Struggling in College? 3 Steps to Student Accommodations

Hello Brains! In college? Have ADHD? GO GET ACCOMMODATIONS if you haven't already! I wish I had.

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"Struggling in College? 3 Steps to Student Accommodations" Music:
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[chandlersmith]

Yes yes yes to all of this! I'm in college and my accommodations are so insanely helpful - especially for someone who wasn't diagnosed till she'd been in college for three years. I would also recommend talking to people in the disability office before you apply for your accommodations - they can tell you common accommodations they provide and possibly help you think of some you wouldn't have thought of or explain why they might be helpful. I also talked to my therapist to bounce ideas off of her for what might be helpful.


I still often feel bad for having my accommodations because my brain tricks me into thinking I shouldn't need them, but Jessica is right - these are things that simply even out the playing field and give you an opportunity to succeed. Every professor I've ever given my accommodations letter to has been so kind and so supportive and constantly tells me to let them know if there's any additional thing they can do to make my struggles easier for me.


You deserve to succeed.

[emilyrose]

'ADHD'ers are interest-based learners' is probably one of the most comforting thing I've ever heard

[nixthelapin]

I’m always hesitant to ask for accommodations because:
1) idk what to get help for
2) I can’t tell if i need them or if I’m being lazy

[jonathanguthridge]

I have always been considered bright, smart, gifted, etc. I tried college 3 times and dropped out within a month each time. At 38, I’m finally getting help for ADD/ADHD because I don’t want to fail at my job the way I always failed at my education.

[synopticala]

tell me why im trying not to cry rn 😭😭😭 i literally am at the point in the semester (that i get to every semester) where i start tripping over my own feet. this happens every single year: i start out strong, telling myself that "this year is gonna be different" and "i dont need accommodations", something inevitably trips up my schedule, and my life feels like im trying to carry a thousand hamsters and every time i finally catch one, another one slips away from me.

jessica, thank you so much for running this channel. as a gifted student who also happens to have adhd, i have dealt with so much shame and self-loathing in my academic career, and discovering you and your channel has helped me feel a little bit less alone in this world. thank you so much 💗💗💗

- Elizabeth

[GoblinsAreAGirlsBestFriend]

I was diagnosed in college. I took 6 years instead of the assigned 3 years to get my BA degree - after 4 years I got diagnosed and it made a WORLD of difference. I remember crying at the bus station on the way home from the clinic after receiving my diagnosis. I wasn't surprised and I wasn't necessarily sad... I just felt years of pressure on myself getting relieved from me with that diagnosis and treatment plan. Years of calling myself lazy and uncaring. Treatment helped AMAZINGLY. The university accommodated beautifully. I should have been diagnosed so much earlier.

[ArdelleVision]

I’ve never finished college. I’ve tried for over 10 years. This gives me hope. I need to start small. One class at a time...not over do it and sign up for sooo much, then get overwhelmed, then drop classes and feel lame...like I usually do.

[Ohhudumn]

I’m entering my fifth year of college due to failing a number of classes. I thought it was from procrastinating too much but now I feel like I have an undiagnosed something. I thought everyone else preferred daydreaming in a dark room for hours instead of studying?

[aishaabdulle]

I literally just started college and I’ve been down bec I can’t seem to control my brain and I’m not living with my family anymore I just feel lonely 😭but thank you, please upload more videos you don’t know how much it helps 😭😭❤️❤️

[HowtoADHD]

Hello Brains! Check out the description for links to more on ADHD accommodations and the list of the top 20 ADHD-friendly college programs!

[sureshseeram]

Jessica, you’re an angel. You’re changing my life in a way no else could’ve.

[Albinojackal]

With a lot of my accommodations I almost felt like I was cheating. I would get extra time, wouldn't use it, and then get a 103% on the exam. But I realized that part of the benefit for me is that the accommodation exists at all! Knowing that I had extra time to overthink, overanalyze, and quadruple check my work significantly reduced my anxiety levels. Plus, being in a quiet test taking room with a bunch of strangers (not classmates!) made me feel better about how fast/slow I worked through the exam. I was able to ace most of my classes because I'm smart and should be able to, not because I was cheating.

[donovanwilson]

How in the world did u know
I need this exactly video (literally started college a month ago

[PrinceDavid]

Man, I didn't even know I had ADHD when I was in college. Even just knowing it would have helped. I could no longer coast by like I did easily in high school. I almost failed out toward the end but managed to get by. Would have really loved to have gotten extra time for tests. Oh well I am living my dreams now so I am managing.

[sureshseeram]

October is ADHD awareness month, if I’m right.

[addictedmako]

Accommodations saved me in college. On top of the usual annoyances that come with the ADHD package, I had horrible test anxiety, which made in-class essay writing a nightmare. Through the Office of Accommodations, I was able to get extended time taking exams, and I took them in a soundproof room to help me avoid distractions and alleviate some of the stress.

I made the mistake of trying to go solo my first semester. Needless to say I crashed and would’ve burned if not for the accommodations office. Sadly, even with all the progress I was making with the accommodations, my GPA never got to where I would’ve been if I had been going to them from the start. So if you are considering, PLEASE do so.

[emilywelbers]

Earlier today I found out about student accommodations in my college so this video couldn't have been uploaded at a better timing for me. Luckily my ADHD isn't that much of a struggle in college, considering I study art and ADHD is actually helpful in a way (creative wise, being able to hyperfocus) but obviously I struggle from time to time so thank you for this video! Yesterday marked a year since I got officially diagnosed. If it wasn't for your channel I still wouldn't have known I might have ADHD and I'd never have gone to the doctors. Now I'm finally getting the help I need so thank you for doing what you do !! (don't mind me pouring out my heart, in my defense it's my 21st bday and I'm tipsy LOL) <3

[cowboycody]

I am thinking of starting a youtube channel about my journey though college, and life, with ADHD. Does this sound intresting to anyone?

[Yukon-Cornelius]

Hello everybody, as someone who wasn’t diagnosed until age 43, I can tell you my college years were a disaster, including flushing $5000 of tuition (1987 dollars) down a completely failed semester. Looking back, I’m sure I would’ve been too proud/ashamed to be labeled disabled EXCEPT for 3 accommodations that would’ve made a difference:
1) Priority registration will allow you to get into classes later in the day, especially “101/102” classes scheduled @ 8am. Priority registration can get you into classes later in the day (for night-owls), more frequent & shorter (to lighten homework so you don’t have A LOT due next class ... or maybe that’s better?), or to get lab right after science classes (so your brain is primed for discovery!).
2) Therapy & counseling provided by student health services. Prior patients coming back will probably have first-dibs on the counselor they like (often a more-experienced & successful professional), leaving new patients to see the unpopular counselors and/or some inexperienced grad student who hasn’t worked long with ADHD, or only knows the textbook cases.
3) Your college may even have tutors, teacher aides, or coaches to help students (especially those struggling), so it’s good to have your prof/dept know you need all the help you can get to remain interested & accountable.
Remember colleges are in the business to make money & to do this by ... pushing as high a number of students to graduate, get students into senior & grad programs so good profs feel needed & stick around, and keep college fun & productive so alumni are more likely to donate ... so it’s in their best interest (much like an employer’s) to ensure you’re happy & productive. These 3 things would’ve helped me not fail MATH 201 @ 8am M-F. Good luck!🤓

[Sara-vnkz]

College accommodations saved 👏🏻 my 👏🏻 life 👏🏻. I would've dropped out if I didn't have them. I didn't even know I had ADHD until my junior year of college. I kept smacking into an invisible brick wall and I kept trying to walk around it but the wall was infinite so... my college's ADA department sent me to counseling and to my old pediatrician and when I came back they had a metaphorical ladder to help me climb the metaphorical brick wall that I kept breaking my nose on. Ouch. But also: the view from the top of this wall is pretty great.🌞