Thank you for your warm welcome to the group.
For those of your who do not know, I am 32 and just started college here in Texas.
My question and statement are as follows...
After a horrible start to college in my late teens and early twentys, I left school (do to bad grades...) and joined the Marines. After serving and many years later, I am attempting to go back to college again. (I am 32.) I was diagnosed, six years ago, with ADHD by Dr. Wallid Shekim of UCLA medical center. I am now on Ritalin and Wellbutrin XL. ( Did you know that bipolar goes along with ADHD???) I want to ask how you have coped with returning to school and what advice you might offer...
Semper Fi!!
I missed the "H" part so never had much trouble in school. However, my "innovation" wasn't always appreciated--especially in K-12 and undergraduate school. Graduate school is a different ballgame. Creativity (within limits, but they're fairly broad) is valued and encouraged and not often found. I'm in a doctoral program and so far, knock on wood, am maintaining a 4.0 and just have the summer quarter to go before starting comps and dissertation. While this is something I am certainly proud of and one of my best achievements, it's also not my point. (How often do AD(H)Ders ever get straight to it? ;-)
All state universities and I think all private ones, too, have a "disability" office. It's best to complete the paperwork with that office ahead of time and request accommodation. I did this past quarter but for my cancer, not my ADD (because I didn't know then I had it). The accommodation they gave me was that I'm allowed to be up to a week late with assignments. I haven't used it often, but have on occassion. Once you're officially "registered," if a teacher tries to screw you over, they can't get away with it--but only on the basis of the "reasonable accommodation" you receive. So, if you've been granted extra time for completing assignments and an instructor tries to mark you down for being late, they can't do it--as long as you're within the timeframe of your accommodation.
While I recommend NOT telling employers a thing more than you absolutely have to about your health status, I recommend the opposite of that with teachers. Having been one for years, I know that most are genuinely concerned about their students and want to help as much as possible. You need to let them know what that is. The more they understand and the more you stay in communication with them, the better off you'll be.
But do yourself a favor and first, register with your disability office. Generally, they just want some verification from your doc that you will need a "reasonable accommodation." It's a matter of better safe than sorry.
For me, the trick to school, other than staying in close touch with instructors, is to "own" the content I'm working with so that it's not something I have to do but something I'm genuinely interested in because I've made it mine by relating it to other knowledge, cogitating about it, etc. I don't think that's especially hard for an AD(H)Der; t's the focus and deadlines that are the tough part.
Speaking of which, I have to get back to the paper I'm iwriting right now. Best of luck to you and congrats on your decision to return to school. Learning stuff is fun!
Ack, I'm trying to do the same....best things to do is let your teachers and support staff know about you that way they can check in, help out and stuff like that...Here are some things I would do differently if I had the chance:
Show up to every single class.
Sit in the front row, where there are less distractions.
Only take the bare minimum into class that you need. No newspapers, coffee, other class books, etc.
Ask the teachers opinion and advice on all papers or projects, that way, the teacher is invested in your success. If you follow the advice, then they are grading themselves partially.
Identify the people you want to work with for any class project early. Don't pick the people you think are cool to get along with. Pick the people who seem to be hard workers, they will make you stay focused and into the project.
Take notes raTHER than highlight the text. Highlight the text after class.
Good luck. Sure wish I had another chance at college. That's excellent.