<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Part 2 -Some student experiences:

I am a student at Northeastern University in Boston and I am a celiac.
Living with celiac in a college environment is definitely a challenge but, with
some adjustments it is quite doable.  I was not diagnosed until my second year at
college when I was lucky enough to live in an on campus apartment with a
kitchen. I have been very successful in maintainig a completely gluten free diet.
While it is hard to resist the temptations that are always around (for
example, pizza everywhere you go!) I don't think that it is that much harder than
living at home. I live within a ten minu
te walk of a Whole Foods with plenty of gluten free choices, and about a 20
minute walk (faster if you take public transportation) of a Trader Joe's which
also has a lot of options. I know that Northeastern requires all freshmen to
have a meal plan, and celiac options in the cafeteria are few, and often risk
the chance of cross contamination.  However, I recently heard that there is a
law in Massachusetts that requires colleges to accomodate students with food
allergies/intolerances.  In general I would reccomend contacting the schools
your child is interested in and asking them what their individual policy... I
would also recommend looking at larger schools because they often have more
varied food options.  Overall I think that the most difficult part is getting used
to the diet.  If your child is still newly diagnosed then I'm sure in two
years when it is time for him/her to attend college they will be more than able to
adapt to the new environment.
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 I had a wonderful college experience while keeping gluten free.  I was
diagnosed just before freshman year so I was adjusting to the diet as well as
college life!  My freshman year I lived in the dorm.  I met with the director of
food service prior to the beginning of classes and reviewed ALL items on their
menu as well as storage room to id gluten free foods.  They also let me keep
many of my own foods in the freezers and refrigerators in the dinning hall with
my own designated section.  (These were actually in the kitchen, not out in
the cafe so I never worried about anyone else taking my food).  If there was
nothing I could eat that day I would just go to the kitchen and pull something
out.  It was a little difficult that first year, but I made due.  Every year
after that I lived in an appt and made my own food.  I found that the school was
more than willing to work with me, but I needed to do some work myself.  Many
colleges are now offering gluten free options since CD is becoming more
prevalent.  Check with the food service dept where ever your child visits.  College
is an exciting time for your child.  I would never recommend someone not
living on campus because of CD.
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I am currently a senior at Miami University of Ohio. I was diagnosed with
Celiac 3 weeks before I came to college my freshman year. Talk about
transition! Needless to say I made it. The best advice I can offer is that
Celiac Disease is covered under a disability act, thus public colleges
have to accommodate this sort of student by law and may be more willing
than some private institutions. This of course is easier said than done.

Living in dorms was extremely difficult. My diet was mostly the salad bar,
with my own dressing. All the meat prepared at Miami has "fillers" and is
not GF. The school was willing to accommodate me if I called in advance
for meals. The dining hall staff told me that if I called 30 mins prior to
eating they could make me a plan 4 oz chix breast (the only meat GF but
always prepared en masse in a way that I could not eat). Truthfully, I
never took Miami up on this offer. I was self conscious enough explaining
why I only ate salads to the new faces I was meeting that I didn't want to
go through the ordeal of calling ahead. Plus that does fit in with the
freshman life style of not planning ahead. In retrospect I realized I was
just being young and stupid! Hopefully your child won't have these
difficulties because they are already accustomed to the diet.  To make a
long story short, it would be most convenient to live in a dorm with a
kitchenette on the floor. Once I moved off campus my junior year I was
fine b/c I made my own meals. I will admit it is still hard when my
friends go to fast food restaurants for quick meals and I stay home to
cook myself something GF.

Please excuse me if I am speaking out of turn, but drinking has been a
part of my college life. The infamous keg parties and frat houses were
made a little easier when my sister gave me a flask so I could bring my
own alcohol. Needless to say it has become a constant conversation piece
and something to think about to ease your child's first experiences at
'beer parties'.
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Hello there.  I'm a sophomore at Carleton, College, Northfield MN.
I was diagnosed last year 4 days before returning to school after
winter break. When I returned, I found that I had very little choice in
the dining hall  (pretty much solid salads for a week).  I contacted the head
of the dining services and met with him.  He was very eager to work with me
and set up a
system where I would meet with the manager every week to determine
which days I needed a special gluten-free meal.  Then I could come in at a
scheduled
time on those days and pick up something that had been specially prepared for
me.  This worked fine for awhile until the contamination started to get to
me.  By the
beginning of this year, I was so sensitive that it was obvious I wouldn't be
able to handle the dining hall.  I sent in a request to get off board this
year, and they allowed me to stay living on campus with a suggestion that next
year I need to try to live off campus.  Though I'm currently living in a dorm
with a kitchen too contaminated for me to use (I'm the most sensitive Celiac I
know), I make do just fine with a microwave, fridge, toaster oven, and nearby
Celiac support group.  There's a very good co-op grocery store in town
that has a lot of gluten-free food.  Cub foods is also nearby and has a giant
selection
of produce. I would say that the main thing to do when you get to college is
make sure
everyone knows about your problem.  Everyone here has been extremely
supportive and helpful.  When my professors try to invite me to dinner, I
tell them right off and offer to help them prepare my meal.  If I get sick and
miss class, I
email them telling them why I've been gone.  The sooner you tell someone when
something comes up,  the less awkward "here, have some cookies!" moments you
will have.  Also, I suggest avoiding parties- beer and pizza in large
quantities.  This is, however, coming from someone who hates parties anyway and can't
even smell them without feeling sick.
If anyone is looking into coming to Carleton and would like more information
about it, please feel free to email me: [log in to unmask]

* Visit the Celiac Web Page at www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/index.html *