studying? | ADHD Information

Does anyone have any study tips for someone with AD/HD?? I have the
worst time and I have two midterms coming up.. I don't know how to
study so I can retain information AND keep it interesting enough that I
can make myself do it and keep myself doing it for a while. I'm a
sophomre in college, and last semester I did horribly on my finals
because I couldnt motivate myself to study.. at all! Unless on my meds,
which I hate, and when on my meds (adderal xr) i can only focus on one
topic at a time and cant seem to switch to study for more than one exam!
I'm ranting now cuz im frustrated but does ANYONE ELSE have these
types of problems and has anyone figured out how to solve it??i took chinese herbs...

also try to get someone to study with or at least someone to push you through this..

i know thats not much help at all..

sorry

the only tip i have is wait 'till the last minute and let the stress propel you thru the night.

oh, wait! that's probably what you're trying to get away from! my bad.

listen to the others here, that's the best bet.

Get in a study group!!  You won't believe how much it helps!!

Also, when studying alone -- talk to yourself outloud. 

Memorizing?  Pace around the room while you try to retain info in your head.

this is stuff that has worked for me...   I know everyone is different, but you might give some of this a try

Good luck!

Once in the testing situation (which is absolutely no help for the studying part) I found if I think back to where I was while studying; I can jog information out of my mind. IE In bed, dining table, riding stationary bike.

 

My undergrad GPA was a 2.3. It's a wonder I ever made it into a master's program, but I did and graduated from it with a 3.4. Now I'm getting ready to start comps in a PhD program and have a 4.0 average. I share this because there IS hope!

One of the things I learned to do was to change the context of why I was studying. IOW, I'm not studying in order to pass a mid-term but to learn some cool stuff I didn't know before. Knowing stuff is interesting--even supposidly "boring" stuff. I'm not sure how to explain how to accomplish this motivational shift but it's what I've done and you see the results. One advantage we AD(H)D and bi-polar folks have is a higher IQ (regardless of how it may be measured) than normal people. But we pay a price for it.

Rather than just trying to memorize material, think about how it relates to real world situations. If it's history, try to imagine the times and how the people and events played a part in how things are today. For example, one can look at European history and the major players as trying to recreate the Holy Roman Empire. From that perspective, it becomes more like a game or a puzzle--seeing how the indiividual pieces fit into that pattern.

Although most instructors at the undergrad level are more interested in your simply knowing and understanding the content, they also like to see some original thinking (although this generally doesn't work as well for multiple choice tests but does on essays). The higher up the education scale you go, the more they like to see what they call "critical thinking." But thinking critically and relationally about what you're learning can also help you remember it. Remember that you're not really learning what you're studying for someone or something else but to make yourself a wiser, more knowledgable person with a better understanding of yourself and life. The more you can make the knowledge your own rather than something someone else is making you do, the more enjoyable learning it becomes and the better you'll be able to learn it.

I also strongly disagree with the "cramming" theory expressed above. I just took a course in cognitive psych and it's a crappy strategy 9 times out of 10, according to many studies. Even if it gets you through the exam, you won't really learn anything that will make you feel better about yourself or advance your self-esteem or overall knowledge (part of the self-esteem thing). Unless, that is, you can find a cute person of the preferred sex to cram with and can take "make out" breaks to stay awake! ;)

ABSOLUTELY, context is vitally important.

I did 3 things on my way to top of the law school class that i think contributed to my retention by focusing my attention. 

 I read and studied while pedalling enough to exert myself but not sprinting on a stationary bike.  I found I could do this for hours on end because by focussing on the reading I could zone out the pain.  Unlike most law students (most of whom are younger than i was) I lost weight in Law School.  studies have show that memory is enhanced by exercise, I simply combined the two.

I also studied with 2 buds and we would rant at each other arguing cases, etc.  Our study room was moved to the basement of the library because we were so loud!

Write and rewrite your notes and talk to yourself out loud as you do it.

Good Luck

btw - I was always an avg student before.

[QUOTE=seeker63]the only tip i have is wait 'till the last minute and let the stress propel you thru the night.oh, wait! that's probably what you're trying to get away from! my bad.listen to the others here, that's the best bet.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, but others (moi) ALSO say to wait 'til the night before so you can totally focus--that is the natural thing to do with ADHD so you don't have to use your meds--it's what I did all through my undergrad, & it's truly the lesser of two evils (as opposed to being distracted & frustrated or depressed about not being able to study something that cannot possibly hold your interest).  I also did this much of the time with others in the dormitory I was living in downstairs in the common areas, but also alone in my dorm room or at home.  You already possess the adrenaline & detail-attention to be quite productive in this effort of an all-nighter; much more so than someone without it & you'll likely have a far better result than if you tried to string it out over a week or two--you must have the under-the-gun deadline to create focus for you without having to try.  Make it like a race.  You'll do fine--it's only one night--sleep any other time you can after each midterm exam.  Buona fortuna, bella/bello!

[QUOTE=fisher]Write and rewrite your notes and talk to yourself out loud[/QUOTE]

Yes--speaking something aloud/audibly so you can hear it yourself allows your brain to retain it better--it's another "reinforcement" of our "memory sponge".

Good luck the only tip I can give ya is use flash cards and drink something with caffine at the same time for it gets me all pumped up and ready to go. I take A+P and its so tough, and so is lab. I wish ya the best, also get a goodnight sleep as well.

                ~Cyndi~

If you find positive stuff from me .. sure take anything you want ;)

It would do me great joy to know that something I have said or done was helpful to someone else

     Lost what i was going to post, trying again.  read "the Brain Book" by Peter Russell. The book describes differeent methods to store information , how memory works and other ways to study to increase memory retention. It's helped me a lot(this should be posted on the book reviews area), but it's fairly old info(over 12 at least).

 

Great Question and great responses. You would guys mind if I use them for my final project to design an all adult, all positive ADD web site. This exactly the type of stuff I would like to find on one without having to filter out all the kids stuff. (nothing agains the kids, just trying get some answers with limited search time.)

 

Pls. post your permission here in writing, thanks in advance.

hey, as for me you can definitely use it! .. I personally would like to join
an adults only website, that would be very helpful.. so feel free!If I was to ever post something helpful...please PM me and let me KNOW