You're not alone.

Finding that comibination that gets you through studing   is a tough one.

exhaust all resources .

sylvan , tutors , focus meds , accomodations , study groups. ect...

I paid $5,000 to take a course once    failed.

It was then i realized i had a learning difficulty.

I been on a quest to over come it   hats even when i became diagnosed and medicated.  I was in treatment  at that time too.

a therapist said   why dont you just take 4 course a year like everyone else.

That wasnt what i wanted too hear .

I tend to make rash decisions  . wether its quiting   a job  or taking a class.

I do know that degrees are usully worth thier wait in cash in the long run.

In short  run   ITS FOCUSTIME.

structure , routine, navigating goals , peer support , elbow grease.

FOR ME 

its study first  then play later.

without review   I nearly always fail.

I have to read things many times before i truly understand  the deeper nuances.

I cant do that   by reading alone  . hmm thats not clear.

only reading    and reading by myself.

I believe there are parts of my brain that just slow down like a car   that has too stop on the side of a highway.  so when im reading for study  i do the reading but the comprehension   is  nil  review is my crutch.

again I say youre not alone. 

AT least you see yourself    and are open here about it. 

identifying your problems is always a step in the right direction.

youve done that . 

I cant speak for most adhd people but its when were isolated that we tend to fall out of routine.

I would be nowhere if it werent for my wife  . when im alone i do nohing  and feel guilty about t   when she's around   i participate.

------------------

another quirk for me .  I began to realize 20 years ago that i have a  "highly functional' time of day.  9am - 11:30 am   after that  i regress into  " lazy thinking   again at 9pm to 11 pm.

these are the time i navigate my prioriities and goals.  people places and things always bekon me at those time  but when i stay  to my routine  i get things done sometimes enjoys the good esteem of nearing my goal that i finnish .

 BUT alas  i ususlly become distracted and with no one to talk to about my goals i  regress away  from it   winding up in clutter , wih no routine and poor self esteem.   b  o  o  h o o

there are others times  i latch on o something and i become so engroosed that i have learn every detail   all pionts of view  and hen i care about it anymore.

so ------------------------

I realise i can go to school and learn but i have to overcome   my lack of intrest.

First i was gung ho  then i could careless.   Its like a broken record .

once i get near the end i start to loose intrest.  sometimes i just fret and worry  about being behind  and nearing a deadline  hoping i could  just the spark to rush through  pull allnighters  and get through it .

BUT Learning is different  FOR ME

I have to make small steps from the begining a personal commitment  to doit and a peer that holds me to my task.

even that only walks me through it.

I use many types of software to review   to over compensate for adhd.

my personal rule of thumb    if i cant  talk the walk   i cant  walk the walk.

i use so many methods but  when tell people about them they think im nuts.

Its just that i cant mimic  NTers no matter how much I try.

reading a book  for example.

just reading and taking a test about it   50% comprehension

reading twice 60%

reading twice  talking with peers and teachers 70%  .

I realize i have to put much more time into it than NTers  to get 90%

for me its all in review  and finding ways to  access  the parts i didnt understand.

.

some people re like mental sponges and just absorb what they   read.

for me  its like  i loose my marbles

i can only put so many new marbles in my head before some fall out.

---------------------

I also benefitted  from understannding how Normal Thinkers  brains process information  and then retain it.

how busy our brains are   processing  our environment   and what parts to remember and what parts to forget

its like  ten second rule  once you learn something important     you have 10 seconds to  understand it as a priority  or it gets tucked into the subconcious.

well  thats not accurate  but the concept  is nearly right.

if im busy only scan reading  and not fully understanding a page   when i review its like i was never on that page.  more time to lose.

I got to the point where  i would only read a page then review that page  before moving on   and making summary notes about it .  software  brought the extra time to do this  to a nominal difference in time.

i was veering away from lesson plans  the instructors were using . Insead  i was mastering a book in its entirety--   the reward of completeing was always worth the time to do it

I used other software to disect books . 

 turning them into digital Treeview

listening to them like books on tape

taking excerts and putting them on flash cards.

None of that really worked the magic i hoped it would  .

but

i was completing the work. getting a ton more marbles in my head

i had to come back to what the instructors  lesson plans were. some course allow an audit of the class   retaking   huge major difference than just   the book.

theres a real lesson here  pay attention

I would devourer a chapter  on my own  .

then in class or lecture   i hear what i already learned   and start to tune out .

but then   i realize  hey the instructer is going into more detail  even some information in the book is outdated  and even thoug it sounds the same as the book . the instructors interpretation offers much more nuance and perspective  to what  the lesson plan points to. 

aaaghh

i struggle with lecture unless i already know the material. 

thats where study peers come become valueable.

IM an ADDer  and when i study with NTers  i get thier interpretations   just like the instructors lecture only its closer to the book.

then real life tries to interupt all that   ring ring ring  nagg nagg nagg.  youre lifes calling dont you care about?????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!

distractions    are a major part of learning  

so having a  structure and routine  are essential.

staying  consistent    . if i need to study at 9am - 11am   my phone is off  and i give the library phone number to my emergency people    . i go there  everytime  no excuses .  ITs my tme  . i begin to look forward to it    sometime  my brain just slows down and i have to pull over     .   but  I stay in my structure  MY time  at the llbrary.  

going home  to study works for many people    but  i cant do it   .

just like the clutter    i fall behind in my study and loose intrest and i hide under the covers  waiting for a safe time to  reemerge  as a different person .

its just that  family cant  tolerate that.  there are only so many sacrifices they should have to make.  

reinventing oneself is a common thing  especially after a failure.

shun everyone  and reemerge  as something else without the failed past.

only so much  family will tolerate.

only so many sacrifices of time money  before they  say  

not throughing good time & money after bad.

---------------------------------------------

thing is  you see the problem  .  most of us dont

your askinng for help   most of us dont

keep going to the page youre on   in class.

even if you have to pull over  and stare at the walls  occasionally  . stay with it

dont walk away from it  do what you can  .

-----------------

finding the cofidence to finsh still trying   is more valuable to me than anthing else in the world.

ok sounds grandios  but i fail usually just cause i quit trying.

my self esteem  is like a raw nerve .

when i give up   my self esteem spirals  with deprssion  ,lack of intrest  terrible self talk and feelings of failure from every family and friend so i shun many of them.

so i started finnishing still trying   i cant say how much   thats helped me.

tell people about the problem   sometimes you get pointed to something you didnt know existed  but is just the ticket .

how do you learn?

what are the top ten learning methods?

what methods do you use to get caught up. and to monitor how well you are doing.?

who can you ask for help?

EVEN A PAID TUTOR. 

hiring a tutor to just be a study buddy  can be have its rewards.

1:1 attention and advice  on what learning methods you are using  .

an hour a week to have someone come in and help you review.

if that becomes a successful way  then getting  a study peer or youre spouse

to help with review .

its social   i know   but it helps me stat focussed and not so lazy alone   

I think your first mistake is lying about your difficulties. I was diagnosed as a child, and now as an adult I had sort of forgotten that I was ADD. In high school I thought I had grown out of it but in reality, I just found ways to deal with it.

The best day of my adult life was rediscovering that I was ADD, and sharing it with my best friend and boyfriend. I had an excuse for not being able to tackle projects, and cleaning all day without actually getting anything cleaned. I had a REAL REASON for the things I couldn't stand about me. I spent my whole life thinking I was lazy and stupid. It's a disorder and once you know you have it it's easier to deal with it.

You need to find a way of doing things that work for you. How long ago were you diagnosed? It might just take some accepting and trial and error. Talk to your wife about it, and don't be embarassed! Have her help you study and do your homework. You may find it's easier to do if you're spending time with the people you love.

I started taking ritalin a few months ago and stopped because it wasn't helong me focus anymore and I think it was bringing me down so much that I was depressed as well. I think that the best route for me is just to deal with my shortcomings as an ADD adult and find ways to deal with it. But for you it might just be a trial and error with some different meds. Don't get frustrated because one or two meds don't work, try some other ones or different doses! You just have to find ways for things to work for you.

You can also try talking to your school. I have never gone to a university, but the community college I go to offers help as well. Find out what your options are as an ADD sudent. You may be surprised.