There is absolutely no reason ADHD should get in the way of you going to college. If you’ve worked hard and kept your grades up, you should be a great candidate for higher education. Just like everything else in your life, however, succeeding at college admissions depends on knowing yourself, your strengths, and what’s hard for you and advocating for yourself.
If you have an IEP or 504 Plan, you may be eligible to take the SAT and the ACT (as well as other standardized tests) untimed, with extra time, in a separate room, or with some other accommodations due to your ADHD or any other disability you may have. It’s important to look into this well before the test. Look in the information you have about the test for a section labeled something like “testing accommodations” or “accommodations for people with disabilities.” If you can’t find it, look on the test’s website or call the testing company. It’s important that you follow the procedure for requesting accommodations well before it’s time to take the test, so everything will go smoothly for you on testing day.
When you’re filling out your applications, treat it the same way you would an important assignment for school. If you have trouble making things look neat or organizing your writing, have someone help you. No one else can apply for you or write your essays, but it’s perfectly fine to have someone read over your work or help you figure out how to make it look good.
When you’re getting set to start college, knowing yourself will come in handy again. This is particularly true if you’re going to be living away from home.
To help you think about what you need to succeed, make two lists. One should be things you did in high school that helped you stay focused and organized. This might be keeping a calendar, studying in a quiet place, asking teachers for help, color coding your notebooks, or any other trick that helped you do well.
For the second list, list things your parents, teachers, family or friends did that helped you. These may not all be things you liked, so be honest with yourself. Did it help that your parents made you do your homework before you could watch TV? Did you do better when your teachers broke up your assignments into smaller chunks? Put those things on the list.
Now that you have two lists, look them over. The first list is things you are already doing that will help you in college. You should absolutely, positively keep doing these things! Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that now that you’re on your own you don’t need those strategies. Now is when you need them more than ever.
The second list is things you are probably going to need to figure out how to do for yourself. Up until now, adults may have structured some parts of your life for you in ways that were helpful. Now, you’re going to have to create that structure on your own. That means enforcing the homework-before-TV rule on yourself, or breaking up your own assignments, or whatever you need to do to keep your academic success going.
You should know that every college and university is required to make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. Somebody on campus is in charge of making sure that happens, and you should find out who that is. If you’re going to a big university, there might be a whole office devoted to disabilities. At a small college, it might be someone in the Dean’s or Provost’s office.
Before you set off for college, send that person or office an email, introduce yourself, and tell them you have ADHD. If you have an IEP or 504 plan, let them know what accommodations it calls for. It won’t be in force in college, most likely, but it will give your college an idea of what you need. Make sure you know what accommodations the college or university is going to give you, so you can start advocating for yourself right away.
Don’t assume that your professors will know what you need. The Disabilities Office might say you’re entitled to extra time on exams or extensions of your deadlines, but if no one tells your professors it won’t happen. That means it’s up to you to speak up.
It can be hard to concentrate in a dorm room with a roommate, music and a party down the hall. Make sure you have a good space and enough time to get your studying done. There are lots of places on campus that may be more encouraging to your studies than your room. In addition to the library, there might be lounges, coffee shops or classroom buildings that are comfortable and just right for you.
If you tend to get distracted by noise, you might want to invest in a pair of noise canceling headphones. These look just like big stereo headphones (and you can use them to listen to music), but they have a setting that literally counteracts the noise around you to block it out. If it’s hard to find a quiet place to read, these might do the trick for you.
The first year of college is a new adventure for most people, and most people have at least some trouble adjusting to it. That’s not about ADHD, it’s about being human. Knowing what the risks are before you go can help you avoid making decisions you’ll regret later.
First, if you take medication make sure you have it with you and you know how to get refills at school. Take it at the same time every day, whether you want to or not. Do not ever share your medication with someone else no matter how much they beg you. A real friend does not want to take your meds away from you for their own enjoyment.
Second, remember that your first responsibility is to get an education. There are a lot of parties, activities and fun things to do on campus, and you should certainly enjoy yourself. Make sure you stick to your lists to stay on the right track, and schedule the fun stuff around the things you know you need to do.
Third, no one focuses well if they’re exhausted or hung over. That goes double for you. Know how much sleep you need and make sure you get it, and go easy on the alcohol.