Basketball
My experience playing basketball at St Andrews has been one of the best parts of university.

Although I was very anxious attending the sports fair in 1st year as it was very crowded and a bit overwhelming, I think there are now quieter hours to make this more manageable and if you are unable to attend the sports fair there are also other opportunities to make your interest known or to find out about clubs on the university website. I have also found it very easy to reach out to the coach via email whenever I had a concern about training or needed a question answered which has been really helpful.

I would say that letting your coach know early about any difficulties you may have is very helpful and they will work with you to find manageable alternatives or ways to reduce any anxiety. Once I let my coaches know I was autistic and explained what I found difficult they were very helpful and understanding and over the years we have found ways to make training more manageable for me.

My coach actually attended an autism training course and was very understanding of my difficulties. If I needed a time out at any point or got overwhelmed I could quietly do so without an issue and come back when I felt ready. She also adapted exercises for me if I was struggling to speak so that this wasn’t an issue as I could signal in another way.

My coach also made sure I felt comfortable to reach out to her or send a message if I needed any other support or had any concerns with anything which I’m very grateful for.

I have had meltdowns in the past and at first was very embarrassed about this, but both the team and my coach have been extremely understanding, and my coach has helped me through difficult moments. Now that I feel very comfortable being at training these happen less, but I am also comforted by the fact that I know if I was to have an issue there are people there to support me who understand my needs.

Public transport is something else that I struggle with and so I was anxious at first about travel to matches when we couldn’t take a minibus, but the team and my coach helped with this once I expressed my concern. In 1st year my coach made sure I went on the bus with someone who had been on the team longer than get me used to it and there was always someone with me so I wouldn’t panic. We do also often travel by minibus or car and so this has only been a concern on a few occasions.

I have found that being involved in a team has also helped me socialise and meet people in a comfortable setting. Although I let my coach know about my diagnosis from the start to make training easier, I found it easier to tell the others on the team when I was more settled and felt comfortable around them and they knew me more as an individual. Everyone on the team has been so great about it and it has never been an issue.

It was also through the basketball team that I also became a table official for matches after completing a course with a group of other people from the club. It was nice that we were all doing it at the same time which helped make it easier and less stressful. For the matches there was always someone more experienced there as well to help.

Tips for joining a sports team:

Let the coach know in advance- they can work with you on alternatives for parts of training or know to let you take a time out if needed or anything else that you think would be helpful.

Don’t let it stop you from getting involved- everyone has been very accommodating and supportive in my experience, and they genuinely want to help in any way they can with any difficulties.

The Autism Group

For my 1st year at St Andrews the Autism group had not yet been set up and so I know how helpful it has been to me since it’s been available as it has really made me feel less alone.

I was nervous at first about attending and did miss a lot when it switched to online during covid as I was anxious about the new format and wasn’t sure how it would work. However, upon going again I felt comfortable and relaxed and really enjoyed being there.

The online format has been an adjustment, but it is very relaxed and inclusive and there are many ways to be involved to make it as easy as possible for everyone. There is no pressure to speak if you don’t want to and many people choose to have their camera off or to use the chat function.

The buddy scheme through the group also helped me to meet and talk to someone who had shared interests to me, and it was nice to get to know someone a bit better one on one but still connected through the group.

Being a part of the autism group for me has been really valuable and has helped me to socialise. I’ve really enjoyed being able to hear about others experiences and share my own in an understanding and non-judgemental environment as well as just being able to chat and play games to get a break from work.

Peer support

I was set up on the peer mentor scheme in first year after speaking to student services about finding it difficult to initially settle in at university and it really helped me by being able to speak to someone who had been through the same thing.

I was anxious at first to meet in person but after emailing my mentor she was very understanding about meeting in a quiet space, and we would often go for walks

on the beach where it wasn’t crowded.

It was really nice having someone to talk to, especially in first year when I didn’t know very many people at all and felt a bit isolated.

After our first meeting she gave me her details so I could message if I needed any help and she kept in contact throughout the breaks as well and made sure I was doing okay.

I found it really helped to talk through how to deal with the new workload and stress with someone who had been through it, and she pointed out some of the quieter study spaces and areas she knew about around the university.

She also showed me how to take books out of the library and took me to look around the student union after I had mentioned that I found it quite stressful at first to get used to.

My mentor also spoke to me about the different grading system from college to university and helped make sense of everything a bit better.

Being part of the peer mentoring scheme did really help me to settle into university better. Although I was anxious about meeting someone new, my mentor was so kind and understanding and my positive experience actually encouraged me sign up to be a mentor myself later.