Students with ADHD are surprised at how challenging it is to balance their life in college. They are shocked when they find out how crucial parents, teacher, and administrative oversight was to their high school success. Succeeding in college requires achieving a balance of academic discipline, social responsibility, and self-care. This can be challenging, especially with insufficient time to adapt to the new study behaviors and academic strategies they are immediately needed. Without the right approach to college work and life, students can fall behind and be unable to catch up.
Students with ADHD can struggle with
- timely exam preparation
- completing homework, projects and research papers on time
- staying focused when they’re bored
- resisting temptations and distractions
- avoiding procrastination
Here are two important tips from my book College Success in Six Easy Steps that help students start out on the right foot and make a successful go of their college career.
1. HAVE GOALS AND FIRM INTENTIONS
Before you do anything else, ask yourself what you want to get out of college. Write down your standards for the quality of work and GPA you want to achieve. Make a plan and include the strategies you will use to avoid distractions and temptations.
Hint: Goal setting is SMART:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-Bound
2. PLAN AHEAD
After you have established your goals and intentions you will need to plan ahead to fulfill them. This requires the following steps:
- Establish a regular time slot to document your plans for the coming week.
- Sunday afternoon or evening is often a time when there are fewer distractions as the weekend winds down and you prepare to get back to your academic focus.
- Get out your calendar book and plan your week ahead remembering that failure is costly. Scheduling is fluid but having this guide is a structure and system many ADHD students say they could not have succeeded without.
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.
