Should I go onto graduate school?

[cwalker56]

I have had MS for a little over a year now, but just recently my MS has been getting really bad. I have applied to graduate school and I have been accepted but I'm scared to go. I would start this September but I know MS can affect one's memory. I'm worried that my MS will force me to drop out of college. I can barely walk now, how am I suppose to handle graduate school? What should I do?

[whatismyname]

does an online graduate program exist? memory problems do not happen with everyone. do you mind going to school in a scooter? what would you do with the degree when finished? if ms would impede your chosen career, then graduate school may not be the best choice.

just random thoughts, follow your instinct is my best advice.

[newbie but goodie]

Definitely go! Go and register with your school's office of disability services. You don't have to be in a wheelchair to receive services. Each semester my profs get a letter from the DA office asking them for their patience and for extra time. I also get free ebooks that I use with the free software I got to read my books to me. (I have Optic Neuritis pretty bad)

The worst thing that will happen is it will be too much and you will stop. As a fellow MSer and student, I encourage you to keep on truckin. However... you will have to draw your own line in the sand regarding how far you can push and when it's time to say when.

Good luck!

[Nanobaby]

I agree with the above poster! Go for it & make use of all the resources available to you.

As a fellow student - don't let MS limit what you can do. Options are always available, such as going into part-time studies so that you can get sufficient rest.

Best wishes to you

[cwalker56]

I appreciate the responses to my message. I would go for American Indian Studies in pursuit of a masters degree. The job I have right now requires a lot of physical labor, hence why I'm not working, and graduate school would give me more options in regards to sit down jobs. I think going to graduate school will be a good option for me.

[jojo18]

go! thats an order! (ok not really, :-P)

but register with the disabilities office. a scooter/wheelchair would be helpful to you it sounds like.

i have a manual wheelchair for long distances (someone pushes me.) to make it personal, i got a green one.
it looks kind of like this

http://www.davincimobility.co.uk/ima...Wheelchair.jpg
and i get alot of complements on it

[newbie but goodie]

An advanced degree will definitely increase your employment options. I'm glad you are planning to go- you deserve the chance to achieve without MS standing in your way! Good luck!!!

[Nanobaby]

Also - don't forget to ask for a notetaker Most access-ability services do offer that & I know it can be very helpful. I have a friend who suffers from chronic migraines so taking notes when one of those hits means it's nearly impossible. The notes could also be helpful in case you ever have to miss a class.

Best of luck to you in your studies! Wishing you much success!

[JoeS]

I have been dx'ed with MS for about 7 years now. I was actually diagnosed the first year of undergraduate studies! Well, I got my Masters degree about a year ago and now do research in Portugal. The point I am trying to make is that if you really want to get your Masters, just go for it!

What others have said is completely true! Go speak with the disability office. In my case, I got class notes beforehand when available or someone to take notes for me, and got extra time on tests because I can't write quickly enough to finish otherwise. I actually got extra time on homework too, but that one is a bit silly because it just puts you behind.

Do not let this stupid condition stop you from what you want to do, so once again, I say go for it!!!

[willowtree3]

It has taken me about 7 years to complete undergrad, but now have moved on to graduate school. I will admit I have had to change programs because of the previous physical requirements, but am loving what I am doing now, it was my path I just didnt know it! Schools are required to have some sort of ADA assistance program. Register with them and make sure all your needs are met, my experience has been really great with them. They take the time to sit down and try to understand not only your physical needs, but your emotional needs because of this disease. You can do this!

Also check out DARS (disability and rehabilatation services) in your area. They too have helped me, they understand that I can only take so many hours at a time, not to mention the financial help they provide! I have not have to buy books in four years! The biggest thing is to know your limitations. I have problems with my joints and handwriting so I take shorter classes with breaks in between. So what if you dont do it in 2 years, bottom line, youve accomplished something and beat the odds. If you can't do it for yourself, find something or someone to do it for. I have a picture of my baby on the inside of EVERY binder to remind myself this isnt just about me, this showing my daughter that life's struggles can be overcome. I believe in you!

[pnowsitall]

I can speak about this through experience.

I just recently graduated from Fordham University Graduate School of Business, MBA, in Finance and Management.

I just graduated, and had my diagnosis while in school. I only had ON, so my MS didn't have a chance to affect my school work.

But, the bigger question is, what are you going to school for? Do you really anticipate, or want to get, a better positition with more work?

Looking back on my MBA, with having it after MS dx, I would have changed my mind. Having taken Rebif for over a year, my disease and DMD has made me not want to purusue anything better. Now, I want to change career paths, and taking over $100k in student loans, definitely does not help my financial situation.

I would really think about this step. You will put yourself in debt, unless your company would pay for it. Who knows when you will really start feeling symptoms. It is ultimately your decision, and would be a great accomplishment for sure.

I just feel like I have dug a deeper whole. Good luck in any decision you make. And, feel free to ask any other questions. I know that the MS definitely prohibited me from making all the connections and frienships that I should have made.

[unscrambled]

This is a complicated decision for anyone, not just the MS-ers

Absolutely, check in with whatever department is around for students with disabilities, and talk with them about accommodations you might need--they may be able to suggest some that they've done for other people that you haven't thought about.

I think the previous poster's consideration of debt is a real one, and one worth considering (again, MS or not--but we do have particular financial concerns, let's be real).

I think if you are getting significant financial support/have a real chance of a post-degree job, then it's worth going for--only you can answer what 'significant' and 'real chance' are for you. For me, 'significant'=all or nearly all paid for, and 'real chance'=nearly 100%, but I am really freaked out by debt, mainly because lots of my friends are currently burdened by it, and a lot of it is from school/not being able to pay off school.

I'd go talk to some of the faculty where you're applying and get some brass tacks info about those two things, similarly talk with some program graduates (ask the admissions people) about it, because, especially if you're paying, the college is making $$ off of you and has every incentive to get your butt in a chair, giving them $$. Not an ill-intentioned thing, they just want to keep open.

I know lots of master's degrees aren't the sorts of things that you can get a job immediately from, and that to really get hired for jobs, you're expected to get a PhD--this is also worth considering!

I'm in the middle of an MD/PhD program (finishing the PhD part now), and before I started school I really thought about not going because of MS (was dx around the same time I was making the decision about school). Honestly, if I was going into massive debt, I'd really think about not going. And yeah, that has something to do with MS, but really is just about being savvy about your money.

Anyhow, best of luck to you, regardless of what you decide!

[lorib]

I started graduate school a year after my MS diagnosis. The first four years were tough with my fatigue, but not impossible.

Now I am almost finished with my doctorate. It has been anything but easy, graduate school isn't supposed to be easy but the classes were actually the easy or doable part. It's the research that has been hardest to me.

I've had MS for 8 years, do I think I'll be able to work full time another 34 years so I can retire? Maybe. It's because the answer is maybe I decided to go to graduate school. I don't know what the future has in store for me and no one knows for you so you have to really think about things and how it will work for you. I have no debt because most of my schooling was paid for by my department and my working husband. If you have the financial means and a lot of support than go for it. I wish you the best of luck.

[meburnett2004]

Definitely go for it! I am in medical school and I was just diagnosed 2 months ago and as a result suffered from optic neuritis in one eye. I am not going to let this stop me from graduating from med school!! You can do it