Keller spends one more year of tutoring under Mr. Keith before entering college at Radcliffe. Determined to try her knowledge against those who could hear and see, Keller embarks on her collegiate journey only to find it is different than she had imagined it would be.

As eagerly as she attacks her studies, Keller also begins to see the downsides to college, namely the lack of time that she has to do all that must be done and to enjoy some time to herself. The time for reflection that she had indulged in for so long is limited by the need to study. Miss Sullivan spells the class lectures into Keller’s hand as fast as possible, and Keller thinks that she is not at a disadvantage from the students who can see and hear as they are desperately writing down notes and trying to keep up too.

For Keller, the object that helps her succeed in college is the Hammond typewriter as it is “best adapted to the peculiar needs of my work” (129). The moveable type shuttles on this model allow her to switch between different kinds of characters, such as geometrical figures and languages. Keller declares that she doubts she could have made it through college without her Hammond.