Hi, I’m Amelia! I’m 21 and I’m in my final year at university, studying French and German. I am currently on the waitlist for an ADHD diagnosis and over the past 3 years, I’ve realised more and more how my (undiagnosed) ADHD affects me at university - including academically and socially.
My experiences at university
I have always been someone who enjoys being busy at all times - you will very rarely find me ‘doing nothing’ at home, unless I’m ill or absolutely exhausted!
This meant that at school, I was at one extracurricular club or another pretty much every night. But then moving to university, I got a lot more freedom over how I spent my time. I only have 9-12 contact hours a week (12 in my first year, now 9 in my final year) which means it is completely up to me how I structure the rest of my time.
Whilst this can be really helpful (especially because I have type 1 diabetes so I can be a bit more flexible if my blood sugars are high/ low, or if I have appointments), it can also be very overwhelming and make it very easy to overcommit.
Looking at my schedule for the week at the beginning of each year, it can look very empty and like I have loads of time to fill with other things. This means that I always sign up for dance classes in multiple places, get involved with other performance societies, and plan social activities with friends.
Then, when you add in life tasks like shopping and cleaning, as well as actually having quite a lot of prep work to do for each of those 9 contact hours, suddenly I have so much to do and very little time to do it in.
Tips to manage ADHD at university
It’s hard to know sometimes what is a result of ADHD, what is just me, and what is “typical” for a university student, but I wanted to share some of my tips and advice (which are also a good reminder for me as I don’t always do these myself!) to help those of you in a similar position…
Make a weekly schedule
I have tried planning my time in so many ways over the past few years and it has taken me until the last few weeks to find something that really works for me. I made myself a template and then each Sunday I go through and fill in each box. The important thing to remember is that you don’t have to fill each box!!
Create an ongoing to-do list, with tasks broken down into small parts
There is so much advice online about to-do lists and all of these contradict each other in one way or another. But what I’ve found the most effective for me is to have a university to-do list and a general life to-do list.
Both of these are ongoing to-do lists with separate sections. For example, my university to-do list is split into my 3 modules and then one “general” section and every time I’m in a seminar/ lecture and get given a task to do at home, it immediately goes onto my to-do list (remembering it for later won’t work!).
I have my university to-do list on google docs as that’s where I do my uni work so I can add tasks without having to pick up my phone and risk getting distracted.
For some people, having an ongoing to-do list is too overwhelming, but for me, I find it less pressurising than a to-do list that all has to get done by the following Sunday. And breaking tasks down into smaller chunks can really help it feel less overwhelming.
Be honest with yourself
It’s so hard but you have to learn how to be honest with yourself about what you have capacity for. It’s ok if you need more time to rest and recover between tasks than other people might. I often factor in a free hour after seminars to rest, watch TV or nap.
Some weeks you may have capacity for more and some weeks it may be less. That’s why I find it so helpful to have a weekly planner that I update on a Sunday, but I also try my best to be flexible and change things as I go, depending how I’m feeling each day.
Take time to figure it out
It’s ok if the first few weeks, or months, are not super efficient. You’ll learn over time what works best for you, and it’s hard when it feels like there’s so much pressure to get everything done, but it’s normal for things to go wrong and to need time to adjust to new routines and strategies.
Support from people around you
If you feel comfortable, telling the people around you that you have ADHD (diagnosed or undiagnosed) can really help. They may be able to sit with you while you make your schedule, or while you get tasks done. Or you can ask them if you can send them your individual tasks that need doing that day to them, so that they can hold you accountable.
Overall, it’s important to remember that your brain works differently and that means it might take you a little more time to figure out how to schedule your time in a way that works for you. But you’re not lazy and it’s not your fault if you don’t have the capacity to do as much as you would like!
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