What to Do if You Get Sick in College

What to Do if You Get Sick in College Being sick in college is not the most pleasant of experiences. You likely have no one taking care of you, like you would  at home, while at the same time your responsibilities and obligations continue to pile up as youre stuck in bed. So just what are your options if you get sick in college? Let Your Professors Know If you are a student in a small class, have a big day in class (meaning you have a paper due or presentation to give), or have any other responsibilities where your absence will be both noted and problematic. A quick email letting your professor know youre sick while promising to follow-up with them about how to make up the assignment (including a gracious request for an extension), should only take a few minutes to write but will save you quite a bit of time later. Take Care of Yourself True, you have that midterm to take, a huge event your cultural club is planning, and the concert you and your roommate have had tickets for months. It may be frustrating, but you need to take care of yourself first and foremost. The last thing you need, after all, is to just get even sicker just  because you didnt take care of yourself. It may seem impossible at first, but there really are ways to get more sleep in college. Let yourself sleep! Healthy eating in college can be a challenge- but it also can be accomplished. Think of what your mother would want you to eat: fruits and veggies, things with nutrition, healthy liquids. Translation: no, a donut and a Diet Coke wont work for breakfast, especially when youre sick. Grab a banana, slice of toast, and orange juice instead. Sometimes, common over-the-counter medications like aspirin and DayQuil can make a bad cold or flu manageable. Dont be afraid to ask a friend or roommate to grab you something while theyre out and about! Get a Check-up at the Campus Health Center If youre sick for more than a day or two, have really bad symptoms, or otherwise just dont feel right, utilize what your campus has to offer. Make an appointment- or just walk in- to the campus health center. They can check you out while also offering advice and medication to get you back on your feet. Keep Checking in With Your Professors If youre missing a day of lecture in your chemistry class, you can usually grab notes from a friend or get them online. But if youre missing a few days, especially when theres intense material being covered or discussed, let your professor know whats going on. Tell your professor that youre really sick and  that you might need a little help catching up. Its much, much easier to be in touch early on than try to explain later why you havent been to class, havent been in touch, and havent turned in your assignments. Prioritize Your To-do List If youre sick for more than a day or two, you will likely fall behind on at least something- life in college moves very, very quickly. Take a few moments to write down a little list of what you have to do and then prioritize. Getting to the health center for a Strep Throat test? Priority! Updating Facebook with pictures from last weekends Halloween party? Not a priority. Take care of the most important things now so you can do the other things you want and need to do later. Major Illness or Extended Sick Time If your sick day or two turns into a major illness or youre sick for long enough that your academics suffer, you might need to take more drastic measures. Always Let Your Professors Know Whats Going On Even if you just shoot them a quick email letting them know that youve been really sick for a week and are trying to figure out whats going on, that email is much better than complete silence. Ask them what they need from you, if anything, to justify this much-missed class (a note from the health center? copies of your hospital paperwork?). Additionally, check your syllabi or ask your professors directly about what their policy is if youve missed something major, like a midterm or paper deadline. Check in With Your Campus Health Center If youre sick for more than a day or two, definitely go see the campus health center. On top of a check-up, they can verify with your professors that, indeed, you do have a nasty case of the flu and need to be out of class for another day or so. Keep the Faculty up to Date Check in with your academic adviser, an academic support office, the dean of students office, and/or the dean of faculty office. If youre missing a lot of class, are sick, and your academics are suffering, youll need some help from the campus administration. Dont worry, though: this doesnt mean youve done anything wrong. It just means youve been sick! And everyone from your adviser to the dean of faculty has dealt with sick students before. Life happens in college; people get sick. Just be smart about it and let the appropriate people know so that, as you begin to recover, you can have the support you need academically instead of having to stress  about your situation.