Neurodiversity at University

Okay, we all know university isn’t easy. Getting assignments done, sitting exams, taking feedback and those damn participation grades (!) make for a difficult experience for anyone. But let’s face it, university is largely a system designed for people with perfectly functioning neurotypical brains.  

For anyone with mental health issues, the tertiary experience can feel like a bloody, uphill battle against a rigid, outdated institution. The lack of clarity on what services are available to students, and the lack of resources behind these services, means that students are often forced to struggle in private. Sure, all of New Zealand’s major universities offer support for those struggling with mental health issues, which is normally covered under their disability support services. Despite this, students are often faced with long wait times, ineffective counselling or do not feel comfortable reaching out at all. Not only this, but the very system of university is archaic and outdated for modern learning and modern issues. Massive delves into the struggles of neurodivergent students at Massey, and what they feel needs to change.  

Olive is a fourth year student whose been struggling with mental health issues since she was in first year. She’s aware of student support available for those struggling, but feels that, mostly, the outreach for these services are targeted at people in a complete state of crisis, who need the services urgently. Olive feels that the existing support could be improved when it comes to students who are “high functioning”. These students are still technically performing academically in their studies, but behind closed doors are struggling hugely with motivation and dark thoughts, which makes achieving these results a total fucking battle.  

“I would always pull through with a good grade, but I struggled hugely with motivation and procrastination, as well as huge stress as due dates approached,” Olive tells Massive. In the end, she reached out for the support she needed and still struggles, but not as much. “The anxiety is still there, but I don’t cry over 10% assignments anymore,” she says. Olive thinks problems like severe procrastination and motivation should be taken more seriously, as it’s not always an easy fix for a lot of people, and could be indicative of a more significant problem. “I wish there was more encouragement for students who are not necessarily struggling in a critical condition, and that those who are more high functioning, but not in a state of crisis, were encouraged to reach out for help from their university health services.”  

Problems with motivation, focus, and procrastination are experienced by people who struggle with any kind of mental health issue. The structure of university is an extremely difficult one to navigate because of its reliance on time management and working to strict deadlines. This becomes even more difficult when students don’t know where to turn for support. 

Marie was officially diagnosed with ADHD in July last year, but feels like she’s had the disorder long before any diagnosis. After going through the tedious process of getting diagnosed through the public system and fighting with her psychiatrist for a diagnosis, her academic struggle was finally recognised with a professional diagnosis. Marie thinks that the structure of her courses is far from an ideal environment for her to work effectively, saying “Having ADHD makes it super difficult to succeed with the way that uni is structured. All of my classes are three hours long and I can’t physically sit through a three hour class let alone stay focused and actually learn while I’m there. After the first hour I find I’m unable to listen and just zone out. So I miss out on valuable learning, which I pay for!” In terms of support, she wishes there was more guidance from lecturers during her studies. “I know that we’re adults and are responsible for ourselves, but people with ADHD don’t possess the same self-discipline or executive functioning skills as neurotypical people. If a lecturer reached out, even something as simple as an email, my ADHD brain would be enabled to stop relying on my own willpower to be motivated and not feel like I was doing it on my own,” Marie says.  

There are many parts of uni that complicate the process of getting a degree for many students struggling with mental health. One of them is compulsory attendance and participation grades. For many students struggling with depression, this can be a real bitch. “Compulsory attendance is still something that pisses me off about the structure of university. Sure, I won’t show up to class but I’ll still do the work. The work might be shitty and done the night before but at the end of the day I still did it. Mark me on my work, not my ability to drag myself out of bed in the morning,” one student, Caroline, tells Massive. The way university is set up makes it seem like there’s only one way to learn and it involves not constantly having to battle your own will to live. It’s designed for people who have their shit together and are motivated enough to show up at 8am to listen to a middle-aged white dude talk about something you could learn from a YouTube video, from the comfort of your bed. “Universities need to support people with different learning styles rather than trying to make them fit into a mould that doesn’t fit their mental health,” Caroline notes.  

Grace is a fourth year student and has found her average marks have taken a hit because of her inability to keep up with participation and attendance grades. “I’ve had classes where there’s like a 20% participation grade, and the lecturers drill into you that it’s not enough to just show up, you have to engage, debate, express your opinion in front of your class of 30 something to get those marks,” she says. “I was going to the lectures and listening to the material, only to receive my first ever fail grade because I didn’t participate. It’s pretty bold of them to assume it didn’t take everything in me to get dressed and shower and just show up, let alone contribute in front of a class full of people. At that point in my life I didn’t want to be alive let alone discuss critical media theory with 30 of my peers. It’s hard when you’re trying so hard in class but get tripped up by something you can’t control,” Grace notes.  

The way mental health issues manifest can be vastly different for everyone. Anxiety isn’t a cookie-cutter shape! Yvette, a Massey student notes, “In terms of my anxiety, I will either start an assignment straight away because I want to make sure it’s done in time, or struggle to start it because I don’t know where to start and realised I’ve fucked it up, so it has a really unpredictable impact on my work ethic.” Meanwhile, Grace feels like her depression has a huge impact on her ability to study and her grades. “If I start something super late and it turns out shitty then I can blame it on the fact that I left it to the last minute, whereas if I really work at something and don’t get a perfect grade I really beat myself up. So in that way it impacts my studies hugely, I don’t even know what my work would look like if I didn’t produce my assignments from my lowest point, I’d probably be a professor by now,” she says. Jean, a fourth year student, notes that her study plan often goes off track when she becomes overwhelmed by her anxiety. “It’s so irritating that I have to take time out of my study to do breathing exercises and stop myself from having a panic attack over my uni work.”  

Obviously, University’s aren’t completely unaware of the mental health problems that students deal with and they do have some options available. Massey’s Disability Services page for mental health issues guides you to book a counselling appointment at Student Health. In theory, this is excellent because it’s easy to find and you can book by filling out a form. Students who have utilised this service, however, note that it’s not as simple as asking for help and just getting it straight away. Most major universities have a huge wait time for their free counselling services. It’s no secret that New Zealand mental health services are grossly underfunded, and the only way students can access counselling is when it’s provided for free on their campus. The huge wait times can be hugely discouraging for students looking for support. Caroline notes that at her uni there was a six week waiting period to see a counsellor. Even if you end up seeing a counselor there’s no guarantee that it will work, as it’s common knowledge that the effectiveness of talk therapy is only seen when patients connect with the person they’re seeing. Students can finally work up the courage to seek help, wait six weeks, and then not even get the support they need in the end. “Universities need to fund these services better in order to cater for students, especially given the increasingly high rates of depression and anxiety in these age groups,” she says. God knows we pay enough money for it.  

You can book an appointment with a counselor through the Massey website or by calling your campus’ student health centre.  

Lifeline: 0800 543 354  

Need To Talk?: 1737