Can you beat the odds of college failure if you have ADHD?
I know this is probably not on your mind. The excitement is building. You got in and you’re off to college at the end of the summer. You’ve got your dorm and roommate assignments, your college paperwork is completed, and you’ve made your three trips to Target. Your move-in date and transportation are set and you’re saying goodbye to your friends. You may have some trepidation — Will I fit in? Will I get homesick? Will people like me? — but basically you feel ready to take the leap just like your friends have.
However, if you have ADHD, there is another question you need to have asked yourself: Will I succeed academically? The graduation rate for students in public and private universities is between 33.3 percent for public universities and 52.8 percent for private colleges per year. It is reported that 25 percent of students in college have ADHD. Anecdotal reporting indicates that a much higher-than-average number of students with ADHD drop out of college on their own or are asked to leave. Even though this type of reporting depends on the willingness of participants to be open to sharing true data, it is clear students with ADHD have a tougher time meeting the expectations of college life.
Here are the 3 mort important ways to beat the odds:
Beat the Odds by NOT GETTING BEHIND in Your Studies
This is the main reason for student failure throughout college and especially first-semester freshmen. This is true for all college students but is spiked for students with executive function issues.
Always, Always, Always SEEK HELP as Soon as You Need It
Getting lost in your class can be really hard, if not impossible, to make up for. Get help early so you don’t get behind.
SELF IDENTIFY and SELF ADVOCATE
Those students who let the college know when they arrive that they have executive function challenges are known to do better because when push comes to shove –- which it will — they will have help. Being able to self-advocate and ask for what you need is the other side of the coin. If you haven’t learned it by now, college is the time to learn to stand up for yourself and ask for what you need to succeed.
Beat the Odds by Bringing Your Executive Function Coach to College During the First Semester
Use a virtual platform like Zoom or Face Time. Your coach will help you stay on track and make sure you don’t screw up as you’re making your academic and social adjustments.
Will ADHD Affect Your or Your Teen’s College Success?
College is a completely different world from High School. The level of stress is higher and the level of support can be lower. How well you or your teen manages ADHD symptoms and behaviors in this new environment can lead to college success, struggle, or failure. Take the ADHD and College Success Quiz to find out whether your or your teen’s ADHD management is at the level it needs to be to reach college success goals.
