Beating Your High Score — ADHD College Survival
It is the start of a new calendar year and for many of us that means trying to get our shit together, at least for a couple weeks. But for neurodivergent college kids this means the start of a new semester. It is a guaranteed reset and an opportunity to yes, get their shit together.
So how do you reset at the dawning of a new semester? You simply try to beat your high score from the semester before. I spent so much time playing Dr. Mario as a kid, and yes, I realize that makes me really old, however, the point is, I would play that game over and over, no matter how many times I died or had a bad game. I would start a new game with the sole purpose of beating my score or my time from the game before. And when I was in college this is how I consistently showed up as a student.
ADHDers and other Neurodivergent adults love gamification. But this technique doesn’t just play on our love of gamification, it also helps us develop a resiliency that so many of us struggle with.
Every single semester was a game. Grades went in and were my stats from that level. I played this game with myself all through undergrad. I wasn’t competing with anyone else. In fact, I wasn’t even looking at anyone else’s journey. I was simply chasing my own name on the leaderboard.
Don’t get me wrong, it didn’t start this way. I entered college with a tremendous amount of burnout. I was in the wrong degree field because I was still trying to please my parents and I could not get momentum. That first semester, I made a few D’s even with tutoring and extra work. It was demoralizing and kept me in a constant loop of anxiety. It culminated with me passing out in the library on finals day. The school didn’t care that I passed out, I still had to sit for that final.
Over Christmas break, I agonized over going back to school. I was a straight A student in high school and all of a sudden I couldn’t do the thing I was good at. I tried talking to my parents about it but they were kind of dismissive. They had never been to college so they couldn’t relate to my experience. Finally, my dad looked at me and said, “Vida, you need to learn to play the game.” Regardless of the intent of his message, something clicked.
I did need to learn to play the game…but I also had to start playing the right game. For me, that meant changing my major and weathering the storm of my parents’ disapproval. I was on my own. I was creating a new game and I was the only player. Every single semester after that, I looked at it like another board in a video game. I completed missions. I added a side quest with a minor in History. I added a challenge board with a dual major. If I made a bad grade that didn’t work with my mission, I retook the class or found a way around it to another class. I graduated as my college chapter’s President of Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor.
Changing my mindset in college changed my life. I game-ify everything now. I am always trying to beat the high score. It worked for me, let me know if you need help, it might work for you too.
If you want to hear more from Vida Carey and what she is up to, follow her on TikTok @theneurodivergentteacher or Instagram @the.neurodivergentteacher or at her comedy sex podcast, Sex Symbol Podcast on Spotify
