blueblueblue

Ugh, that sounds even more unappealing than being rejected. My goal is the least amount of conflict or awkwardness (if that is possible).

So long story short, I am flying out for an interview soon. I am super excited, but also very very nervous (beyond all the usual reasons) because I just learned that my potential PhD advisor/mentor found out yesterday that I have Asperger's (a form of high functioning autism). The news came out accidentally from one of my references who had good intentions and positive things to say about me. I am not angry, the miscommunication occurred because she thought I had included that key bit of information in my application essay (we had talked about that as an explanation for my odd education history). However... this exchange of information does make things a little more awkward for me because I have not yet been formally accepted. I was hoping to tell the potential future grad advisor about my quirks after we had a chance to meet in person for the first time. Having AS is not something that I am ashamed of, I just prefer that initial judgments be made primarily based on the quality of my research and experience rather than based on a label that is often misunderstood. Since the "cat's out of the bag" so to speak, is there anything I can do to reduce his fears about taking me on as a grad student? What kind of reaction is he most likely to have (I am trying really really hard to understand what his perspective might be)? What are the most common stereotypes associated with this label? Did this just ruin my chances of getting in? or did this premature bit of news just save me the stress of having to disclose for the first time? Should I avoid any mention of it, or bring it up and explain how this condition impacts my life? Any advice or insights?