ADHD & College

Anyone have tips for dealing with ADHD in the college class room? I always seem to be missing key points from lectures and cant focus on tests. Can anyone provide links or tips on this please.

Hey Iam also a college student that suffers from severe adhd where I cant focus or my school work but now its getting better with ritalin and fishoil omega 3 and drinking caffeine has made me where I can focus .My t also helps me .Good luck huggs and eating more healthy also helps keep posting

I get very distracted by extraneous noise in the classroom. So I try not to sit near people who whisper to each other during the lectures or who are using laptops. The clacking of the laptop keyboards is very distracting to me. Some are much noisier than others. So many students bring laptops to classes it is hard to avoid them. I try to be one of the last students seated as then I can better choose a seat without laptop people next to me. I've had a couple of professors who had a special laptop section so that they were confined there. That was great. I asked a professor this quarter if she could do that, but she refused.

I find tests very hard to focus on also. I try to do little tricks during the tests, like if I get through the first two pages of the test, I will "reward" myself by allowing myself to take a little break--I draw a flower on the back of the test, or something like that. Then I do the next two pages of the test, etc.

Thanks for the quick responses. I am hopefully soon getting medication that will help with some of the problems I am having. I will try some of these other things that yall have mentioned here as well. Keep the advice coming.... to much advice is not a bad thing!

I just finished up my associates degree and I'm eat slap up with ADD. A digital recorder helped me the most during lectures. Doing school work in small increments and taking breaks during long reading. I cannot pay attention no matter how hard. Also by the time I've tried to write or type the information given by the instructor he's moved on to something else. I suggest a ditial recorder.

I've chosen to deal with my ADD without medications.

I found that tape recording the lecture helped a lot. You have to have the professors permission first though. If they say no explain why you need to do it. They will usually let you do it. Also, make sure you let your academic advisor know you are ADHD and go to the counceling center. If you have a disability (ADHD is considered one) then you should be allowed extra time to take tests. At least that is how I did it.

I agree.
Fishoil (Omega 3 fatty acids help focus)
Coffee
Proper Sleep
ADHD Medications (I currently take Vyvanse and I have taken in the past Adderall)
Seeing a psychologist who is has knowledge on treatment strategies of ADHD in adults
Regular exercise of some sort, even just lifting dumbells or barbells for a period of time helps my focus

I should mention that since I stopped taking my Vyvanse, I have fallen MONTHS behind. I'm going to attempt to remedy that today by refilling a prescription for it

You can try extended testing in private or semi private (disability services provide this all the time for ADHD students)

Someone to remind you of what you need to be doing and when (my T sometimes helps with this)

ME TOO! TORTURE!

It's good to not feel so alone on these things. I struggle with the same stuff! Makes me feel stupid sometimes, but I know I'm actually really smart I just have a focus problem from the ADHD

I got all my education without knowing that inability to sit and study, get details from classes, social problems, and lack of focus on exams was due to ADHD.
I have been wondering how I managed.
Some ways were :
using figures, pictures, tables
relating text to real life
Find answers to questions
Pursue subjects to be learnt when procrastinating
cooperation
Frequent breaks (forced reading made me nearly fall asleep)

I liked to get knowledge, but was often overwhelmed by frustration

Hi there! I just graduated as an RN and some tricks that would help me sit through lectures: eat blueberries before a serious lecture or tests, drink coffee during the lecture, take fish oil capsules but not everyday. If you feel like you are still not listening, start to write down what he or she is saying so you can go back and read it. Also if they let you, tape record the lecture, so you can go back on your own and listen (that was the most helpful for mentally straining classes) Also dont sit next to friends...sad right! Buts it was not my friends but me that would want to talk to them. I hope that helps!

Thanks for this thread! I am in nursing school and I was completely fried by the massive amounts of information thrown at me. I am working on getting tested, but in the meantime I take caffeine, ginkgo, ginseng and omega-3 fish oil. It helps, but not all the way. And I have to be careful with the caffeine -- if I take more than 2 in a day, I can't concentrate AND I'm jittery. A lot of what I've read here is what I feel every day, and BTW the digital recorder does help with lectures if you're able to do it. Thanks again.

Thats good advice

I use all of the tips above so won't repeat them, except to emphasize that the digital recorder made a huge difference for me as did getting in touch with the disabilities office. Also, sitting in the very front of the class so I had fewer distractions in front me, less to look at and watch, could focus a little easier.

I didn't realize how ADD I was until I got to college. Unfortunately, I seriously damaged my GPA my freshman year and I've since been working with every ounce of me to undo the damage.

The first thing I did to help myself was go on medication. I think it is prescribed too often so I'm not trying to say it will solve all your problems - there are other strategies to help too that you may want to try first.

First, make sure you go to all your classes. We all get lazy and skip a few here and there - it happens, but try to keep it to a minimum. Proper sleep is helpful as well as an appropriate diet and even exercise - it just takes away additional stress.

When you're in class, I agree with everyone saying use a tape recorder - very helpful, don't sit with your friends for obvious reasons and definitely try to sit towards the front of the room. Aside from reducing distractions, sitting in the front always forced me to pay attention because I don't want my professor to see me being disrespectful or not paying attention so I tend to pay better attention the closer my physical distance is to my instructor. It's also helpful to compare notes with friends if you have any in the class. See if anyone picked up on something you missed.

When it comes to studying, organization and routines are key. At the beginning of the semester I mark all my readings in my textbooks so I don't have to look them up everyday as the semester goes on. I try to manage my time as best I can, I'll go to the library between or after classes sometimes or I'll wake up a little earlier in the morning and go before class. Just getting yourself into a schedule so you know what to expect and know what you have to get done makes it easier to find your focus because you're not as overwhelmed by everything - you just look at exactly what needs to be taken care of at that point - nothing else.

Studying strategies vary from person to person since we all learn differently. For me, it's all about repeated exposure. I always handwrite my notes in class, when I get home I type them and when I study I make outlines and fill them in. I find handwriting most effective because you have to actually think about what you're writing. Flashcards are always useful as well. Some textbooks will have vocabulary or questions at the end of teh chapters - those are of great assistance. Just use as many resources available as best you can. If you have friends in the class discussing the material outloud can be very helpful too.

For example, this past semester I took biopsychology with 2 of my roommates and a few of our friends. Each test I would create an outline of all the material and we would all fill it in. A day or so before the test we'd meet up at the library and just discuss concepts that were confusing us. For me, talking things out helped my comprehension. On the other hand, my roommate liked listening to me and our friend discuss the concepts because she found that if she was talking she just confused herself, but listening to someone other than the professor explain it seemed to help her.

Finally, using your instructors office hours can be very helpful. It's really about mastering the professor's teaching/testing style. If you can figure out what types of questions they like to ask and what points in the material they seem to focus on it will help you weed out extraneous information. This can be done by going over exams with them and talking with other students who have been successful with the particular professor.

Getting a firm grasp on what works for you is a daunting task when you're ADD that is for sure, but with time it will come to you. I finished my freshman year with about a 2.4 and the fall of my sophomore year I finished with a 3.76 for the semester. Once you find what works for you it will get easier and the success you will find becomes self-motivating. If you need any help or suggestions don't be afraid to ask! It's hard because when you're ADD you need to put in a little extra time since you miss out easier. I get comments sometimes about how hard I work, but you got to do what you got to do!