Tips for ADHD in college

Set up your accommodations.  

Before school begins connect to the office that assists people with accommodations.  If you never have to use your accommodations, awesome! On the other hand, if a problem does come up during the term, you will already have the structure in place to fall back on and won't have to scramble to find help.

Connect with your professors.  

Perhaps the most important part of your success in school will be the relationship you build with your professors.  Begin each semester by giving professors the letter requesting the accommodations you need.  You can personalize the accommodation request by setting up a time to talk with your professors or by dropping in to see them during their office hours.  Your professors want you to get the most out of their classes - the more information you are able to give them about what works best for you in a learning environment,  the easier it will be for them to support you.  Continue to communicate with them and stay connected to your professors throughout the semester. If they are not supportive, you may want to consider taking a different course or coming up with a strategy to help you navigate the class. 

Choose a reasonable course schedule.

Choose courses you feel you can be successful in and register only for the number of courses you can easily handle.  It's important to adjust to school and build positive and successful class experiences before taking really challenging courses.  If you are taking a reduced course load and are worried about finishing school in a certain amount of time, talk with an advisor.  There are many ways to earn credit that might work with your strengths. Internships, independent studies, and summer or winter term classes are just some of the options. 

Utilize a calendar or planner . 

Commit to using one planner for the semester.  This planner can be "command central" for you. Try keeping all important information such as to-do lists, faculty contact information, and your class schedule in this one location. I recommend using Google Calendar because it allows for the use of multiple calendars, they can be shared with others, and it can be set up to email or text message reminders. 

Familiarize yourself with school policy and academic deadlines.

Locate an academic calendar and transfer important dates from it into your organizer. Dates such as add/drop, pass/fail, and registration will be helpful for you in managing your courses.  It is also important to know the policy and deadline for withdrawing from a class or withdrawing from school. Sign up for tuition insurance if you have concerns that medical or mental health issues might get in the way of completing a semester.  

Review each syllabus during the first two weeks of school

Go through each course syllabus and put major projects, tests, and deadlines in your calendar.  

In addition to transferring the dates listed in your syllabuses, consider also scheduling reminders for when you want to begin projects or start studying for tests and exams. For an exam, you might want to schedule a reminder two weeks beforehand so you can plan some study time.  With larger projects, like research papers, you might want to put short-term tasks for yourself into your calendar such as choosing a topic, finding resources, and writing the first draft.  

Ask for help and find people who celebrate You! 

Self-confidence is one of the biggest challenges for people who have struggled in school or with ADHD in the world. One of the mantras I’ve developed in working with people and for myself is that it’s not about getting derailed, it’s about getting back on track each time we get derailed. When we get derailed, say a homework assignment is late and then we start the cycle of negative self-talk and shame, the hole gets deeper and harder to get out of, and our brain feels more anxious and confused, so it becomes harder to do the work. Working with therapists, coaches, or tutors who help break things down and help us build new habits, and celebrate us can build our skills and strengthen the muscles we need for school and life.