Going to university or college

The first time many people live away from home is after they leave school and go to university or college. University doesn’t necessarily pose more difficulty for people with diabetes than school did, but it’s a good idea to think about how things might affect you and try to be as prepared as possible. 

University or college will involve a lot more flexibility in terms of time. While school expected you to be in class for eight hours a day, university timetables tend to have fewer classes and a more variable schedule throughout the week, with a greater focus on doing your own learning outside of class. You might find yourself with classes in the evening or days when you don’t have any classes at all. Beyond that, lectures or labs might run late or lecturers might have office hours for you to stop by and ask them any questions. 

Because of this, it’s important to try to make sure you know when you’re going to eat and take insulin, and if there are any particular times when you might be using more energy. You should make sure to keep glucose sources and carb snacks on you, particularly early in the academic year, when things are new and you might not have settled into your routine. 

Another important thing to consider is stress and anxiety. This is particularly true around exam times. While you probably have some experience with this at school, university exams can mean more stress and anxiety. This is a problem for everyone but, as you know, if you have diabetes, stress can cause highs and lows in blood glucose levels. You should talk to your diabetes care team about this, but if you’re finding it hard to cope, your university should also have a counselling service or similar that might be able to offer you extra support. 

Diabetes UK has a series of videos called  #UNItype, which you might find useful. They feature young people with type 1 diabetes talking about their experiences of leaving home for university.