safe, I encourage you to join a club, try out for a sport, apply for a new position, and go to sporting events.
  9. It is okay to fail. Failure is a part of growth! College is the time to try new things; if you fail, you can either try again or move on. That is the beauty of college; one failure will not determine the rest of your life.
  10. Know that it is okay to ask for help or to take a break. No one expects you to be perfect and know how to keep up and balance everything. Just know it is always okay to ask for help from family or friends. You are in control; you can do this!

I hope these tips will help you as much as they helped me! Remember, everyone’s journey through CF and college is different.  Now you can share your own advice with the next wave of college students with CF!

This site contains general information about cystic fibrosis, as well as personal insight from the CF community. Opinions and experiences shared by members of our community, including but not limited to people with CF and their families, belong solely to the blog post author and do not represent those of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, unless explicitly stated. In addition, the site is not intended as a substitute for treatment advice from a medical professional. Consult your doctor before making any changes to your treatment.

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Kaitlyn is 22 years old recently graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a bachelor's in social work and will soon begin her master's in clinical social work. She loves being with friends and family and watching college basketball. Kaitlyn lives in Richmond, Va. with her boyfriend and fur baby cat, Izzy. Kaitlyn was also the 2017-2019 Great Strides ambassador for the Greater Virginia Chapter. She has also participated as a panel member and guest speaker for several Teen Connections program events. Follow her on Instagram @kevargo.

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