How to Survive University as a Student with ADHD – Tips That Actually Work!

Written by Anastassia Walford

As an ADHD student myself, I've always struggled in the Swiss educational system. Staying focused for long periods was a constant battle, prioritising exam revisions over homework felt impossible, and my perfectionist side prevented me from moving on before completing even the smallest details of any task! Now as a university student, I've learned to adapt thanks to various techniques I've developed and discovered — from digital reminders to structured to-do lists that provide the dopamine hits I need to stay motivated.

This journey inspired me to write this blog. Too often, neurodivergent students struggle in traditional education systems, and it's unfortunate that in 2025, many schools still haven't established effective support structures for students with different learning needs. In this digital age, we have access to innovative AI tools that can help us better concentrate in class, take notes more efficiently, and incorporate strategic breaks into our study routines. However, AI isn't the complete answer. Indeed, students still need to engage in the process to truly learn: AI cannot replace our learning faculty, and we still need to feel a bit of this discomfort. This is why I'll also share my personal techniques for managing ADHD.

This blog brings together practical strategies using various approaches: from AI assistants to YouTube resources to traditional pen-and-paper methods. All are aimed to help university students with ADHD navigate this environment and to unlock their full potential. 

Concretely, what is the problem in the education system ? Why does it have such an impact on ADHD students? 

The university education system presents multiple structural challenges for ADHD students, ranging from the traditional 90-minute lectures, to time management and self advocacy. In fact, these lectures have minimal interaction with students, making them not suited for those with shorter attention spans. Without movement, discussion, or immediate rewards (such as giving the correct answer to a question for example), the ADHD brain can quickly lose interest in the lecture. Moreover, coupled to the emphasis on high-stakes exams and lengthy projects, these study methods can be an overwhelming source of stress. The ADHD brain thrives on smaller, more frequent assessments, which are not always prioritised in higher education. 

The physical learning environments themselves present constant sensory distractions, further compromising focus. Classrooms are often large auditoriums, where there is always something going on: classmates chatting, pen falling, bicycle passing by the window, or even just an insect flying around. If the lecture is lacking engagement there will always be something else to focus on. 

Additionally, the irregular scheduling and lack of built-in structure require strong self-management skills that many ADHD students are still developing. 

Feedback is another challenge for students, as it is often delayed in university settings, which clashes with the ADHD brain's need for immediate responses and momentum to stay motivated. On top of that, dense and text-heavy learning materials don't align with diverse processing styles: students can easily feel overwhelmed by the volume of information, and often delay starting, not out of laziness, but because they’re thinking “I don’t even know where to begin!”

At last, and perhaps most concerning is the bureaucratic burden of self-advocacy in a system where seeking accommodations often comes with stigma, creating yet another hurdle for students transitioning to independent adult life.

Tips to overcome these challenges 

If you see yourself in these situations and can relate to these challenges, whether you have ADHD or not, follow these tips to make your university life easier! You don’t have to take all of them in, just pick and try one or two methods that suit you best. 

Maintaining focus during long lectures 

Staying engaged though 90-minute lectures can be particularly challenging for ADHD brains. Here is what you can do:

1. Active note-taking creates continuous engagement and provides the satisfaction of visibly accomplishing something during class.

2. Recording tools like Otter.ai (for online meeting) or Beey (for journalists and students) can transcribe lectures, allowing you to review content at your own pace later. 

These transcription tools are particularly helpful when you inevitably zone out, and as from my experience, reading the content can be more effective than re-listening to audio you already struggled to focus on. Using color-coding to highlight the most important points can help you focus on key information and also strengthens your visual memory for easier recall. 

Managing long-term projects & high-stakes exams

When faced with overwhelming assignments:

1. You can use AI-powered planning tools like Motion to help structure your approach. This tool can help you automate daily planning, scheduling and task prioritisation. It analyses deadlines, priorities and needs, suggesting the most optimal task to do.

2. Visual to-do lists break down massive projects into manageable chunks. Back to basics, nothing is more simple and straightforward than a pen and a piece of paper: write down what you need to do, and every time you accomplish a task, cross it out of your list. 

3. Pomodoro technique (available on YouTube) can structure your study sessions into focused intervals. I find it especially helpful during exam study sessions: it gives you a clear sense of what you’ve covered, when to take breaks, and what’s left to work on. It’s great for that sense of accomplishment too: you might not realise it at the moment, but you’ve actually been working for three hours!

4. Mind mapping tools like GitMind help organise thoughts visually. For all the visual learners, this tool takes the concept of brainstorming to another level: it allows users to create and collaborate on mind maps in real-time. You can find various diagram inspirations and choose the best one to help you with organising your ideas, summarising your lessons and planning projects.

5. Reading assistance tools like Read&Write can help process complex texts (we’ll discuss this in more detail shortly) or when proofreading your own paper or thesis. Reading your work aloud can help you catch mistakes that you might have missed, even after looking through it five times already. 

Processing dense academic materials and immediate feedback

When faced with text-heavy materials that don't align with ADHD learning styles:

• Use paper digest tools like thesify to condense and summarise complex texts. This could give you an overview of the paper, but be always sure to fact check content of AI-powered assistants. These types of tools can help with having a global understanding of dense material, saving you time by providing you a quick overview instead of reading the whole article. 

• Another method I like to use to 'humanely digest' articles is to start by reading the table of contents, the brief summary (if provided), section titles along with the first three sentences of each, and finally, the conclusion. This approach gives you a solid overview of the paper without diving too deep into the details.

Immediate feedback is also a key point to help ADHD students maintain their focus and motivation:

• thesify can also analyse your work and provide an immediate professor-like feedback: this helps you keep your motivation momentum and keep on working without interruptions. 

• Establishing peer feedback exchanges with classmates to get more frequent input is also a good way to maintain motivation. 

• Don’t hesitate to create your own mini-deadlines and rewards to maintain motivation between official feedback points. For example you can say “If I finish this introduction by Thursday, I will go bowling with my friends Friday night!”

Creating structure in the study environment

The environment where you study can be one of the main distractions you can face. This is why it’s important to bring extra structure into it:

• Establish a consistent "work day" from 9am to 5pm regardless of class schedule. If you have a big gap between classes, commit to doing homework instead of pushing them back. Your future self will thank you! 

• Create accountability by sharing your schedule with someone else: it can be your friends, family member, partner, or anyone that can make it harder to break your own rules

• Use noise-canceling headphones or listen to white noise, lo-fi, or instrumental music. This really helps if you are in a noisy environment, but of course it is preferable to work in a quiet place, for example libraries. 

• Turn off notifications or put your phone in another room to stop distraction. It can also be used as a form of reward such as “When I finish reading this article, I can open my phone for 15 minutes.”

• Break big tasks into micro-steps: Turn "Write paper" into "Open doc → Find Quote → Write introduction." etc. I find it useful when I need to write a long paper: it helps me visually see the progress I make and turns an overwhelming task into a manageable one. 

• Pro tip: chew gum, fidget, or doodle are small physical channels that can improve focus. It doesn’t mean you don’t listen, it just puts your “hyperactive part” at peace. 

Self advocacy

One of the most important challenges ADHD students face: how to make sure university provides the correct accommodations for your needs. Here is what you can do:

• Make a short list of specific challenges you face (time management, test anxiety, sensory distractions, etc.) and think about what specific supports would address each challenge (for example extra time, quiet testing rooms, or access to slides)

• Get updated documentation of your diagnosis from a qualified professional and have it ready before meeting with your faculty student services.

• I suggest scheduling a meeting early in the semester or even before it begins to avoid the stress that comes with the back-to-school period. Additionally, the office may be overwhelmed with requests and could take longer to respond to yours.

• Ask a trusted friend, mentor, or academic coach to help review emails, attend meetings, or check in on progress. Even a quick "Did you submit that form?" reminder can make all the difference. 

Remember: accommodations aren’t an unfair advantage, they’re simply creating a fair starting line.

Conclusion

While AI tools offer valuable support for ADHD students navigating higher education, remember that these are simply aids on your learning journey, not replacements for the actual work of learning. AI-generated summaries or plans can make managing your studies easier, but true academic growth still requires active engagement and effort. That’s why this blog also highlights more traditional strategies like to-do lists, Pomodoro techniques, and accountability partners. These methods can still be used in a digital context, but their effectiveness depends on the effort you put into them. Lastly, don’t hesitate to advocate for yourself and communicate your needs with professors and institutions. 

By identifying your biggest challenge and finding the right tools to complement your natural thinking style, you can discover the key to unlocking your full potential in education and beyond.