I’ve always had a huge love and passion for learning; but my ADHD makes it tough to get good grades. I’ve scored well on the SAT in the past (part of Duke TIP; state ranked) and I’ve always done well on local end of year standardized testing such as the EOC/EOG (usually score in the top 5%, sometimes it’s been top 10%).
However if I don’t enjoy a class, getting A’s is tough. If I’m interested in something, I can work on it for hours no problem. If I found it boring or dull, then forget it. I do use a planner and set reminders on my iPhone and that has helped to an extent but not as much as I like. I just started adderall but that only helps during school hours; if I take it after-school to help w/ homework, I won’t be able to sleep that night.
I’m in a lot of activities such as track and cross country, young democrats, my church’s youth group, etc. My dream school is Duke but I’m afraid with my lack of focus, that I won’t have the grades that I need. Please leave any of your strategies/study tips below!
I’m starting a degree this fall at age 34, but coping with ADD as well, so my thoughts are from a different perspective then your own. But have you considered taking classes at a community college for awhile, so that you can get into the swing of things for college, see how you cope with multiple classes, study habits, etc before going onto duke? I’ve found that I need to give myself structure, and if I do then I thrive, hence why I loved the army, boot camp, etc, lol.
I take ritalin myself, but it has basically the same side effects. I find that waking up at 4am or so, taking it, then studying for 2-3 hours really helps, though it does mean that you’ll be going to bed early most nights. Because as you said sleeping on it is rather rough.
You might want to try a long-acting medication that will stay in your system all day. Also, try looking up general study strategies or strategies specific for ADHD students. For me, I know that doing my homework at home is really difficult because of distractions so going to the library or to a coffee place has helped me a lot. Good luck!