I'm a former "gifted child" and current adhd-ridden college student at the end of my honors and english co-major degree, so I've learned a lot about how to keep your GPA up while totally bullshitting everything. You got the stress and procrstination? I've got the tips to succeed anyway.
almost all studying tips I see are not adhd friendly so here's a couple I personally use that may or may not work for yall depending on situations:
listen to music with headphones/earbuds at whatever tempo you know is easy for you to tune out. I prefer fast music with heavy bass
instead of remove distractions I sit in the living room with the tv on low volume as background motion so other activity wont randomly grab my attention
keep a drink and snack on hand so you wont have to get up to get one later
have someone in the room who you ask to only talk to you if you talk to them about your study topic first. have them direct you back to it if you stray away
GET COMFORTABLE. you dont have to be at a desk ffs the discomfort will distract you more
keep a notebook and pen on hand. physically writing my notes instead of typing helps me remember better
if you take meds make sure to do so well over an hour beforehand
if you have pets make sure theyre well entertained beforehand as I know my dogs seeking attention is a big distraction for me
if youre at home make sure to let everyone know that this time period is only for studying and that you will not be available for anything else. do so a couple days in advance and verbally remind them every day until
Charlie’s College Crash Course #1: How to write a 10-page paper in 1 day
Background info first: I’m in the last year of my English undergrad degree and I’ve had to write at least 3 dozen 10+ page papers in that time. That being said, I’ve never once started writing a paper more than a few days in advance, and 9 times out of 10 I go for one day only. Honestly, this should be considered my trademark at this point because after all my high school AP courses and my English degree, it’s been going on 7 years of 1 day papers.
and so, dear friends, I would like to pass on this skill to you all. I should mention, none of this will work if you’re not already pretty solid on paper writing, i.e. if you only ever get C’s on your papers now this isn’t magically going to get you up to an A with one day. This is just to streamline the process, allowing for more time for other things or, more commonly, allowing you to not freak the fuck out when you realize the deadline is tonight at midnight and you’ve procrastinated all month on the final paper for your class.
(I should also mention that I’m currently procrastinating a 2.5k word paper due tomorrow night that I’ve only read one of two books for, so. There’s that.)
We're living in a plague-ridden hellscape rn and schools are still going (bc capitalism!) so I think it's time to bring this back around.
I would like to add, though, that it's okay if you're struggling! It's absolutely fine to not be fine right now! We're living in the prologue to a zombie movie, or at least it feels like that most days, so if you're super stressed or slipping in your grades that's okay! I hope you all are doing okay and taking care of yourselves. Please feel free to reach out to someone if you need help though (me included if you want). That's what the resources at school are for
(Also, for reference since I gave credentials and all that at the beginning last time, I've now graduated summa with a degree in Honors English Literature, and I still 100% stand by what I said here. Though I have been officially diagnosed with ADHD as well, which is probably why I used this method so often. Whoops🤷🏻♂️)
I’ve gotten a couple asks about online classes recently and while i am… Probably Not the best person to ask im almost done with classes and somehow i made it…..almost (yes im making this post to procrastinate on an essay due in the morning sue me)
I’ve seen a lotta stuff thrown around like “how to survive quarantine :)” and while that can be useful I haven’t seen any that are made for neurodivergent folks so here’s a couple things that help me!
Have a couple different workspaces
Sometimes I sit at my desk, and sometimes i sit on the cushion in the corner of the room- even literally moving 5 feet can act as enrichment, and put a little spicy variety to make u focus better- especially if your brain decides it is Bored and it is time to Stop Working.
try to plan something to get up for every day!
this is especially important once classes end and everything starts blending together- plan for Something to happen tomorrow to get up for in the morning- if you want to try baking something new, or even you just want to check in on animal crossing. Try to write some stuff down to look forward to!
have a “routine”
i get it, we cannot do shit at the same time every day no matter what. this is where “faking it till you make it” comes in- so you stayed up until 5am and slept until 3pm? fine! get up and brush your teeth! eat 3pm breakfast! put on an outfit even if you are walking to the living room! the world is your oyster! i still don’t really understand that phrase but- even having a tiny bit of “hehe maybe i will brush my hair and stuff” is fine! try to pick a couple tasks like this and do them every day- no matter how awful the schedule has gotten- don’t give up!
stop comparing urself to everybody else
everything sucks and not everybody is handling that with grace and that is perfectly fine! my life is a disaster right now and it’s ok! maybe somebody else is thriving with online classes (Somehow??) and is getting their work done but that does not mean that is the “standard”. you are allowed to struggle, and you are allowed to be stressed and upset and have a hard time. you’re still here! and that’s what’s important.
please talk to your teachers/professors when you’re struggling
they are probably also struggling, and if you tell them what’s up, that you need an extension or can’t get something done, I’m sure they will do everything they can to help. they Want you to succeed!
find some sort of outlet for ur emotions
i’ve written a lot of garbo poetry about being lonely. i’ve also written some pretty good poetry about being lonely. find a way to express all that stuff in your head- it doesn’t even have to be creative! and i cannot stress this enough- don’t worry about it being good. just get it out of your system!
try to go outside
even if you are sitting on ur phone inside. go sit on your phone outside. try to just step outside, like, once a day. look at something green. idk why, just do it.. heals the soul
move around
my brain does not work unless i walk around and do a handstand or a stretch or something- obviously this is not universal, but try to do something to get out of the same position you sit in- just wiggling helps! (in general but also for classes)
These are not universal! I know that not everything will work for everybody, and some people literally just cant do some stuff- this is just what helps me!
Ok so I've had a bunch of people complain to me irl that they can't get work done bc they've got Home Vibes not Work Vibes and it means they're struggling to actually sit down and do shit, and I'm feeling that hard ngl But there is a solution:
1. Create a Work Space
Ideally this is an entire room, but I get that not everyone can do that. Since someone in my house has been hardcore quarantined we've had to vacate our home office, so I'm also in that position currently.
But regardless, idk if this is a corner of your living room or your dining room table or just your desk in your bedroom that you never really use. Make a space that is EMPTY minus work stuff. No phone, no tv, no animal crossing, none of that stuff is allowed near that space. If you want a break, you Must leave the space to do so otherwise none of this will work properly.
2. Plan your days
This could mean simply saying Tuesday Thursday and Friday are work days and the rest are off, this could be planning out every minute of each day, whatever works for you. Just get at least a rough pattern to your days down. Write it down, put it in your calendar, whatever makes you remember it, but put it somewhere concrete so you can't lie to yourself about when that work is happening
3. Stick to routines
This is big, because your brain doesn't just associate Work Spaces with work, but also the act of transitioning to that Work Space. The biggest one here is clothes. If you roll out of bed and try to work in your comfy PJs all day, it won't work. At least, not for the months were gonna be in this mess. So when you get up, follow your regular morning routine for work days if you can, or at the very very least change from your Night PJs to some Day PJs so your brain understands it's not just a bunch of Sundays, you gotta Do Stuff.
Ideally you'd wear normal work clothes but honestly that sounds like Not Fun rn so I personally am just changing from PJs to slightly dressier shorts or sweatpants which are Day Clothes to help my brain make that transition.
4. Work time is alone time
If at all possible, make sure that no one can bother you during your time you've set aside for work. I get some people have kids or weird roommates or demanding parents, but hopefully they'll all understand that you need at least a few hours on work days where you won't be interrupted. Close the door, put up a sign, text them a notice, whatever. This also includes internet and cell communication - put that shit on do not disturb until work time is Over
5. Just do your best!
In a perfect world we wouldn't have to work or do school during a traumatic global crisis, but the capitalism machine rolls on. Ask your boss or professor for some wiggle room in advance if you can, or just be honest with them if you find out later that you're not getting things done like you thought you would. Take time to turn off the news and check out of all the bad news for a while. Sit outside and stare at the trees if you can. Don't work yourself too hard - I know we're all at home right now, but that doesn't make this a vacation. We're hurting, and that's okay. Be gentle with yourself.
Hope this all helps, and I wish you all stay safe and try not to stress out too much over things you can't control 💙
FINALLY, SOME GOOD QUALITY EXPLANATION OF WHY “I DONT LOOK LIKE I HAVE ADHD” BECAUSE ITS NOT REALLY CANT SIT STILL FOCUS NONE DISORDER ITS SOMETHING A WHOLE LOT MORE COMPLEX
Yeah you can have only these symptoms, and people end up being diagnosed with just “depression” or “anxiety” and prescribed something that has little effect on the real cause of their problems.
adhd brain hack: the timer is a social construct, the boiling point of water is not
I find timed sprints of activity useful, but shit like Pomodoro or whatever inherently does not work on me, because the petulant five-year-old in my head looks at the little numbers ticking down and goes, “You’re made up. I can ignore you and nothing will happen.”
You know what measure of time is not made up? “I’m gonna do as many of these dishes as I can in the time it takes my pot of water to boil.”
You know what you can’t ignore without consequences? “OK, I’ve got some downtime until the rice is done cooking, then it’s time to spring back into action.”
“I’ll clean as much of my room as I can in the space of this podcast episode.”
“I’m gonna put this album on in the background to make all this work stuff less tedious to slog through, and brute-force attack it until the music stops.”
No, it doesn’t always work, because the petulant five-year-old in my head is incredibly stubborn. But finding a non-arbitrary measure of time does, in fact, increase the likelihood that I can make my dumb brain play ball.
college crash course #3: deadlines and daily tasks, aka getting shit done on time
I hate online courses. I just do. Everyone else in my life loves them and scrambles for the chance to stay home in their pjs as they do their work. My brain, however, cannot for the life of me remember to complete tasks with no outside input, and so every single class I’ve gotten a low grade on in my college career has been an online class, without fail. I need structure to thrive, as do most adhd people (especially those in college) and so
What’s the solution here? What works best?
I have a couple strategies for this that work in tandem, so here they are
Strategy 1: Daily Task Sheets
on my desk I have at least 12 different types of sticky notes for different uses. Nothing so intense as color coding or organizing that way, I mean one for little positivity reminders and a smaller one for words I like and want to include in my writing and another larger one for little sketches to do as I work, etc etc.
One of these stacks of sticky notes is large and neon and used specifically for daily task lists. I have an app for larger scale lists and things that need to be done in general, but every day before I start working I sit down at my desk, pull off one of my big sticky notes, and write down a checklist of everything I need to do today (or, on the weekends, everything that needs doing before Monday).
I break these tasks down to chunks that are palatable for me, ie right now I have one task that reads “300-400p Existence” aka my quick notation for having to read 100 pages of a novel for class, and another separate task that says “400-500p Existence” because seeing 300-500 would make it Too Big and my brain would throw a tantrum and not do it.
I also put down tasks that will literally take me three seconds, like checking to see if I have unexpected homework for a class that rarely has actual work to do, or replying to an email from someone. Any task that needs doing goes on the list.
(I do this for a couple reasons, actually. One is because if I don’t write it down, I won’t remember it and it won’t get done, but the more important reason is that the more items I see checked off, the more I’ve gotten done and the better my brain will cooperate because see? we’re being productive! and my brain responds with that sweet sweet dopamine.)
When I’m checking stuff off (and this is the important part) I don’t just put a checkmark and move on. At a quick glance, then, it looks like nothing is done, because the boxes are all still mostly empty. I completely fill in each box, and sometimes when it’s going really slow I liberally cross off every item as I finish them so I can’t see the words anymore at all so I know I did stuff. The easier it is to see and process how much I’ve done, the better.
(it’s also important that it’s a sticky note, as well, because regular pieces of paper are Extra Things that will get lost, sticky notes can move and stay with me if i have to go somewhere else to go print something, for example. I can just peel it off my desk, stick it on my laptop, and go)
Strategy 2: Storing and Collecting Tasks
so Charlie, you might ask, how the heck do you know what needs to be done each day? How do you remember these tasks to do? Well this strategy is actually thanks to Ryan, my guy in student disability services. He showed me this app that I’m about to show y’all to make your lives a million times easier.
but first, let me explain. When making my daily task sticky notes, there’s no way I’d be able to remember everything I have to do on the top of my head, right? So really when I first sit down I open my laptop, check on my phone real quick how many emails I need to respond to (but don’t respond yet) and open up my college’s online system Canvas to make sure I don’t have any new announcements, not checking anything else yet. Then I grab my phone and open up my shiny new app: IKE
its a productivity app based on the Eisenhower model of task orientation, splitting up tasks into four categories: Important and Urgent, Important but Not Urgent, Urgent but Not Important, and Not Important or Urgent. You can rename these categories as you choose (they choose to name them, in order, Focus, Goals, Fit In, and Backburner, but I’ve changed them to Do Now, Soonish, 5 Min Tasks, and kept Backburner, but you do you)
Now you can choose to completely forego the IKE model and just use it as four different lists of things, but IKE also has a solution for that which is different lists as well as different categories within these lists. So the four categories above apply to all the different lists, which it displays in a cute four square style that tells you how many tasks are there, but doesn’t tell you what they are until you open the category, and has a quick task adding feature where you drag a circle from the center of the four corners into whichever list you’re going for and make the task right then. But for the lists they’re all separate and can all be different colors depending on what they’re for, that’s all up to you.
Now how does this seemingly complex system work for you, Charlie, who’s brain has the max processing power of a four year old on speed most days? you may ask
well it actually makes it super easy to put everything in, and if I put a task in the wrong spot I can move it easily, plus I can add due dates if I want, or a million reminders at all times of day if I want, but the main deal is that it’s a holding place for everything I need to do. When writing my daily list, I check my Do Now category first in all my lists (I have one for Uni, one for my student org I run, and one for any extra tasks that need done) and write all those in. Then I go to the 5 Min Tasks category of only the Uni and Extra tasks lists and add those in, and then I’m good for the day and I can start it all
As for getting the tasks in there, I paid the extra one time 99cent charge to get the widget for my home screen on my phone, and whenever I hear someone ask me to do something, I shove the task in there. My mom asks me off handedly to do the dishes? I throw it in with a reminder every half hour until I complete it. Someone asks me to send some emails? throw them in the 5 min category and tell it to remind me when I get to my computer (because it can do that, too, location based reminders for when you arrive or leave somewhere, which is great for reminding myself to pick something up on my way home from uni)
Strategy 3: Accountability
I don’t live alone, I never have, so part of my strategy as well is to have people I live with hold me accountable. Not in like a “you’re my minder now, hover over my desk to make sure I work” kind of way, but in a way that I tell someone who will be around what I have to do that day in a casual way - me and my roommates used to run through everything after we were all home from class, me and my mom tell our days to each other each morning since we both have trouble keeping on task - then when someone sees me doing something not on my list they ask me about it, which reminds me of what I need to be doing.
for example, if I mention to my sister that I need to read, send emails, and write a paper today, then if she sees me watching tv or on my phone she’ll ask me what’s up, did I finish my shit yet? which then spurs my brain into “fuck, I got off track, time to jump back in” mode.
If you live alone, the best way to do this is to make a post about being busy or texting someone that you have a lot of stuff to do, then if they see you on social media or if you get stuck in a conversation with them, they’ll call you out.
ADHD brains need constant call outs because we can’t tell when we’ve gone off track and followed tangents because our brain just wants dopamine and doesn’t care where it comes from, so it won’t question it once it gets what it wants, whereever that comes from.
so - tl;dr I shove any task I get into an app (if you’re not an app person, just make notes on your phone or put it in your calendar or voice recordings or whatever works best for your brain that you’ll remember to check) and unload all the tasks onto a smaller more streamlined daily task list that I write and check off each day, and make sure there’s someone that knows what I’m not supposed to be doing so they’ll call me out when I get off task for too long.
Now go forth and get shit accomplished! I believe in you!
crash course #2: how to do shit your brain doesn’t want to do
okay so this is less closely college related but this is also basically an adhd blog anyway so:
my adhd ass can’t just....do things, you know? Everyday chore things like shower and put laundry away, and homework, that shit. And so I’ve learned, after much trial and error and sheer confusion from my housemates, how to get my brain to let me do things.
So, for example, I hated shaving. It was messy, it took too long, I felt like I could only do it when I woke up or after a shower and no other time, my adhd brain hated it. Then I realized, much later on, that my brain likes fun things and only fun things. If it’s boring, it won’t let me do it. Basically I need to treat it like a toddler that’s throwing a tantrum over putting pants on. So I made it fun.
Now fun, for me, means buying one of those old-timey straight razors (well not so old timey, it has replaceable blades to last me a year or so) which is A. less expensive so I won’t procrastinate buying new blades like I did new whole razors and B. more fun because I can act like an old-timey barber or a Victorian socialite or whatever suits my fancy for the day and I don’t have to settle for just shaving with a normal razor like everyone else in the world. I also bought shaving cream that smells like strawberries and instead of aftershave I just have good smelling lotion. I didn’t change much about the routine, but now instead of a chore I have to slog through it’s more akin to a self-care routine which my brain sees as good and fun.
Which then leads me to my actual point here: self care stuff doesn’t have to be a once in a while thing if it helps you get shit done. If your brain hates showers but its cool with bubble baths then do that. Why waste time not taking a shower when you could spend arguably a lot less time making it easier for yourself by just taking the damn bubble bath?
“But it takes so much longer” you might say, “That’s why its a once in a while self care thing.”
You know what takes a lot longer than lighting a dozen candles and making tea to do my assigned reading? Not actually doing the reading. It’ll take longer than neurotypical people no matter how you slice it, so I might as well have a good time doing it.
now this doesn’t work for everything, my brain still cannot do dishes for the life of me, but I found that as soon as I stopped caring how often I was ~allowed~ to do stuff according to society, I started being able to do stuff. So who gives a shit if its supposed to be for special occasions? Drink strawberry champagne as you vacuum the house and flip off anyone who judges you for it.
disclaimer: these are some things that make it easier for me to study when i can’t take my adhd medication. i have inattentive type adhd, so it might be different for people with combined type or hyperactive type. my experiences are not universal, and what works for me might not work for others.
alleviating symptoms
if you have adhd medication, fucking take it. i know it can make you feel gross and anxious, but if you can, it’ll make studying so much easier
if you don’t have adhd medication, having a cup of tea, coffee, soda, or an energy drink might help you gather the energy that you need to focus more intently. if caffeine makes you anxious and jittery, skip this step. you can’t study if you’re having a panic attack
meditate!! i know, i know, it isn’t going to magically make all of your symptoms go away, and it doesn’t work for everybody, but there’s really no harm in taking five minutes out of your day to try. it might not make it easier to focus, but i personally get a lot less irritated with myself after meditating, which makes it easier to be forgiving when i get distracted
preparing your workspace
put on clothes that make you feel productive. these vary from person to person. you might feel more comfortable in sweatpants or pajamas, or you might feel more motivated to work in nice jeans and a button-down shirt. socks and shoes are great so that your feet don’t get cold, and it might be a good idea to tie your hair back so it doesn’t get in your face
clean off the space where you’ll be studying. if you don’t have time to organize the room, just take everything off of the desk or table and set it aside. it’s hard to focus when the area around you is cluttered
gather all of your materials. books, pens and pencils, looseleaf or notebooks and binders, folders and classwork, technology, chargers, a speaker to play music if you want, a bottle of water, maybe a snack. you should have everything you need to stay in this space for a few hours without constantly getting up to fetch things
that being said, keep your immediate workspace clear of everything that you’re not using at the moment. minimize distractions in your field of view
as you’re studying
try listening to music while you work. it can help you divert some of your excess energy. i like video game soundtracks, because they’re upbeat and fun to listen to but don’t have distracting lyrics
if music is too distracting, white/pink/brown noise can be a good way to block out outside noises and distractions
fidget!! bounce your leg, squeeze a stress ball, play with putty, roll a ball around with your feet, mouth the words to a song or chew gum
make it fun. it’s a lot easier to focus on a subject that you’re interested in. if you don’t care about what you’re learning, have fun making your notes look cool, or seeing how much information you can fit on one page. make a game out of it, if you need to. flashcards are great for this
switch between subjects! once you start getting bored of one, switch to another until you’re bored of that, and keep moving until you’ve finished everything
take!!! fucking!!!! breaks!!!!!
honestly this is what’s saved my life in terms of studying with adhd. there are tons of different ways to do this. you can use a timer, an app, or just your intuition to know when you’re starting to lose focus
if you’re having trouble getting started or getting your words down on to the page, try using a very short cycle of work/breaks. i like to have four minutes and thirty seconds where i sprint to get down everything i can, and then thirty seconds to catch my breath before i start again
for subjects like science and reading, where you might need more of a consistent flow of thought, a scheme like twelve minutes of work, three of break might work better. adjust the times to fit your liking. if you need longer breaks, that’s ok! if you need less breaks, but can’t work for more than an hour without a longer break, that’s alright too
do things in your breaks, if you have enough time! if you need energy, dance around to a pop song or do push ups or jumping jacks. if you need to rest, meditate or just sit and let your mind wander. if you need to keep busy so you don’t lose your streak of productivity, check emails or reblog posts to your queue
forgive your own “imperfections”
i know how frustrating it can be to feel like you always have to put in three hours of work to somebody else’s hour, or like you’ll never be able to focus as well or as long as they can. don’t beat yourself up for this. give yourself time to be annoyed, and angry, and sad and hopeless and lost, and then get up and give it your everything all over again. everybody works differently, and you bring things to the table that nobody else could. don’t let anybody tell you otherwise
7 Ways to treat yourself after a busy day of studying
1. Take a walk around the neighborhood and stop at a cosy cafe for a nice cup of hot chocolate. You deserve it!
2. Call your friends and go to the cinema to watch a new cool movie. Or plan a nice movie date for the weekend.
3. Order that book you’ve been wanting to buy in a webshop and look forward to finding it in the mail in a few days.
4. Have a disney movie marathon. Or a Walking dead one. Whatever you like!
5. Take an extra long shower with your favorite products, or even better; have a bath and soak in there for a few hours with a magazine.
6. Order food from your favorite restaurant. Enjoy it on the couch in your pj’s.
7. Walk in the forest, fields, or any place with nature. Relax and connect with the earth. Pick some flowers if that’s possible, to brighten up your room.
Depends on what works for you. But in general, the Timer Method often helps a lot.
For the studying times during the Timer Method, you might try one of the following:
Walk (pace) while reading your notes
Read your notes or textbook out loud
Make yourself flash cards of things like important dates and vocabulary terms
Get a friend to study with you (my roommate in first year university did this even though she was pre-med, and she hit me in the head with a wrapping paper tube every time I got a question wrong)
Get a bag of Skittles or M&Ms and eat one every time you get a question right when you do practice questions
If you’re struggling in a course, do not be afraid to try to reach out to your professor. As long as you’re being genuine and bring a constructive plan to the table for moving forwards, more often than not they will try to work with you as best they can.
Take, for example, my current situation. Due to a superconcoction of depression, anxiety, and previously undiagnosed ADHD (Inattentive, otherwise unspecified), I have been falling behind in my courses and haven’t been emotionally equipped to pull my academics back together on my own.
Because of my struggle with undiagnosed ADHD and insufficient supports already in place, I fell behind in my programming assignments (which make up 30% of my grade), leaving me not only with multiple 0’s in the grade book but also severely underprepared for today’s midterm exam (another 30% of my grade).
I was panicking, convinced I would surely fail my midterm and just have to accept my 0’s, forcing me to withdraw from the course or accept another failing grade within my GPA; however, I managed to push beyond my crippling anxiety and speak with my professor prior to my exam. I explained my situation, held myself accountable for my missing assignments, then conveyed my desire to retroactively complete them and aim for success in his course. The key here is that I conveyed genuine interest and care about the course and its content. I think it’s critical that you are genuine when seeking this form of support and understanding from a professor.
Upon meeting with my professor, he was very warm and welcoming, assuring me that he will work with me to help me salvage my success in the course. He requested that I still take the midterm so that I know what to expect and so I can assess where I currently stand in my learning; however, he assured me that the best thing I could do was to try not to stress, and that even if I did poorly on the exam, we could consider an alternative course of action (perhaps a retake exam, though I don’t have those details yet) so that I still have a chance at succeeding.
For those of you out there who, like me, struggle with your academics (whether it be because of mental health, physical health or some other reason), just remember:
It NEVER hurts and is never to late to try and seek out help from a professor or other resources on campus. But if you do, be prepared to hold yourself accountable (when appropriate) and bring to the table some kind of action plan for how you intend to improve. The worst that will happen is that they say no, but the benefits can be potentially grade-saving and can lift an ENORMOUS weight off your shoulders. Perhaps most importantly, whatever you do, don’t give up on a course without first seeking help.
I've had ADHD my whole life and it's been a mountain of a struggle to get through basic tasks like studying. I've had to work extremely hard just to get by in school and college. I really wanted to be a doctor because I want to help other people with ADHD. I'm applying to med school right now and there's a chance I may get in. I wanted to know if there were any resources that could help me get through it. I know it's a stretch as med students are usually geniuses and I'm always behind. Thank you
Okay, so first thing I’d like to say is don’t sell yourself short. There are lots of gifted and talented individuals in STEM fields, but I think you’ll be surprised at how many people have to work their arse off to get into med school.
And you won’t be alone. It may feel like it at times, but there will be other neurodivergent students in your courses, if not ADHDers. In fact, there was research published late last year that revealed that the prevalence of individuals with disabilities in US medical schools was far higher than previously estimated, almost 3%, and ADHD topped the list!
It’s likely that, if you have provisions in place, you’ll get to know other students with disabilities, and they themselves can be a really great resource. Having support structures is important, but having people who actually get it because they have to deal with the same stuff you do every day, is amazing.
I myself didn’t realise the value of this until I made friends with another ADHDer in my courses 12 months ago. It’s nice to have someone who you can vent to about ADHD and having to navigate the university system with a disability.
Unfortunately, there appear to be very few online communities for neurodivergent people in STEM - I looked for every variation on ADHD/ND in med school/STEM, and came up empty handed.
However, I did find a few Reddit threads that might help you:
ADHD and Med School? on the ADHD subreddit
How difficult is medical school when you have ADHD? on the Medical School subreddit
Any one here with ADHD? If so how are you managing med school?on the Medical School subreddit
MED SCHOOL and ADD–Is it possible?on the ADHD subreddit
Question for those with ADD/ADHD in medical school regarding studyingon the Medical School subreddit
I’ll leave you with this piece of encouragement which was sent to us about a year ago on anon:
I’m in med school right now, I have dyslexia and ADHD. I am not medicated and I want everyone to know that even though society looks down on us don’t ever look down on yourselves. We are so much more than what’s written on paper, don’t let anyone try to stop you from achieving your goals - especially not yourself. You can do whatever you want, even if it seems very very hard!
- Prue
Charlie's College Crash Courses @charlies-crashcourses - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
