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ADHD and college

Submitted by an LD OnLine user on

Well, here’s my background. Growing up I always struggled in school. Although I began talking early, I had a lot of difficulty reading. I was in remedial reading until 6th grade and could never read at grade level despite a lot of help at school and home. I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 11. I am now finishing my freshman year and I am incredibally frustrated. I started doing better in high school and I now have high standards that I like to live up to academically, but everything seems to take me so long. I don’t think I have ever meet someone who is as slow as I am academically before. I have never finished a test before someone, I am always the last one done. I spend 40 to 50 hours a week studying and in high school I spent 5 to 7 hours a night on homework. I can do the work, it just takes me a long time to do. Like when I read, I have to read everything 2 or 3 times because if I just read it once I have no idea what I just read. It takes me a long time to learn and understand things. I just move at a slower pace and I can’t seem to get faster. It takes me twice as long to take math tests but my school only gives me 50 percent extra time, so I have to push to take it in class and hope the professor is patient. I spent 4 hours on an exam recently. It gets so frustarating, even simple assignments that should barelly take anytime take me forever. Everyday I just wake up, go to class, eat, go to class, eat, go to the library, sleep 5 or 6 hours and then wake up and do it again. I just don’t understand why I am so slow, I have meet many people with ADHD but none of them are as slow as me. I just don’t know what to do to be able to work faster. The other problem is that although I absolutely love me college, the town and my friends, it is not very supportive. I would never think of switching schools because I love it so much here. In high school I got double time on tests and they said they don’t usually give double time so I can’t have it. I explained that for some type of tests, such as math, I go to class, do the homework and completely understand all the information but the test takes me a long time. I know all of it but I am just slow to finish it and almost always use exactly double time on any math test. If I didn’t have double time I would probably get a C on a test that I should have gotten an A on but did not finish. They still said that they don’t give it often so I can’t recieve double time. I have time and a half but since it is so hard to proctor a test through them most of my professors have me take it in class and then finish in their office or take it their the whole time. They usually let me have as long as I need, but I still worry about getting a professor who is not that understanding. They also don’t inform the professors on how to handle accomodations such as note takers. DS will tell you talk to the professor and then the professor will say talk to DS. We are also on the quarter system and everything seems to always be crammed in. I’m just so sick of having ADHD and everyone thinking it is not a legitamite problem. I’m sorry that this is such a rant.

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