Table Of ContentCollegeConfidenceADD_CVR:Layout 1 3/27/08 10:21 AM Page 1
C The Ultimate Success Manual for ADD
EEvveerryytthhiinngg YYoouu NNeeeedd ttoo
o Students, from Applying to
KKnnooww ttoo FFiinndd SSuucccceessss iinn
l Academics, Preparation to
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CCoolllleeggee Social Success and
e
Everything Else
While college is a challenge for any student, the increased workload, complexity, g
freedom, and competing demands make it particularly daunting for students with Attention You Need to
e
Deficit Disorder. But you need not be overwhelmed—you can succeed!
Know
College Confidence with ADDwill help you turn obstacles into opportunities and overcome CCoonnffiiddeennccee
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social, academic, financial, and personal challenges both in and out of the classroom.
Some of the many areas covered include: o
•Choosing and applying to colleges n
•Getting the accommodations you need f wwiitthh AADDDD
•Financial aid, scholarships and starting school i
d
•Note-taking, studying and test-taking strategies
•Using technology to simplify your life and your e
studies
n
•Routine-building, prioritizing and juggling
c
competing demands
e
•Getting healthy, gaining focus and finding your
inner strength
w
•Overcoming depression, anxiety and fear
i
•Sports, social skills and establishing greater
t
confidence
h
•Choosing majors, life direction, graduate school and
future employment
A
Set yourself up for success from day one with
D
College Confidence with ADD!
D
Michael Sandler is the founder of The Creative Learning Institute and a practicing national ADD
coach, author, and public speaker. He is a regular columnist for the national ADD magazine ADDitude
and is a featured speaker at national ADD conventions.
SANDLER
College Guides/ ISBN-13: 978-1-4022-1251-2
Special Needs ISBN-10: 1-4022-1251-8 www.wsowuwrc.seobuorcoekbscooolklesg.ceo.cmom
$14.95 U.S.
$17.95 CAN
£7.99 UK EAN UPC
Printed in Canada MICHAEL SANDLER
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CCoonnffiiddeennccee
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CCoolllleeggee
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The Ultimate Success Manual for
ADD Students, from Applying to Academics,
Preparation to Social Success, and
Everything Else You Need to Know
MICHAEL SANDLER
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Copyright © 2008 by Michael Sandler
Cover and internal design © 2008 by Sourcebooks, Inc.
Cover photo © Veer
Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks,
Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form
or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage
and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher,
Sourcebooks, Inc.
This book is not intended as a substitute for medical advice from a qualified
physician. The intent of this book is to provide accurate general information
in regard to the subject matter covered. If medical advice or other expert
help is needed, the services of an appropriate medical professional should
be sought.
All brand names and product names used in this book are trademarks,
registered trademarks, or trade names of their respective holders.
Sourcebooks, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor in this book.
The people pictured in the cover photo are models and the image is being
used for illustrative purposes.
Published by Sourcebooks, Inc.
P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567-4410
(630) 961-3900
Fax: (630) 961-2168
www.sourcebooks.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sandler, Michael.
Conquering college with ADD / by Michael Sandler.
p. cm. ISBN-13: 978-1-4022-1924-5
1. Attention-deficit disorder in adolescence. 2. Attention-deficit-disor-
dered youth—Education (Higher) I. Title.
RJ506.H9S266 2007
618.92'8589—dc22
2007014397
Printed and bound in Canada.
TR 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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DDeeddiiccaattiioonn
There’s a Japanese expression that says success takes more than tal-
ent, it also takes important encounters with people.
I know without such people in my life, I’d never have made it this
far. No man is an island, especially me, and this project wouldn’t have
existed without so many people’s incredible help and support. To each
and every one of you, thank you. I dedicate this book to you.
In particular, I wish to dedicate this book to a few special people
and their families and loved ones who’ve helped make this dream
a reality.
Without Shinko Sakai and her entire family’s support, love,
encouragement and guidance, I’d have fallen just short of the goal.
You’ve kept me going, and cheered me on.
The courage and lessons I learned from my Japanese running
friends, who’ve given their all for country, company, family, and
friends, have taught me that everything, no matter how difficult,
happens for a reason, and to have patience, let go of the outcome,
and accept life’s twists, turns, and challenges for what they are:
beautiful gifts.
To my sister, Elisa Share, whose voice has been my rope of hope
and wisdom in trying times.
To Craig Harrison, without whose help I would never have made
it cycling across the country.
To Nicki Cutean and the entire clan, without whose support and
persistence I may have given up my creative endeavors or missed the
mark in teaching this to others.
To Beverly Rohman (www.learningconnections.net), who helped
start me down this helping path and who’s stuck by me through many
trying times. And Not-So-Crazy Bob, who doesn’t think he has his act
together, but teaches me so much, each and every day.
To Jack Burden, a friend, mentor, and guide; far wiser than an owl
at the ever-younger age of eighty-six.
CollegeConfidence_pt1:Layout 1 3/27/08 3:28 PM Page vi
To Tom Masterson, who quietly lives by example, marathon-running
mountains around the world, dancing to nature’s tune with a constant
smile, in his ever-younger seventies.
To Jonathan and Renee Knop (both of you, keep on healing!) for
your courage, inspiration, guidance, and audiobook magic (see
www.thecreativehealinginstitute.com)!
To my parents, without whose love, wisdom, insight, and unwaver-
ing support, I’d never have been diagnosed, gotten the help I needed,
gone to college, or had this book published.
And to the memory of Kerri Korenko, whose trials and experiences
taught me so much of what I now teach to others. You will be missed,
but never forgotten, and your lessons will carry on.
And last, to my two guardian angels, confidants, and incredible
four-legged companions Pumpkin and Sawa. You are my teachers, my
guides, my support, and so much more. Without your unconditional
love and unwavering joy for life, I probably wouldn’t even be here, let
alone writing this book.
To everyone, to the universe, to love, life, and nature itself, thank
you and arigatou!
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CCoonntteennttss
Acknowledgments........................................................................ix
Chapter One
Introduction...................................................................................1
Chapter Two
Succeeding with ADD...................................................................5
Chapter Three
Understanding ADD...................................................................17
Chapter Four
Taking Advantage of Technology.................................................35
Chapter Five
Choosing the College That’s Right for You..................................43
Chapter Six
Applying to Schools.....................................................................59
Chapter Seven
Planning before You Arrive..........................................................69
Chapter Eight
Know Your Student Rights...........................................................87
Chapter Nine
Taking Care of Yourself................................................................95
Chapter Ten
Juggling Your Finances...............................................................127
Chapter Eleven
Organizing Your Life..................................................................135
Chapter Twelve
Academic Success.......................................................................147
Chapter Thirteen
Life Outside of Class..................................................................235
Chapter Fourteen
Getting Help..............................................................................285
Chapter Fifteen
Life after Graduation.................................................................373
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Chapter Sixteen
ADD and Your Career...............................................................391
Conclusion: Be a Student of Your Life ...................................407
Index.........................................................................................411
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AAcckknnoowwlleeddggmmeennttss
Rereading this book just weeks before it prints, I must admit I’m
dumbfounded. I keep asking myself, “Who wrote this book?” Or,
“How did ‘I’ write such a thing?” I put “I” in quotation marks because
I’m not the person I was when I started this book five and a half years
ago. I mean, I’m still me, but I’m not.
You see, the Michael Sandler who started this book died a year and
a half ago. He hit the pavement while trying to avoid a toddler and his
father when they inadvertently stepped out onto the bike path in front
of him. I had an instant to decide to throw myself down rather than
hit the little boy. In that moment, who I was ceased to be.
I am very thankful for that accident, and for all of the struggles and
challenges to follow. And I’m incredibly thankful that the “new” me,
the one who woke up to find someone else’s blood being pumped into
his veins, had the opportunity to rewrite much of this book.
You see, the book was originally a how-to guide for being the best
square peg in a round hole. But when I came to, I realized that wouldn’t
do. I could no longer help students just fit in or get by. Life’s too precious,
too short, and we have far too much to offer. While good grades are great,
I want to help students discover their inner talents, joy, and passion, so
they may love, laugh, and achieve their dreams while living life to the
fullest. I wanted to help them build castles in the sky.
I was fortunate enough to be given a second chance, both at life
and with this book. Over the year and a half that followed, with the
incredible patience and diligence of the great folks at Sourcebooks—
and in particular Peter Lynch and Erin Nevius—I edited and rewrote
the majority of this book. Even the title changed.
What you see is as much a part of their hearts and souls as it is mine.
And while I typed the words, I now know they came from some-
place special. Whether you call it God, Nature, Source, the Universe,
Spaciousness, or simply a “quiet mind,” I know that while the words
flowed through me, they didn’t come from me. This energy is where
Description:Everything You Need to Know to Find Success in College and BeyondWhile college is a challenge for any student, the increased workload, complexity, freedom and competing demands make it particularly daunting for those students with Attention Deficit Disorder. But you need not be overwhelmed and you c
