Navigating University with Tourette Syndrome

Posted Mon 5th Feb 2024 at 12:47
by Macy-Jo O'Hare

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Maci-Jo shares her uni experience with us.

Hello, I’m Maci-Jo, a 22-year-old woman from Liverpool. I believe I have experienced tics throughout my childhood, however they worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Halfway through my first year at university (studying psychology) I was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome. As my university experience consisted of joining zoom calls and not interacting with other students I felt really isolated and alone. There was a vicious cycle of joining the call, listening to the lecturer, then leaving. And that was my first year done, academically wise. During the break between years, me and a few students on my course would go out to the pub or Weatherspoons and I was so nervous! I was newly diagnosed and didn’t know how people would take my Tourette’s but everyone was so accepting and didn’t really pay it any attention. There were a few questions, but everyone was so respectful and kind.

Then second year began, in person! Despite meeting up with people throughout the year I knew no one. There was a number of lectures where I sat alone and was in no other words, embarrassed to tic. The odd tic would come out and despite a lecturer sending out an email, at my request, saying there was a girl in the hall with Tourette Syndrome I felt I was being judged by every single person in that room. I now know that I was not judged by the majority of classmates.

Two people who I had met before noticed me sat alone one day and invited me to sit with them at the break and this helped me tic freely massively as I was not alone and as the time went on I began to care less about what others thought.

During my third year, I created a society for neurodiverse people (after creating a psychology society in my second year). Here I could talk about how my Tourette’s was impacting my daily life as well as university life and how it impacted my studies (such as taking longer to complete my assignments).

Towards the end of my university experience I had been through a whole journey of self-acceptance and accepting my Tourette’s and no longer felt ‘embarrassed’ to tic.

My university was so understanding and offered me as much support as they could physically give, which was wonderful and felt like a giant weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

All-in-all I had quite a positive experience with university and Tourette Syndrome and my university (as well as my friends and family) could not have done enough for me and now I have a bachelors in psychology with honours.

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