First of all, congratulations on embracing your diagnosis and for turning your life around. It sounds like you've set some wonderful goals for yourself and that you have the intelligence and dedication to make it happen. Don't be too hard on yourself - juggling four college courses is tough on anyone, much less an ADD adult who's just recently been diagnosed. I know it's difficult, but try to just take it one day at a time and don't get overwhelmed by the big picture.

Study for your exam this weekend - concentrate on that - and worry about the next thing next. And don't forget to take your meds! Set an alarm. Then another alarm. Write Post-It notes - whatever it takes.

I would also recommend checking out ADDitude's ADHD College Guide, which has links to our best articles about note-taking strategies, talking to unsympathetic professors, sticking to a schedule, etc.

I hope this helps! Best of luck with exams!

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HI I am an adult ADD'er with a daughter in College and a son in High School both whom have ADD. It has not been easy but on meds my daughter has been a straight A student for many years. She shares your passion for telling the world what it is like to live with ADD. She is studying Chemistry and plans to teach at the high school level while creating a better way for teachers to relate to students with ADD.

I was recently diagnosed at age 45 and it is amazing for the first time in my life I can think about less than twenty things at a time. I'm sure you understand the mind that races, never quiets down, and just goes everywhere. I can remember sitting in lecture halls hearing the lecture but not hearing the lecture. Just words floating and I had to work VERY hard. (didn't know that I h ad ADHD) Anyway, success I am a nurse practitioner and currently returning for my doctoral degree in nursing and pysch/mental health so I can Improve the world of ADD.

About your college professor: There is a law that prohibits him from giving you assistance in your learning. If you have a documented disability, and the school is aware of this, they have to help you achieve success. I would go to your guidance counselor and talk with them. If you get nowhere, then I suggest you read about your rights. It's very similar to that of a school child on an IEP or 504 plan. There are colleges around the nation that will work with you. You can change institutions if they aren't willing to work with you. I teach at a college and I am very sensitive to the needs of an adult learner.

Finally< your schedule is typical of an ADD'er, it's overloaded. Because our perspective on time and what we can accomplish is skewed, we take on too much. Slow down, embrace your ADHD, learn how to become organized, consider a life coach. Feel free to talk to me on here. I've lived this for a lifetime and I am always happy to listen. Best of luck to you. Lisa

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First off, congratulations and good luck in your upcoming career of making advances for the interests of those afflicted with ADHD. I'm in a similar boat as you. I'm in my last year of law school and I have been missing a number of classes because of my symptoms. The ABA and school only allows students to miss 25 percent of their classes before the teacher has to fail them. I am either pushing or past that mark in one of my classes. I recommend you do what I plan to do tomorrow, talk to your professors or a school counselor. Usually, professors are sympathetic if you speak to them once the problem arise. Their sympathy deteriorates as the problem becomes bad and requires them to contact you about whats going on. I personally used to avoid talking to my professors because of the stigma associated with ADHD. I would tell myself that I could fix things and things would be different this semester. Yet, eventually I would start turning in papers late, arriving late, and being disorganized. I would finally fess up once the professors began to dock my grade. So again, please talk to all involved ASAP. They usually do not retreat once they dock from your grade.. Good luck. I included a link to an article that may be helpful below. Changing your thoughts may help you to change your actions. Remember that in the end, all will be fine. A few years ago, we both were considered lazy and failures who have not reached our potential. Our diagnosis allowed us to address the issue, proving that laziness and failure was not apart of our character but instead apart of our circumstance. Know that you will conquer this and continue to evolve into the person you choose to be. Take care

http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/912-2.html

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wow! this was amazing to hear just amazing! im feeling better now, im usually very stubborn about admitting i need help and its something i need to work on... wow thank you for replying your beautiful people!

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I want to write an article on what I LOVE about ADD! Maybe I'm the only person who thinks this is a gift not a curse! AND THAT is exactly what I have ALWAY told my ADHD daughter.... who is now 15 years old... in fact my most used statements to her is "WHY would anyone want to be normal? It takes those people all day to do what we can do in an hour AND they have to do one thing at a time ha-ha... how boring is that" :)

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Some random tips that have helped me hopefully you'll find one of them useful:

Do something you really enjoy doing before that class. Something physical & outdoors would be best. For me it's dancing salsa, gets my heart rate up & helps me focus.

Do some form of physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day.

Make sure your eating right (myfoodpyramid.gov) & bring brain food to that class. Walnuts are the ultimate brain food but anything that's not processed and nutrient dense is a great choice.

When your in class flex & contract your muscles for 30 seconds each. This helps get the blood flowing & helps me at least focus a little better.

Try OneNote free for a month off of Microsoft's website. Get a laptop with a camera (ask the teacher 1st) & record the lecture. Then after go back & clean up your notes as soon after the class as you can.

Use OneNote with Outlook to setup tasks like h.w. Add quiz & test dates on the outlook calendar.

Always try to stay 1 week ahead of the class in your book & h.w. That way when the teacher starts talking about something that you were struggling with in the h.w. you can ask a question about it while he's on the topic.

-Brandon

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Hi, I'm a young adult who was just diagnosed with ADD last fall. I'm in grad school for microbiology, and I can totally empathize with you! I know exactly what it is like to be struggling in school, and not because I am not smart, but because I take on too much at a time and I don't manage my time well. Just to keep up, I end up having to stay up working on assignments literally all night at least once or twice a week. And then I have to go through the day absolutely exhausted from the lack of sleep. Here is some advice. Your college should have a student disabilities service program. You can get registered through them and they can accommodate you. At the least they can give you extended time on exams and a private room. They should also be able to get you a note taker for class, so you can actually listen instead of take notes. Trust me, I know that dilemma. The last two years I was in college I didn't even go to class, because it was a waste of my time. I instead went to the library and taught myself the material from the book, and borrowed notes from friends. They also might be able to require professors to give you their lecture notes before class. It sounds like your chemistry professor is a real jerk. I was lucky and had the most amazing chemistry and physics teachers in high school, and because of them I have been very successful in chemistry and math. If it weren't for them, I don't think I would have been able to get a degree in biochemistry. I'd also recommend getting a tutor. It's always easier to learn in a one-on-one situation. You can take it at your own pace and interrupt with questions whenever. I know they are expensive, but your university might even offer to pay for tutoring if you can arrange that accommodation through student disabilities (it's a long shot, but worth trying for). If you can't get any of these accommodations, I would suggest finding someone in each of your classes who wouldn't mind if you photocopied their notes. Also, the internet is a great resource for studying. You can find the answer to just about any question - I've used it a lot to help me with biochemistry, physics, etc. Well I hope this helps. Good luck with everything, I'm very impressed with your ambitions!

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