EPISODE 45: Tony graduates with an Econ degree from St. Mary's College - office-hours approach, DRC coordination, and a calmer finals routine

Tony Yau shared every twist and turn in his college career with the Autism Goes to College audience. From his first semester at the University of Oregon to a re-orienting stopover at community college and on to St. Mary's, Tony's been generous with his candid takes on college life. Some of his insights: Don't over do it with DoorDash, don't hesitate to switch majors, or, even colleges. Because what Tony reveals in this final episode of his undergrad experience is that once you're in the right place studying something you care about, it can all flow a lot better.  Oh yeah, and he definitely did not like the wrap around support dorm for neurodivergent students. He likes his decompression and down time, so an off campus solo apartment made all the difference. And now, he has his degree. Hear about Tony's internship, and what's next on this episode.

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:08

Now that I'm genuinely enjoying my social life at Hamilton, I'm more incentivized to actually be social.

SPEAKER_00 0:15

Having autism isn't something that should prevent people from having a successful college experience. It takes work.

SPEAKER_05 0:23

Join clubs, find groups, find your people, find ways to fit in, see a peer mentor, see somebody who can help you get involved on campus.

SPEAKER_01 0:32

There were a lot of black children on the spectrum who were also deaf. She's not the first one.

SPEAKER_02 0:37

I researched all of the majors and I eliminated the ones that sounded not interesting to me. So then I changed it to chemical engineering to work with chemistry. Then I took an environmental science class and I'm like, I think environmental issues are really important, and I'm really passionate about state sustainability and stuff. So then I changed it to finally environmental engineering.

SPEAKER_07 0:56

Especially in a college town like Don't DoorDash. Like, just go out and get the food. That's good exercise.

SPEAKER_06 1:08

Hey everyone! Thanks for joining us on this episode of Autism Goes to College, the podcast for students on the spectrum and for everyone who supports us. Navigating college is always a challenge, so here are the hacks, insights, and great ideas you've been looking for to make college work for you. We're a small group of self-advocates. We're all in college or recently graduated, and you can do this too.

SPEAKER_03 1:36

Autism Goes to College began as a documentary film following five college students on the spectrum as they navigated college life. At the end of this episode, I'll give you some details about where you can see the film today. And it's all at our website, autismgoes to college.org. Every month we drop a new episode. Here's what's also new: there's a resource center on our website with dozens of outtakes of important stuff that didn't quite make it into the film, all the podcast episodes, and blogs from experts and from student advisors from the film. Thanks for listening. We do hope to hear from you.

SPEAKER_07 2:44

Spend a couple semesters at a community college closer to my home in Northern California, then transferred to St. Mary's College as a sophomore. So I ended up going to three colleges. Kind of a winding road to graduation, but overall, it was a pretty good experience. And I'll say more about that in the episode. But first, I'm here with Catherine O'Brien, the host of Autism Goes to College podcast, and I'm gonna hand it over to her.

SPEAKER_03 3:04

Hey everyone, and I really want to start off with a hearty congratulations to you, Tony. This will be your fourth appearance on Autism Goes to College. So we've heard from you at all three of the institutions you attended, and now it's the eve of your graduation. So thank you so much for your generosity and openness and for letting us join you in your moment of triumph. So uh you're wrapping it all up. And I just want to check in and hear about how the final couple years have been since we talked at in spring of sophomore year. You felt like maybe it was as good or better than you expected when you started at St. Mary's College. Did that hold?

SPEAKER_07 3:50

Uh, I think it's been a while since we last spoken, haven't we?

SPEAKER_03 3:54

It's been Yeah. You so it was um just to sort of situate you, you you had broken your wrist. It was right before spring break, and you were still at home kind of rehabbing that injury. So it's been a minute. Um, how's it been?

SPEAKER_07 4:08

So first off, the wrist is fine. Um so far I've gone through a lot of upper division classes. That that's been cool. Sort of gotten used to like the St. Mary's routine, you know, a lot of like the small small class sizes, a lot of communication with professors, and just sort of communicating if I if I have something come up where I I'm doing a lot, I I've done a lot of stuff where I'm I'm an exec of a club. I've do uh the pet band at St. Mary's, especially for the basketball band. We're we're one of like the top like 25 basketball pro men's basketball programs in the country. So we do a lot of stuff there. And so I'm juggling and doing a college degree on top of that. So we're doing a lot of stuff. So that works.

SPEAKER_03 4:55

So it sounds like you're kind of the prover wheel big fish in a small pond and having that smaller setting and and more nurturing community is really working out for you. We also talked about the switch in majors from business and the school of business to economics. Um, are you graduating with a degree in economics and was that ultimately the right fit?

SPEAKER_07 5:17

Yeah, I'd say so. Um so ultimately I decided to graduate the Bachelor of Arts in Econ. The only difference, at least at St. Mary's, is you have to pass Calculus 2. Uh I couldn't do Calculus 2. I did all the other classes that were required of the econ major except for that one class. So I'm I'm basically a Bachelor of Science, but except for Calc 2, which whatever. There's no di there's no difference in the job market. No one really cares if it's a BA or BS.

SPEAKER_03 5:47

Yeah. Did you end up enjoying the study of economics? And did you feel sort of supported academically in that department?

SPEAKER_07 5:56

I'd say so, yeah. Um professors were very accommodating in terms of like if I needed accended test time, they would just give it whether it was like through SDS or just like under the table, like, hey, if you need like time, just like stay after after class or something like that. Just stay for like 30 minutes or something like that. Um yeah, I'd say the hardest class I've had is actually like this coming class is our capstone. So the way I'll explain like what a capstone or capstones are. I think we do it a little differently at St. Mary's College. So for the economics program, we pick a topic of our choice. We write basically like a paper, like an economics paper on it. And we take one one semester writing what's called a perspective, saying, like, what are we doing? What's our topic? How are we going to address it? What kind of analysis are we going to do on it? So we have a presentation on that. So it's sort of like a defense style, like almost like a doctoral style defense on that. So that's the first part of it. And then the second part's actually writing it, and you just have to defend that as well. You're to defend your findings. So it was almost kind of like a baby master's program-ish.

SPEAKER_03 7:04

So that was stressful to say latest. Original scholarship to a degree.

SPEAKER_07 7:10

Yeah. And the intent was for like everyone's work is like to the point where you can actually publish it in like a real journal. So I can go out and like publish it in an actual economics like journal. And it has like codes where it can correspond to everything if I really wanted to.

SPEAKER_03 7:29

Is that something you hope to do, or are you ready to um leave uh leave academia behind for the moment?

SPEAKER_07 7:37

Uh I think I if I were to go back and revisit it, I think I will eventually publish it. Yeah, I feel pretty proud of it.

SPEAKER_03 7:44

I encourage you to do that. I think publishing your work is a great idea. So you came in with accommodations and you said they were really working well for you that first year at St. Mary's. How has that evolved? And did you find you needed more support or less support as time went on and you focused in on the major?

SPEAKER_07 8:02

I'd say it really depended based on the semester. Um, when SDS came in, it was more of like the the requirement classes where it was like, okay, here's all the classes that came in.

SPEAKER_03 8:17

It's just a bunch of like take this English class, take this social science, you know, those sorts of requirements. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 8:24

Take take like the TRS class, take this whatever religious studies class, take it where because we're a Catholic institution, you have to take a religious class. So like if you need those classes where like there's an exam or something, there's wherever, that's when SDS comes in. It's like here's time and a half, whatever. But if it's like an upper division class where I get a little more like time with the professor, and it's not, it's more project-based. I can there's more, I guess not say more leeway, but like SDS, I'd not say can't help, but more of you have to go and communicate with the professor yourself.

SPEAKER_03 8:57

Yeah. Because it's a small class professor within your department that knows you. It is about that personal communication and not institutional, it sounds like. And were you able to make that work or was that challenging? Were professors willing to work with you?

SPEAKER_07 9:17

I'd say I had a good enough rapport with actually all my professors to actually make it work. Yeah, I'd say so. I didn't I didn't really run into any problems.

SPEAKER_03 9:26

That's great. Um, let's talk about housing and your living situation. Where are you living this year?

SPEAKER_07 9:32

So for the past for all my years, I've lived at an apartment just just like near near campus.

SPEAKER_03 9:38

Yeah, an off-campus apartment. Are you living there solo right now?

SPEAKER_07 9:42

Yeah, yeah, I'm currently living there solo.

SPEAKER_03 9:44

So Yeah. Um reflecting back, I know in your first quarter at the University of Oregon, you were in a privately operated sort of holistic support dorm for students um with disabilities where support was kind of 24-7 available and there was a lot of structure built in, but there was also a pretty high upfront cost with that. Now that you're done with college and thinking about maybe parents and students who would consider programs like that, do you think they're worth it? Or are there certain students for whom they might be most worth it?

SPEAKER_07 10:25

For me, it was just like I need I I I know what I like and I like peace. I I like just being able to like go back home and just like flop, go down. Just like I think I think it's more of having the ability to just like go back, go back to like a place and just have no distractions, no like any drama to go back to. That's kind of my thing. Just like home is just where there's no nobody there, is like minimal people there where I just like go back and just crash. Because being outside is hard for me.

SPEAKER_03 10:56

Yeah, so it's it's apparent why it wasn't it for you, but there might be other people for whom it is it, and the important thing is to just know what you need from your living situation. Um, so you moved home for a bit while you were attending Foothill College, and then you moved into this apartment off campus at St. Mary's. Have you had romance at all there, or has it have you been flying solo this whole time?

SPEAKER_07 11:25

Um, I've just been flying solo this whole time. It's just just been me. Uh occasionally my parents come in checking on me to make sure, you know, there's no like a dead rat or something like coming in, but there's no dead rats.

SPEAKER_03 11:36

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_07 11:36

There's no dead rats, there's no dead rats, don't worry.

SPEAKER_03 11:39

And how's your social life at St. Mary's? Um, I know the student body is is on the small side. Like I went to a smaller college as well with about 2,500 students. And did you find that easier socially than a big place like U of O I feel like at I feel at both colleges, actually, my my social life was pretty good.

SPEAKER_07 12:02

I feel like at Oregon, actually, the the biggest thing I missed probably was the social life. I guess, I guess it was just because of the marching band there, the band people was just I had that smaller knit thing. So I just that wasn't that much of a problem. I just that what I didn't worry about. But I guess at St. Mary's I have a good enough social circle here already. So I don't miss it per se.

SPEAKER_03 12:23

Yeah, I mean that is a great point. Larger campuses can support a much broader array of student activities, things like nationally famous marching bands. Um yeah. Have you found um musical outlets that work for you at St. Mary's, even though there isn't that band culture that there was at Oregon?

SPEAKER_07 12:46

I'd say it was a bit of an adjustment. Like as you said, the band culture isn't as like massive or big at St. Mary's, so there's a bit of an adjusting attitudes, but I managed to make it work.

SPEAKER_03 12:57

So yeah. Did did you join any student music groups?

SPEAKER_07 13:02

Uh my first like year, I joined like the music ensembles just to get some credits. Those were those were good, but then as the year like upper division went on, I just didn't have time in my schedule.

SPEAKER_03 13:14

Fair enough. So I'm guessing that with graduation coming sometime in the last year or two, you started to consider employment. Um, thinking about that, did you start with like maybe an internship junior year, or what was the beginning of that process like?

SPEAKER_07 13:33

So what was this? My sophomore years, this is the year I broke my hand. So the year I broke my hand, I got accepted an internship at a local labor union, the Contra Costa Labor Council. So that was a really fun internship. Got some pretty good experience of just like seeing what that's like and just like seeing like the diversity of what's going on there.

SPEAKER_03 13:58

So you had an internship after a sophomore year there in Contra Costa County. Cool. Okay. And and then how did it grow from there, I guess?

SPEAKER_07 14:08

Um the the the top the tough part is like this is just like something for everyone. Like this is not just for like neurodiverse students, it's just for everyone. The job market is just ruthless, like just tough. It's hard.

SPEAKER_03 14:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 14:19

I'm actually doing a uh applying to the master's program at St. Mary's. So I'm doing an MS in accounting. So my my academic journey is not over. So yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:27

Okay, great. Um, so what were you doing as an as an intern at the Contra Costa Labor Council?

SPEAKER_07 14:35

So internship, I was mostly just helping out with the records, like record keeping, also doing helping them create like a history, like a labor history presentation for like outline like what is the history of labor unions kind of thing, so a history thing on the side too.

SPEAKER_03 14:51

Well, it's nice that they gave you a little bit more than you know, printing and copying at least.

SPEAKER_07 14:55

Although although I did my share of printing and copying.

SPEAKER_03 14:58

I'm sure you did. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 15:00

But I also did more stuff on the side too.

SPEAKER_03 15:02

I mean, it's good to get both exposure and classical internships. So what happened next? You went back junior year?

SPEAKER_07 15:13

Uh tried to get more internships and jobs, and then just nothing came through, unfortunately. So oh, oh right. Actually, I did do a class over the summer. It was a data data science class. It was actually really nice. There's an over Zoom, but when I couldn't find find anything, so I just had to do something.

SPEAKER_03 15:34

Okay, so after junior year, you weren't able to find another internship like you did. I hear that. Okay. Um, so it's been harder. Um and is that what did you always think you might want to go to grad school, or was grad school something because you weren't sure there would be a job opportunity right away? That was kind of a secondary plan.

SPEAKER_07 15:58

Uh it's just been kind of 50-50, whether it was a good fit. My advisor is also the chair of the econ department, so it's there's also kind of that that weird sort of dynamic there where he's also taught me in class as well. So it's also that very tight-knit thing as well. So he knows me very well. Like he he recommended me doing like an MS in accounting.

SPEAKER_03 16:20

So Okay. So it it when you say it's weird, it's it's just that you uh see this person in so many capacities, and it's you feel very seen, or is it maybe smothered?

SPEAKER_07 16:35

It's it's not no, it's not smothered at all. It's just I know a lot of different like my peers, they don't have that sort of relationship with their advisor. I think like their advisor is very detached. Not not it's definitely not their advisor is definitely not the chair of the department. It definitely is not like that in most schools. I don't know. Yeah, that maybe not that connection. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:58

Yeah. Did you find um that career services and that maybe the internship pipeline had any supports that were specific to neurodivergent students? I I know some companies and some recruiting platforms are now specifically targeting neurodivergent students. Is that something St. Mary's does at all?

SPEAKER_07 17:20

Um If I'd found any, I I wouldn't say I would pursue it personally. I I'm not sure. I'm not sure, honestly.

SPEAKER_03 17:31

So whether or not they're doing it, it it's not something that you're really pursuing.

SPEAKER_07 17:35

Um I guess it's not this time, just just because like I personally just have my mindset on grad school.

SPEAKER_03 17:41

But cool. I mean, I think that's wonderful. Um so do you start in the summer for graduate school, or is that something where you get to uh take a summer off?

SPEAKER_07 17:54

So if I get into the program, I get starts on I think June 24th. So it'll be like around two weeks, and then I'm back to it.

SPEAKER_03 18:04

Okay. And you're not certain or when do you find out for certain whether you're accepted, I guess?

SPEAKER_07 18:09

So the applications close June 1st, and I'm actually meeting with like a bunch of like the grad graduate like faculty and like discussing like the the nitty-gritty process of like chances and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_03 18:26

That's that's good stuff though. Um so d looking back on your student journey, was there anything about college or the colleges that were that was easier than you expected?

SPEAKER_07 18:44

I'd say I'd say workload. Workload if I'm honest. I I I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_03 18:51

Uh like other than like this your academic labors were less than than you thought they would be.

SPEAKER_07 18:58

Yeah, I guess this is just coming from like just from my perspective, like a very like academically tough high school, just coming into a college that's relatively I wouldn't say academically like relaxed, but it's like it's not it's not like the toughest. So I I think I said it was like I was expecting a lot like to have like all nighters every single night.

SPEAKER_03 19:25

Well, if you have an all-nighter every single night, you simply die of lack of sleep pretty pretty quickly. But I hear you, you went to a rigorous high school where you already were doing a lot of work, and then when college was not much more work, it probably was like, hmm, okay, I got this. Were there aspects of college outside of the academics that were harder than you expected or that were surprising or uncomfortable?

SPEAKER_07 19:54

I guess just living on my own. It definitely takes takes getting used to. But then once you once you get like a couple, a couple months, it's like, ah, this is this is nice. But then it was also there's also that like discipline that comes into it where it's like, okay, you gotta do, you gotta do the work. Come on, wake yourself up, wake yourself up. That now I have like multiple alarms when I remember to go to class and it's like hour early, two hours early, and I have like five alarms, and I ignore everyone except the last one. I know I'm gonna ignore everyone except the last one. So I have like six alarms set.

SPEAKER_03 20:32

Yeah. Um, are there any other insights or things that you wish you had known starting out that you know now as a neurodivergent college student?

SPEAKER_07 20:45

Once I got to St. Mary's, it was relatively like linear, like there's no like real roadblocks that I've thought about.

SPEAKER_03 20:52

That's great. I think maybe if I had to sort of say my takeaway from your journey is that college can be kind of easy and pleasant and good if you're at the right location for you. And if you're really suffering and you hate the weather, it and you can't do it, don't be afraid to find a different spot. Does that sound fair?

SPEAKER_07 21:21

Yeah, yeah, I'd say so you put it in better words than I do, since yeah, I guess like once I found the right place, it's everything just sort of like fell into place. It was just like, okay, get the work done, and now three years later, I'll be walking and shaking the person's hand, random person's hand.

SPEAKER_03 21:41

Yes. And and you like it well enough to aspire and hopefully to attend their graduate program. So I think that's that's a rigging endorsement for St. Mary's and how the fit has worked out for you. All right. Any lingering thoughts for For students who might be earlier on their college journey now that you are about to achieve that bachelor's.

SPEAKER_07 22:08

Keep going, I guess.

SPEAKER_03 22:11

Keep going. Listen to any of Tony's four appearances on this podcast. He said many good things.

SPEAKER_07 22:18

Something like that.

SPEAKER_03 22:19

During those interviews.

SPEAKER_07 22:22

Go plug my other podcast appearances, something like that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:25

Yep. Um, and and thank you for your boldness in just sharing the full cycle of college from first year to graduation. Uh, and congratulations on getting it done.

SPEAKER_00 22:39

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 22:41

And now, as promised, here are ways to see the documentary. The documentary film Autism Goes to College is currently available through many channels, but the easiest way to see it today is to rent it on Vimeo On Demand, which you can access from your Apple TV or most smart TVs by going on the Vimeo On Demand app. You can also find a direct link on our website at www.autismgoes to college.org. The film is also available for educational use and live and hybrid screening events. All the relevant info and links can be found on our website. Thank you so much for listening, following us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, and especially for adding your reviews on Apple Podcasts. Our show is specifically for students on the spectrum navigating college, and we really appreciate your support for Autism Goes to College. Thanks for listening.