Student life can be hard enough to deal with at times, moving away from home, making new friends, dealing with a challenging class schedule. Yet, throw an ADHD diagnosis into the mix and it can be a whole other story. Certain issues may arise for a student with ADHD that can make the whole university experience a lot harder to deal with. School is a whole other environment that is slightly more facilitated to helping students with disorders such as ADHD due to more spoon-fed learning that happens over those high school years. However, university requires a lot more independent learning and having to self-motivate and for those with ADHD, where a common symptom is distractibility, this can be incredibly difficult.
Each university is different, but it is important to seek help if you have ADHD, or seek out an assessment in you think you have ADHD, so accommodations can be made for you in your work and during exams. Certain accommodations include a private space to complete your exams in order to remove any distractions that other students may cause. During class time, it has been recommended that students either receive an alternative work space, or sit close to the instructor to retain more focus on the subject at hand. However, classroom aside, you may need the most accommodations when it comes to studying. Seeing a tutor or an ADHD coach is one of the best steps in helping you stay on track. Regular meetings with an advisor to discuss your work and how you are managing can be really beneficial in giving you structure and guidance. Whilst seeing a tutor can ensure that there is someone there to keep you focussed instead of getting easily distracted if you were alone. However, these accommodations can only be made if you alert university professionals to the fact that you have ADHD and how it can specifically affect your learning.
It is important to make student services aware of the fact that you are living with a genuine neurological disorder that can impact your work. University is tough enough, so make it easier for yourself. At the core of ADHD is an impairment with executive functioning, that can mean self-control and regulation are harder to exert than in those without ADHD, which basically makes deeply concentrative work a lot harder to accomplish. It is important to distinguish that ADHD comes in three diagnosis forms, ADHD hyperactive, ADHD inattentive or ADHD hyperactive-inattentive, which is a combination of symptoms from each branch. However, your diagnosis may change from one to the other as symptoms can change over time.
You may be full of energy and motivation to do your work but you may find it hard to direct that hyperactive energy into focussed, attentive work for long stretches of time. You know what work you need to do, and how it needs to be done but your brain stops you from actually getting on with it. It can be very frustrating and it is important to know that there are answers. Don’t take on a course load that is too strenuous, recognise your limits and focus on working to the best quality you can, no matter how long it may take you. University is a marathon, not a sprint. Remember that. Seek out a close friend or classmate to study with, having someone else to delegate some work to or help you stay focused can be a big help in completing tasks you have to do. Organisation is key in staying on top of your work at university, especially if you have ADHD. Try and make a schedule and stick to it, to get some routine in your life, making sure you allocate enough time for tasks based on how long you typically take. Do not try and cram tasks in shorter spaces of time because you want to achieve the optimal amount of work, instead know your own mind and how much work you can realistically get done in a day. The worst thing you can do is stay up all night cramming, as this can lead to a complete burn-out and total exhaustion. Get enough rest, as your health is a priority before anything else.
University can encompass a lot of stress, and dealing with a disorder can only exacerbate this. ADHD is often accompanied by a comorbid diagnosis of depression, so it is vital to put your mental health first and focus on how to make university life easier for yourself. This may be through seeking clinical help, talking with peers or joining an ADHD support group. There are countless ways to make self-care a priority, it is just up to you to seek these resources out. So, go out there and ask student services what can be done, or, if you’re not feeling up to an in-person chat, look online at your university website or websites aimed at students with ADHD. These can assure you that you’re not alone in your university struggle and can suggest helpful ways to keep on top of your work whilst looking after yourself first and foremost.
Could I have ADHD?
The following list should in no way be taken as a means to self-diagnose, but if a lot of these symptoms strike you as occurring regularly in your day-to-day life then read on below for information about seeking an ADHD assessment.
Common Symptoms Include:
- Hyperactivity
- Feeling distracted or getting distracted easily
- Trouble sitting still even for a short amount of time
- Making quick, impulsive decisions
- An inability to relax
- Difficulty completing tasks you don’t find interesting or easy
If some of the symptoms described in the article resonate with you and you believe you could have ADHD, then it is a good idea to get an ADHD assessment. An assessment will help you understand whether you may have a diagnosis of ADHD and if so, you can seek out appropriate treatment and resources at university. An assessment is an empirical evaluation to see whether you have ADHD and if so, what attributes of the disorder are most limiting to your daily life. Regarding university, an assessment can help you to understand what deficits you have when it comes to learning, studying or performing in exams and consequently, how to treat these. If you put off an assessment, you may be limiting your own performance by simply not knowing how to handle such a disorder on your own. Professional help and advice are most beneficial in this situation as it will improve your quality of learning consistently in the long run.
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