The ADHD Struggle in College: How to Stay Focused When Your Brain Won’t Cooperate, for Students in Charleston South Carolina

College can be challenging for anyone, but for college students in Charleston, SC with ADHD, it often feels like trying to run a marathon with your shoelaces untied! The lectures feel too long, the assignments pile up quickly, and focusing can seem impossible when your brain keeps bouncing between a hundred tabs. At Ethredge Counseling Group, we hear this struggle all the time: "I want to do well, but I just can’t get my brain to cooperate."

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone! You are not lazy. Your brain is not broken. ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) affects executive functioning, making it harder to plan, focus, and follow through. With the right tools, support, and mindset, you can absolutely succeed in college. This guide will give you strategies to manage your ADHD symptoms and build habits that work with your brain, not against it.

Understanding ADHD in the College Setting

ADHD isn’t just about hyperactivity or getting distracted easily. In a college environment, it often shows up as:

• Difficulty concentrating during lectures or long readings

• Procrastination and perfectionism (yep, both can happen at the same time!)

• Trouble organizing your to-do list of tasks, or sticking to a schedule

• Forgetting due dates, losing track of assignments

• Mental fatigue or burnout

When you’re surrounded by deadlines, responsibilities, and social pressures, these symptoms can quickly become overwhelming. But understanding your brain is step one in working with it rather than constantly feeling behind.

1. Work With Your Brain

Building structure helps… a lot! And it doesn’t have to be rigid or boring. A good routine is like scaffolding for the ADHD brain. It keeps your day from collapsing.

Tips That Landrie Uses and Recomends:

• Use a planner (Google Calendar is great, and what Landrie has used for years!) and write down everything: due dates, appointments, even reminders to eat, stretch, and start your bedtime routine!

• Break big projects into bite-sized chunks with mini-deadlines. "Write term paper" is overwhelming; "find 2 sources by Friday" feels doable. Remember, “les Petites Victoires”!

• Set up regular routines for mornings and evenings. Predictability helps reduce decision fatigue.

• Try the Pomodoro Technique: 25 minutes focused work, 5-minute break. It sounds simple, but it can be a total game changer!

2. Make Your Environment ADHD-Friendly

If you’re trying to write an essay while half-watching Netflix, your brain is doing what it’s wired to do: seeking stimulation. Set yourself up for success with an environment that supports focus

Tips that Landrie uses and/or recommends:

• Designate a specific spot for studying (even if it's just one end of your kitchen table).

• Use headphones and listen to white noise or instrumental music.

• Limit visual distractions. Tidy your space before sitting down to work.

3. Time Management Tools That Make a Difference

Time blindness can be a real struggle with ADHD. Minutes feel like seconds, or hours.

Tips Landrie uses and recommends to combat that:

• Use visual timers or countdown apps so you can actually see time passing.

• Set calendar reminders for everything, including class, meals, and transitions.

• Batch similar tasks so your brain doesn’t have to shift gears constantly.

And remember: "getting started" is often the hardest part. Once you start, momentum builds.

4. Lean Into Your Strengths

Your brain might struggle with focus, but it likely excels at creativity, problem-solving, and thinking in “big picture” ways. Use that those superpowers!!

Tips that Landrie has used and/or recommends:

• Make studying fun (apps like Quizlet or using color-coded notes, pens, or markers can help).

• Use your phone for good, like recording voice memos or taking photos of whiteboards or handouts.

• Move while you work. Walk while listening to recorded lectures. Sing and dance while you recite facts from memory. Pace while you brainstorm.

5. Support Your Brain With the Basics

ADHD symptoms may increase when you're running on particularly drained. When expeirencing fatigue or significant symptoms, don’t neglect your body! Tuning into your body’s needs during these times is super important:

Tips Landrie uses and recommends:

• Aim for regular sleep: easier said than done, but even a semi consistent bedtime helps.

• Eat protein with every meal. Blood sugar swings can worsen brain fog and impulsivity.

• Move your body every day! Even a 10-minute walk can improve mood and focus.

You wouldn’t expect your phone to run all day on 5% battery, so don’t expect it from your brain, darlings!

6. Be Kind to Yourself

This part matters. Many students with ADHD carry around a lot of shame. You might think, "Why can everyone else just do this? What’s wrong with me?"

Nothing is wrong with you! Your brain simply works in a slightly different way. Remember, ADHD also comes with it’s own unique superpowers!

Tips Landrie recommends:

• Talk to yourself like a friend. Would you tell a friend they're lazy or broken?

• Celebrate wins, even if they feel small. Got out of bed? Opened your laptop? That counts!!! (Landrie’s personal motto: les Petites Victoires, aka the little victories!!)

• Progress over perfection. Doing something "good enough" is better than burning out trying to do it perfectly.

7. Use the Resources Around You

You don’t have to go it alone:

• Disability services can help with accommodations like extended test time, priority registration, or note taking support.

• Campus counseling offers short term therapy or referrals for longer term support.

• Find community. Look for ADHD support groups on campus or online. It’s powerful to hear, "Me too."

At Ethredge Counseling Group, we love supporting college students. Whether you're figuring out routines, processing burnout, or just need a safe space to vent and strategize, we're here!

Final Thoughts: You’re Not Alone

If your brain feels like it’s constantly shifting gears without warning, you're not broken. You're navigating college with ADHD, and that takes serious strength.

Yes, it might take more trial and error. Yes, it might look different than what you imagined. But different doesn't mean worse.

With the right tools, strategies, and support, you can absolutely succeed.

If you’re looking for someone to walk alongside you while you figure it all out, our therapists at Ethredge Counseling Group would be honored to help.

You’ve got this. And we’ve got your back!