Supporting College Students With Cancer

Learners going to college with cancer may feel fatigued from the disease or treatment. Fatigue makes it difficult to wake up on time, focus in class, and complete assignments. Accommodations for fatigue include priority scheduling, modified assessments, and frequent breaks.

Cancer treatments that include chemotherapy and radiation may cause nausea and vomiting. Feeling sick makes daily activities difficult. Students can lessen nausea and vomiting's effects by requesting extra time to complete assignments. They may also view recorded lectures or ask a peer to take notes. Accommodations may change depending on symptoms' severity or persistence.

Many college students feel self-conscious about their body and appearance. Learners going to college with cancer experience additional difficulty, especially if treatment leads to hair or weight loss. These visible symptoms may cause depression or social isolation. Many schools strive to help degree-seekers with cancer in college by providing free counseling or related services.

Dealing with cancer's symptoms and treatment may lead to memory or concentration problems. Both can result in lower grades, increasing the chances of receiving academic probation or of dropping out of school. Students can avoid these outcomes by requesting accommodations for tests and other assignments. They may also ask for tutoring or copies of peers' notes.

Students attending college with cancer must juggle medical appointments with their class schedule. The former always takes priority, making attending classes difficult. Learners should contact their school's accommodations office to request recorded lectures, a modified assessment schedule, and time-management resources. These services can reduce stress and allow degree-seekers to focus on academics.

An assignment deadline adjustment changes when professors expect students to complete a task. This modification allows degree-seekers additional time to finish projects, papers, and other assessments. Learners in college with cancer benefit from deadline adjustments, as they reduce the stress of scheduling schoolwork around medical treatments.

Students who receive accommodations for assignment due dates meet their professors during office hours to set new deadlines. Communication between learners and their professors throughout the semester ensures the accommodation's success.

Some students with cancer experience symptoms affecting their ability to communicate. Auxiliary aids refer to technology designed to assist learners with a speech, vision, or hearing disability. A school's accommodations office may recommend an audio recording device, a designated notetaker, or recorded lectures.

Students with cancer benefit from auxiliary aids, as treatment sessions and symptoms make it difficult to attend classes at set times.

Testing accommodations allow students with cancer to demonstrate their proficiency with the subject material. Learners speak with their professors to discuss options. These options may include multiple assessment sessions or dictating answers to a peer. Degree-seekers may suggest other arrangements, depending on their symptoms or preferences.

Testing arrangements may need to change, so students should regularly communicate with their professors. The accommodations office may suggest additional adjustments, depending on students' academic performance.

Students in college with cancer may need transportation services to travel between classes and attend their medical appointments. Options include public or private transportation. Learners may also ask a peer to drive them. This accommodation assists with the physical weakness many cancer patients report.

Students who receive transportation accommodations may need to speak with their school's transit services department to explore different options. Learners should ask for a driver's contact information to explain their situation.

Traditional courses use scheduled meeting times and beginning and end dates. Both may make attending college with cancer difficult. Fortunately, some schools offer flexible scheduling, meaning that learners select from multiple annual start dates. Other options include registering for courses in which professors give the same lecture in the mornings and afternoons.

Learners can explore flexible scheduling options on their school's website. They should also inform professors that they may attend course sections they did not sign up for due to medical appointments or symptoms.

Online and hybrid learning provides multiple advantages to students attending college with cancer. Many online courses run asynchronously, allowing learners to view recorded lectures and complete coursework at convenient times. Hybrid courses require some on-campus visits and may require degree-seekers to request additional accommodations.

College students with cancer can discuss online and hybrid options with their advisor. Even courses without an official online option may allow learners to view recorded lectures and work at their own pace.

Colleges and universities publish contact information on their website. Learners can use the student services page for resources for learners with a disability. This page should list disability services, how to receive them, and contact information. Students can contact an advisor to start the accommodations process.

An accommodation request allows students to explain which accommodations they need to succeed academically. Learners provide their physician's contact information and must request accommodations by their school's deadline. Most colleges and universities accept accommodation request forms in the spring, summer, and fall semesters.

Students submit documentation with their accommodation request form. This documentation may include an official medical report or a physician letter. Learners must provide updated information each semester. Doing so fulfills their school's requirements and allows degree-seekers to adjust their accommodations, depending on their treatment progress and symptoms.