I have ADHD. My pediatrician diagnosed me at an age I don't remember, sometime during Elementary School. In the last year of Middle School and first three of High School I was in special ed as a result of ADHD. In my senior year, I didn't need it, but I wasn't taking anything of substance. It's been four years since high school, and I've just started college. So far, I had to drop English because that professor's low and monotonous tone and way of never stating exactly what it is he wants conflicted with my ADHD horribly. With Math, ADHD is making my homework take three to four times as long as it needs to, and I can't afford those lost hours. As a child I took Concerta, but stopped at 12 because my dad, who was paying, went to prison. I tried it again at Job Corps, but as an adult Concerta makes me very drowsy, which I could not afford. In the end, I got through it there by flitting between several different tasks whenever I got crazy bored, and because I spent all my time doing stuff I liked. That is not a valid option here. The only thing I can think of is Adderall, but I can't afford a doctor's visit, much less what it costs to fill a prescription. I could get Medi-Cal, the best medical assistance available to me, but even then I still wouldn't be able to afford a doctor's visit or meds. Even if I could get it, there is no guarantee that Adderall will work for me. Whatever coping method I use will have to be something different, but I can't think of any options. Do you guys know of anything that works for you or a friend?
So what I know is being a college student and coping strategies when you're under tons of stress. What I don't know is medicine and mental health. What I would need to know to help is how your ADHD actually affects you. I guess a few general tips. Numero uno, if you know you can't get school done in four years, just do not try. I took 22.5 credit hours one semester after I switched majors to catch up and it was the biggest mistake. I did graduate in 4 years but I would have preferred to have spent 5 and had a higher GPA. And that leads to rule two. Every time you pick a semester - and no maybes or you shoulds out of me, this is a hard and fast rule that every college student learns the hard way - pick one class that's hard and build your schedule around it, every semester. Never ever for instance take physics 2 and calc III the same semester. Hard doesn't necessarily mean the material is difficult. Hard can mean time consuming. The easiest cake subject in the world can be made incredibly hard if you have class projects on top of labs on top of vocab heavy tests where normal problem solving won't do you any good. So you really have to talk to students, ratemyprofessor.com , and especially look at the textbooks the class uses. Which brings me to rule 3. Sometimes the assigned textbook sucks. So buy your own, on top of the assigned textbook. Publishers will no joke pay profs to use their textbook sometimes. It sucks but it's an open secret that it happens. Rule 4. If a class is too hard, or you are in a bind where you are being encouraged to take two hard classes the same semester, take the hardest classes during the summer. Everything is fast paced due to the shorter semester, so there are no time consuming projects. And there are no students to compete with so profs can help you learn everything a lot better. If you can't take it during the summer, spring. The absolute worst time to take a "weed out" class is the fall. A good rule of thumb is that profs test and break during the fall, and teach and build during the spring. It's just the way it is. But as far as kicking yourself in the butt and trusting yourself to study, which is probably more in line with what you're asking, what me and countless other students did and still do (and this will probably help at work), is finding a coffeeshop or a McDonalds or some place that has wi-fi and doing your work there. If you train yourself so that you're working when you're at those places, and playing video games only when you're at home, then you will definitely get more done.
Most colleges have student health clinics and counseling centers that provide care for students at no cost. If your college has that, you should be able to see someone to discuss meds, and they might have ideas for low-cost medications or assistance for paying for them. A counseling center should be able to help you (or refer you) assess how your ADHD impacts you and find strategies to work around it. What type of ADHD do you have--inattentive, hyperactive, or combined? I had a friend in college (she had either hyperactive or combined type) with ADHD who did really well when she got a lot of regular, hard exercise--she ran cross-country. When she wasn't running, she had a lot of symptoms.
As a college student who struggles with ADHD himself it's important to know to pace yourself. If you try to leave all of your work/assignments to do in one long sitting it's just not going to work - or at least it doesn't for me, because I can't keep my attention focused long enough to actually get through it all. I like to get started well ahead of time and structure my work out over a long period of time with little 'rewards' in between to motivate me. Like, if I work on this paper for an hour then I get to play Madden for half an hour, then go back to the paper. Or, I'll spend an hour studying for this exam, and then I get to go hang out with my friends. Yes it makes it take longer but it definitely makes the time I spend a lot more effective.
My suggestion would be to make sure you get some sort of exercise in everyday whether it be walking or jumping jacks or whatever. I'm a college kid struggling with ADHD as well and it's really hard. I try to sit down and do all my assignments [if it's writing and things I have to turn in] in one sitting and I wind up being distracted or going off to find something else to do because I'm bored. My advice is to find ways to keep yourself engaged in your studies. The best thing I've found that you could try is not going home/back to the dorm and trying to work on things. It always leads to you getting distracted by TV, games, etc. Also try not to work with friends since that tends to lead to distraction as well. Perhaps for tests you could gather some of them and seriously sit down for study groups. Make sure to take breaks in between working on your homework and classes to do something to let off some energy so you aren't ready to bounce off of four walls very quickly or something.
I have ADHD and I'm in the middle of getting a masters degree. I do have some suggestions: 1) Don't study at home - there are too many distractions! Set specified times to study and go sit in the school library or starbucks or wherever you find that you concentrate best (This may take some experimentation) 2) Plan ahead for these study sessions - make sure that you have everything you need. I can't tell you how much time I've wasted because I forgot the headphones I needed to watch a youtube video, or a pen to do my homework with and I had to go find these things. Make a checklist. 3) You absolutely must have some kind of homework planner and/or calendar. If you use a tablet or smartphone, there are some really great apps for this. Use them. Otherwise, paper based planners work too. We have a lot going on in our heads and it's impossible to keep everything you need to do straight without writing it down. 4) Sit near the front of the room in class and try to stay engaged by asking and answering questions. Also, bring something to do with your hands. (Silly puddy is awesome). I also make little paper sculptures and have an entire notebook dedicated to doodling. About medication - if you can find a way to get a prescription, it will make your life a million times easier. I did my undergrad without any, but it was incredibly hard. I can't even begin to describe the difference that having medication has made this time around. You say that Concerta made you sleepy, which is the exactly the opposite of what it's supposed to do. I had that same weird reaction when I took Adderall (It was like taking benadryl), so I switched to Concerta. Adderall may work for you if Concerta didn't, but there are many other options nowadays that you can try under a doctor's guidance. I'm not sure from your post if you're not able to see any doctor, or if seeing a psychiatrist specifically is what's hard for you. If it's the latter, many GP's will prescribe stimulants. Some will make a diagnosis and prescribe them, and some will prescribe them after an initial diagnosis has been made by a psychiatrist. If you don't have your own insurance, many colleges offer insurance through the school as part of tuition. If seeing a doctor is completely out of the question, try to make an appointment with your school's counseling office. Many offer therapy free of charge. They may have resources to help you even though they won't be able to write the prescription themselves. At the very least, a therapist can help you develop good study habits. Good luck!
Lots and lots of good advice here. The best ones are the pacing not to overexert yourself, the finding of places where you can study and that are your personal "study halls," and putting certain classes in certain slots. Lots of good advice from the others here, too. I always made a weekly schedule where I would block time, since I seemingly can't operate without one, because I worry I might forget something. I would not study at home or in the dorm room. For me, if I saw a bed nearby, I would assuredly use it as an excuse to take a nap. For you, something else might distract you from studying. I found a quiet and cozy spot in the library, so much so that I could reliably be found there. It worked. Put the "weed out" or difficult courses in the summer, by themselves and with no other demands You're in CA, so you're in the states and, if on semesters, they typically run two 6 week summer sessions. Yes, it's accelerated, but if doing nothing else, it works. I've always taken the classes that seemed foreboding in the summer. So, if sci. and eng., take your Physics I & II (or whichever course is foreboding to you) in those 2 summer sessions. If quant. business, take Intermed. Acctg. I & II in those 2 summer sessions. Each major has these humps. I often wondered if I had some kind of attention disorder, but I think it was just bouts of depression working their "magic" and affecting my concentration. I looked around and marveled at how people handled academics, intramural sports, and social activities, and did it all. Don't compare yourself. It will make you get down on yourself. In upper division, all I could handle were my courses, so that's what it had to be and I stopped comparing. I wish you the best. You can do it, on your terms. I became friends with this guy in grad school who told me he had dyslexia when a kid and he was making it there. (I don't know if it is something that tapers off). Also, when in college, summon the help of the counseling center because I'm sure they've dealt with this. Additionally, when you enroll, the health fee gives you some access to insurance, or more of it, and meds which may affect your concentration less may in fact be available to you.
Thanks for all the advice. Stuff got really hectic and I haven't had time to read through the thread yet, but I will as soon as I can.
I'm a PhD student with ADHD. My biggest piece of advice is to learn how, when, and where you work best. And don't set unrealistic expectations for yourself--having ADHD is going to make it harder to do more work quickly, and beating yourself up for that is going to make it even harder to be productive. PM me if you want to talk more
