Failing Daily: Applying Evidence-Based Study Strategies

Written for Neurodivergent Learners (like me)

Hi, fellow neurodivergent brain-holder. Nice to meet you! I’m super excited that you’re here.

Let’s talk about why I’m even writing this post today. I am a second year PhD student at a research university in the United States. My diagnoses of ADHD and autism both came after years of consistently underperforming in my undergraduate courses after graduating from high school with a 4.0 GPA. I went through my entire undergraduate career without having the skills to study effectively for my brain and struggled with communicating what I struggled with with my classmates, teaching assistants, and professors. I wanted to do well and I put in hours of work towards reviewing course material, but I was always below the average scores for quizzes and exams. I felt like a failure, I was ashamed that I couldn’t do better, and I was embarrassed to admit that I didn’t know what I was doing “wrong.” I know that I’m not alone in this experience, but I want to tell you that you are not a failure if you …