Where do you go to school? Does your school provide special tutors to help you stay organized and on task? Are the teachers forgiving about you and your AD/HD difficulties?

I go to the University of South Carolina, and they don't provide that. Teachers in the past have been jack@$$e$ about problems I've had, so I've had to learn to fend for myself and survive on my own.

I've had to learn to fend for myself and survive on my own.
Good lifeskills to have.

I know lots of students at your University, mystic. You can email me if you want. Wouldn't it be cool if you knew some of them? They are all guys and two of them are in the media arts.....I'll bet you know them!
It's such a good school, I am surprised they don't have better accomodations.

~gourmet~

I know lots of students at your University, mystic. You can email me if you want. Wouldn't it be cool if you knew some of them? They are all guys and two of them are in the media arts.....I'll bet you know them!
It's such a good school, I am surprised they don't have better accomodations.

~gourmet~
Oh wow...that is so freakin' weird...LOL. I'm not in media arts anymore...that program got on my nerves, but I might know some of the guys. Actually, a few of the media arts teachers were just...let's just say our personalities didn't mesh well. LOL.

Good lifeskills to have.
True, but it's like...initially I joined this site in the hopes of finding some tactics and coping strategies that other people have tried and succeeded with. I've read some posts that provide those, but for the most part, it's all about "Why don't you get a tutor/talk to your teachers/ask for help/accommodations, etc., etc." when the reality is, my school is not that hands-on in terms of helping people learn academic/organizational skills. Perhaps it has to with the school being a large university? I don't know.

When I was getting my bachelor's, the university I went to had great accomodations.

It's odd that a large university wouldn't have accomodations! Our largest school, UMN-Twin Cities has accomodations. At least, in the midwest - most, if not all, universities have assistance for anyone with a disorder or disability.

But, until I was diagnosed with ADD, I worked my hardest to cope. I wasn't too successful with lectures, tests, etc. The academic stuff has always been the hardest for me. It got easier with the accomodations and med.

I did get tutors, that helped me a lot, keeping me on track, making sure I understood all the information.

Best wishes, Mystic!

my school has accommodations, just not the kind i need.

Exactly Mystic

I'm at a junior college in the metro Atlanta area, and the only provision they offer for every ADD student is isolated testing. As if all Add/ADHD people are the same, they think locking you away in a room on your own come tests is the answer, listen I distract myself if i'm in a room by myself, it's my brain thats the distraction, not the outside. Infact I can only read, study etc with radio and or t.v on, so I can ignore it and focus, if not the silence gets my brain wandering all over the place. I tried telling the disability counsellor that but she doesn't seem to know much about the disorder (nice job if you can get it)

What I need is longer time on assignments (this is not offered), and understanding that I may be late. I had one teacher who failed me last year because he doesn't let you come in late for anything, you have to sit outside if you are, and I was late for my final exam and he wouldn't let me take it.
My school's only provision as yet is isolated testing.

I got my AS degree from SUNY Cobleskill, a two year ag school in NY. I didn't "come out" in college but I was a tutor, wierd huh? By helping people it helped me to stay on task. I did study groups, took notes for people and did walk in help. I think being paid to do my own work and studying really helped me to get the work done. I was offered to stay for an optional four year program but didn't because I knew it wouldn't get me that far. I'm starting at Eastern Conn ST University in the FAll and am scared to ask for accomidations from the school, so I will prob just talk to my teachers individually, that usually helps me more.

--Pigeon

It sounds like a couple of your colleges have only specific accomodations?
Have you tried asking for ones you need (even if not on the list)?

I needed my psych to write a letter, saying I was officially diagnosed with ADD and he wrote in the accomodations I wanted. I don't think my school had a choice but to accept the accomodations.

The school I'm going to now offered up the accomodations most students ask for, but also said they will accomodate what they can.

Can an IEP or 504 plan happen at the college level?

I just graduated from Washington College in Chestertown, MD. It's a small liberal arts college, only 1200 students, which is wonderful for getting personalized attention. The largest classes are only maybe 30 people, and most of my classes after freshman year had maybe a dozen people at most. My two classes in my final semester had 8 students each. So if you miss a class or forget an assignment, your professor will notice immediately and drop you an email. When I was diagnosed, I met with the Dean of students regularly to make sure that I was getting the help I needed, and I could literally drop in and make an appointment for the next day. I got the impression that our school had a lot of AD/HD students, who were attracted to the school for the same reasons I was. But then again, I was also a theatre major, and so may have been looking at a skewed sample since that field has so many AD/HD people, but I also double majored in Poli Sci and found a decent number of AD/HD students there.

I'm at university in BC, and while I'm not sure of what kind of accomodations they're willing to provide, we do have a horribly named "center for students with disabilities" (I'm not disabled, just "differently" abled) that seems to be willing to help me out in whatever way necessary. They seem to usually offer note takers (that's right, someone to take notes FOR you), exam allowances like extra time, different rooms, computers for essay exams, etc, and more.

I'll know more when I formally tell them about the ADD. I just found out myself, so...

I go to Berklee College of Music in Boston. It's relatively small - 3500 students - and you get to know your teachers very well, especially in the department you're involved in. The counselors at the Counseling Center have been extremely helpful with making sure I have any accomodations I might need. I designed my schedule so that I'd only have to take one or two "hard" classes per semester (for me, that's math-related harmony courses). They helped me get waivers so I could take classes out of order. When I tell teachers that I need extra test-time or additional help, they are always more than willing to accomodate me.

Practicing an instrument takes a rediculous amount of self-discipline, so I have asked my teachers to give me specific goals and deadlines. That way, I will always be working on the appropriate material. My teachers are wonderful and very patient!

My college also offers free one-on-one tutoring for all students in any of the core music courses (harmony, ear training, counterpoint, composition, etc) as well as tutoring in English.

The community college i had only gave me isolated testing whichj i dont' use i dont' think i need it and a copy of the lecture notes that was all up to the proff is he wants to give me a copy or not... :)

School was horrible, like boot camp, having to stay seated for periods of time, being miserable, Growing up, I always thought school is something for people who can't learn on their own, so I dropped out. I still stand by my thoughts since this world is filled with idiots. But who knew these stupid employers like to hire people with degrees, if they only knew what they missing out on. Textbook people suck.

T-Bass

I go to south trafford college,on a course for adults with learning difficulties/disabilities so the tutors and assistants are very understanding,and give me all the accomodations I need,such as using computers,tests in isolation,letting me leave the lesson when I feel too hyper or going skitz from sensory overload(part of my asd).
They also try to condense the listening parts in lessons to as short times as possible,and do more practical work.
I think they all deserve an award for the help they give to myself,and the others,
because they put up with so much,and they do everything they can to understand the person.

Despite being mainstream,the college has a lot of provision for SEN,and I'd recommend it to anyone in the Greater Manchester area.

School was horrible, like boot camp, having to stay seated for periods of time, being miserable, Growing up, I always thought school is something for people who can't learn on their own, so I dropped out. I still stand by my thoughts since this world is filled with idiots. But who knew these stupid employers like to hire people with degrees, if they only knew what they missing out on. Textbook people suck.

T-Bass
i agree 100 perecent espcially if you are in IT i know and have argued with gusy with degrees when it came to fixing issues comptuer related the one guy in particular didnt' know anything... That's the thing though in IT you could be certifed and know more then some guy with a degree however your right to get hired you need one.

What's funny too is alot of thease certiafacations in computers, medical i'm sure there is other feilds want you to have expirence before you take the test well who is going to hire you witout a cert/degree if you need expirence or i should say it will help termendiously to pass the certafaction.

I go to Southeastern Louisiana University, that accomodate for ADD/ADHD/LD by allowing extended time for tests and stuff like that. You have to inform the teacher of your disability and they are usually very compliant. Too bad I didn't find out I had ADD before I was on academic suspension and almost got kicked out of school!

I wasn't even dx'd when I was in college...wish I was, so I could have taken advantage of the accomodations available to dx'd college students. However, when going after a certification a couple of years ago, they were able to give me accomodations with a letter from my p-doc. It never hurts to ask!

I go to Southeastern Louisiana University, that accomodate for ADD/ADHD/LD by allowing extended time for tests and stuff like that. You have to inform the teacher of your disability and they are usually very compliant. Too bad I didn't find out I had ADD before I was on academic suspension and almost got kicked out of school!
I know how that is. AP and the threat of expulsion were what it took for my GP to think "hey, maybe this kid has a problem, considering his IQ is through the ****ing roof", and she referred me to some ADD specialists. Thank god, it couldn't have come soon enough. I'm back in school now, though still on AP. At least I have a fighting chance at doing well now, with some effort and some meds.

I go to the Univ of Michigan in the perfect town of Ann Arbor. I meet new people all of the time and there is always 100 different things going on. The football games.... the traditional events... the Greek community... Perfect university and ranked #2. I start Business School in the Fall... that's going to be a *****....

Yes.Accomodations can carry over to the college level.

If you go to the bigsplace homepage @ www.bigsplace.com you'll find a link for each state's disability coordinator.They are the one's to contact if you feel that you're not being given proper (or being denied) accomodations.

Good luck.:)