Going to college is a fun adventure, whether you’re staying close to Chelmsford or going to a school out of state. If you’re among the 15% of U.S. adults with hearing loss,[1] there are a few extra things to consider before you start classes to ensure a successful college experience.
1. Schedule a Hearing Aid Appointment
Hearing aids will be an excellent tool for both academic and social success in college. Before you start, or in the first few weeks of school, schedule a service appointment with our specialists at Massachusetts Hearing Group. We can deep-clean and check the programming of your devices to ensure they work at their best for you.
2. Talk to the Accessibility Office
Colleges have accessibility offices that help students with hearing loss succeed. Your school may provide real-time captioning services, ASL interpreters, written materials, extra time, assistive listening devices, loop systems, classroom aids or other options. Contact them to arrange any services you need.
3. Talk to Your Professors
Let your professors know if there’s anything they can do to make class easier for you. A few things you may find helpful include face-to-face communication, writing on the board or slides, providing slides in advance or clarifying information from their lectures one-on-one.
4. Don’t Forget To Socialize
Hearing loss doesn’t need to stop you from making new friends in college. Don’t be afraid to jump into school-sponsored events, create study groups or hang out in the quad with new friends. You can make communication easier by asking others to look at you while you’re talking and by limiting distractions, like phones, during conversations. Choosing quieter spaces to hang out together, like coffee shops and parks, can also be helpful.
College is an exciting time. Finding ways to accommodate your hearing loss both inside and outside of class will ensure you get to enjoy every moment of the next four years—even the nights you spend cramming for tests in the library.
If you have any questions about managing hearing loss or need to schedule a service appointment, call our specialists at Massachusetts Hearing Group.
[1] National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. (2024). Quick statistics about hearing. National Institutes of Health. https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/quick-statistics-hearing