College is my job and I suck at it. Why?

[Anonymous]

I have had ADHD for a long time and went through a faze where I thought I didn’t have it. Well guess what I do and it is getting worse and worse. I graduated Paramedic at the top of my class and have had a lot of success in that world until I got a DUI and it ruined that career so now I am picking up the pieces. College started good but now everything is falling to pieces I have changed my major to something I actually want to do instead of chasing the money. But I have a major major issue with procrastination not matter what I do I wait until the last second to do things. Even now I am supposed to be on the computer doing homework and that was an hour ago. But no matter what I do procrastination is a major major problem. 😳

My question is what have you found to help? medication? isolation?

Any help is good help.

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[Anonymous]

One of the first books I read after finding out about ADD was Driven to Distraction by Edward M Hallowell, MD and John J Ratey, MD. They both have ADD, and when relating how the book came about, the authors had decided they would like to write it, but had to ask, Can we really get it done? They can relate. I found it to be a hands-on easy-to-read book that has quite lot devoted to classwork and homework – college in particular. It might be a good resource for you. I was researching learning difficulties because of my youngest child, and found out not only did all my kids have ADD, but so did I, so did my husband, and when I thought about it, so did my mother, my uncle, my father and both my grandmothers. Talk about a legacy. LOL Anyway, I found the book had a lot of good strategies I could use to help my kids in school.

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[shutterbug55]

What happened to this site? I logged in here and the buletin board looks like a 3rd grader put it together. Between my dyslexia and ADHD, I can’t even find how to post a new thread here.

Z,

Are you working with any councilors? Most colleges have a staff of people who can provide free help to students with “special” issues. They can work with you to find out what kind of learner you are. Do you hear things and remember them, do you see things and remember them… stuff like that. Then they can provide you with the tools you need to succeed, whether it is more time on tests, or something else.

Hope this helps.

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[nellie]

Shutterbug 55,

I guess they’ve had some sort of crash. I didn’t log in for a few days then this morning noticed things looked really funny and the forum went back to looking like a plain WordPress theme.

But more importantly

I noticed all the privacy info also got messed up and was displaying full name etc if you are logged in and click on a member name. If you don’t want your real name visible to others better fix it in your profile. And no you can’t post new topics.

I sent an email to the contact email but I’m sure I was telling them something they already know. Just noticed they changed the image on the index page since early this morning to the 404 error with the pic from the video so guess they’re working on it

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[Anonymous]

WOW thought it was me…. I kept hitting refresh refresh refresh…. I did notice a new field search feature though (that is not working) at the top right..

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[nellie]

njadd, the search function was there for a while:-) I guess no one else noticed it either because I posted a “Yay we have a search function” topic and no one responded! The really funny thing to me though is that I’m usually the person who’s the last one to notice anything!

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[Anonymous]

definately go and talk to student services. they have ADD support workers at the local universities around here- sort of like life coaches- they have a note taking service, you can get funding for additional equipment (dictaphone, talk-to-text computer programs, an electronic organiser) plus someone who meets up with you at aranged intervals and checks if you’re on target, helps you plan, and checks that you’ve followed through, etc. knowing that i’m being a pain for somebody else and letting them down as well as myself is a good motivator for me. screwed up, but it works.

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[Anonymous]

Nell It was BILL

I have desired the “search” option for such a long time I thought I went to heaven. Then I came out of my fog and realized that probably Bill did not take his Meds and went in the wrong door door that said “Keep Out”. It was probably the control room door for this website, You can only guess what happened as he got in there with all those flashing lights and do not touch signs and all……..

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[Anonymous]

LOL this thread is hilarious a bunch of ADD’ers trying to stay on task and it goes from distraction to the web site to the search function and back to distraction LOL.

Any who I am getting my testing updated specifically for the school help I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t just me. I all ways feel better when I know people go through what I go through, weird, collective misery is a binding emotion LOL. so I will check out those books over the summer and try to just stay on task and get through this semester.

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[Anonymous]

Z it all started when site was screwed up for a couple of hours…. LOL

May I ask your age.. As i will be returning to school in the fall. But this time armed with knowledge about ADD and Meds!

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[Anonymous]

I am 29 and its tuff man I am in school with a bunch of kids that would rather go drinking than be there so I find myself doing most of the work.

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[Anonymous]

zgjp82, I graduated college just a few years ago, so I think I can help out here. You’re on the right track about the medication/isolation bit.

Are you using any ADD medications? I took Adderall daily and was still having trouble in the late afternoon/evening, so my doctor prescribed me some low-dose Ritalin to carry me through the last quarter of the day or so. I’d take it whenever I’d get too far off task in the evenings or when I woke up too late in the day to take an Adderall (Taking a pill that wires you for about 14 hours + waking up at noon = bad idea).

Some other things for studying/homework/doing papers:

-Consider going to the library to do your work, especially the bigger projects. For me, there were just too many distractions in my dorm/apartment. The library is full of people who are also busy and working quietly, providing a “productive” atmosphere that also doesn’t distract you too much. My school’s library also had “cubicles” that would isolate you even further, but not so much that you missed out on the productive air of the library. Also, there you’ll be around more of the good students than the Alcoholism majors that you mentioned, which can’t hurt.

-When working on a computer, just close ALL of your non-classwork-related tabs on your browser. OK, maybe one if your pace allows for it to give you a few mental breaks.

-This one may or may not work for you, but it worked for me: On the longer papers and such, I would find some fast-paced music without lyrics and listen to them on headphones. Somehow this enabled me to focus even more. But I’d pause it if I had to do some really deep thinking or precise wording that would briefly slow the pace.

Whenever I had a big enough paper due, I’d bring my laptop (switched off if I could, so that it’s a little more clutter-free) to a library cubicle, pop a Ritalin, put my headphones on, set my iTunes to nonstop-repeat the song linked below, and get cracking. I should note that this was more for the writing phase than the source-finding phase.

Here’s the song I used. It will either work wonders or drive you mad. It needs a few listens before it starts working, IMO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lghXiuFCr5E.

More recently, I’ve been using this track, which wires me in as much as the programmers in the movie that it came from:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yczul_609Gg

You can get the second one on iTunes, let me know if you’d like me to send you a copy of the first.

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[Anonymous]

captain amazing if you were in reach i’d wallop you for linking to that first song- it’s gonna bore into my brain and be killing me at 6am, i can tell. i’m letting you off because of the redeeming quality of the second one though.

the music thing does work. just not with ska tetris on trumpets. i used to use this kinda thing (bear with it, the first 1:30 ish isn’t the helpful bit). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDGPkTaKQbY

…. just enough to keep the fidgetty ADHD part of my brain busy so the rest can do its thing.

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[Anonymous]

U alls be krewll

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[Anonymous]

Great forget about the snow I am getting the lawnmower out and cutting the snow on my neighbors lawn tonight blasting these songs with a flashlight taped sideways on the mower to get the attention of the 5-0 when they pass by to call the pool people to make ice cream on the roof . Wow these downloads do keep me focused………..

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[Author]

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