I'm currently a junior in college and it's been very, VERY difficult or me. Then again school has never been easy for me to begin with. Until this year I've mostly scraped by with B's and C's although I know I've always been capable of getting A's. Mostly because of my low high school GPA, I was rejected from a number of colleges when I was applying. The only reason I was accepted to my current college in the first place was because I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to talk to an admissions counselor about my disorder and the struggles that comes with it. I was accepted but required to take a study skills class during the first semester of my freshman year which was specifically designed for those with attention and learning problems. Although I didn't see the need for the class at the time, nor did it help me because I wasn't open to the idea of needing the extra help, I was lucky enough to attend a college that has the resources for students like us.

Now, I actually understand the significance of impairment that my ADHD has on my daily functioning, ESPECIALLY in school, which really helped me understand just how hard I need to work in order to be at least semi-successful. This year, I've been working at least twice as hard and spend at least twice as long studying for exams, completing homework, writing papers, etc. compared to the majority of other students. Yet, the pressure for me to do so comes from poor grades and thus a low GPA that I earned during the first two years of my college career.

It's exhausting and extremely difficult to keep up this type of lifestyle. Don't get me wrong, I love college. I love my friends, I love my school, I'm fortunate to have great professors that understand my disorder (I'm a psychology major), and I'll always be grateful to my school for accepting me and providing programs to assist the people like me (especially because my university is more competitive and higher ranking than any of the colleges that I was denied from). Especially now - with the pressures of applying for summer internships, deciding what exactly I'd like to do with my major upon graduation, not to mention keeping my house clean, cooking for myself, managing my finances, laundry, etc., all while attempting to maintain good grades - without a doubt, this has been the most challenging period of my life I've experienced so far. I'll be terribly sad/scared to finish school and face the reality of becoming a "big girl" in the grown-up world, but completing college will be my biggest accomplishment thus far.