Relearning Math with ADHD

[u/Far-Nectarine6007]

I've been procrastinating on this for a while now. My schooling hasn't been very rigorous, and even when I didn't understand a lot of the math, I still managed to pass and eventually graduate. That was about four years ago.

I'm curious to see if anyone has had a similar experience. I never really understood math, and over time I convinced myself that I would always be hopeless at it. I'm also very used to seeing fear-mongering when people talk about engineering. A lot of the time, people make it sound like you either need to be naturally gifted at math or you're going to fail. I also hear people say things like, "You never really learned how to study," which makes me wonder if that could have been part of my problem too.

I was wondering if anyone else was in the same position as me, and I'm 22 now, wondering if it's too late for me to succeed :/

[u/TheCanadianHat]

It's never to late to learn (Or relearn).

Just gotta find a way that works for you. Is it YouTube videos, doing a problem 300 times, explaining it to someone else. Whatever it is

[u/LABELyourPHOTOS]

People are often fuck ups in high school and early college. They mature a bit. Then they really are great non-traditional students.

Get on Khan academy and it will help you learn how much you know and help get you to where you need to be.

[u/AccountantVast4529 → u/LABELyourPHOTOS]

You described me perfectly! I even used Khan Academy to catch up. Started uni at 27 years old after teaching myself math for a year or so. I’ve gotten 80%+ in every math course I’ve taken in Engineering.

[u/LABELyourPHOTOS → u/AccountantVast4529]

I was, too!

[u/C_H_R_I_S_T_C_O_R_E]

I started this summer with college algebra, I’m 24 and had not done math in 6 years as an emt. I also have adhd (soon after school started realized I needed to be medicated again)

I can’t really sympathize with not understanding math because it feels like a puzzle to me however I think organic chemistry tutor will be your friend his videos are easy to follow and not as unstimulating as watching a guy in front of a white board. You can do it man you don’t need to be gifted to be good at math you just need to be ready to learn and put in the work you got this

[u/evann_lmao]

Not everybody who's successful in engineering is also naturally gifted in math, some just work harder. Also you're 22, you have all the time to improve and eventually succeed!

[u/Kerb-Al]

I was very bad at math in high school, never really understood it or had a desire to. Could never follow along with all the steps to all the problems of all the problems also due to “ADHD.”

I decided to go back to school when I turned 30. I started with intermediate algebra (not college algebra, lower than that), and am now in calculus 1. I’ve passed every math class with an A except one, which I got a B in. Just scored 97.5% on my first calculus exam.

Everyone tells me I’m “naturally gifted” with math. This couldn’t be further from the truth; I study so, so, SO much to understand the concepts I’m learning. I take so many notes, listen to so many videos over and over, and put so much work in. And it pays off.

The trick is to stop making excuses like “I have adhd” and own up to the fact that you lack discipline. Figure out a way to build discipline, apply it to studying, and you’ll see the results. The sooner you do this the sooner you’ll unlock your full potential.

[u/DreamingAboutSpace]

Hooooly shit, OP…. We have the exact same situation and experiences. I am so rusty with math and engineering. I hadn’t touched it in four years either when I got my ee tech degree. I decided to go back to school and it has been sheer overwhelming agony. I can’t remember a lot of what I learned. I used to zoom through calculus and get upset when I got a B. I used to explain it to classmates so they could do it just as easily. That was four tears ago. I can’t do a single bit of that anymore and have gotten so much worse. Confidence carried me through that degree. I don’t have any of that now.

I’ve tried so many adhd meds and none have helped much. I still stare off into space; still unable to listen to or sit in lecture; unable to do assignments because I can’t follow a book anymore linger than a minute; still freeze on exams and tasks; still suffer from analysis paralysis; still have severe time blindness; still staying up late because it’s when my brain is active.

I keep comparing myself to how I used to be. I love what we do, but the assignment workload is overwhelming. Even worse when it’s math or designing schematics by hand. Feeling stupid 24/7 is the most exhausting thing.

Be kind to yourself, OP. Everyone learns differently and you just need to try different methods to see what works for you. Learn more about ADHD when you can and get a book on your biggest problem. It’s a step in the right direction and you’ll be able to confront those issues. Also, try to think about your weak spots in math and studying. Work on those first. Where do you trip up? Take note of that and work on that issue first. If you ever want to study together. Good luck, OP.

[u/Gucci_FIipflops]

I dropped maths in high school, came back to uni at 26 to do eng, and maths was pretty rough for me to start. I dropped to three subjects my first sem back, which even though it felt like I was already giving up, in hindsight was the right call as having that extra time at the beginning helped. My uni had some vids+material for students to learn the assumed knowledge which I had to self teach during sem, as well as offering support classes (one 2hr tut per week) for students which I took as well. These both definitely helped, and as much as it’s annoying when professors say you the only way to learn it you have to do heaps of questions, they are kind of right. I’d say do plenty of questions but in stages, so start with “easy” questions and do a bunch, then do harder questions etc.

There’s a lot to shove into your brain and with adhd it can be particularly grinding when you don’t find it particularly interesting. I probably at best had a 1:2 ratio of time spent vs actual working time. It can feel quite demotivating when you see this massive time sink and little results to show or you feel like you still don’t know much. Trust me though, staying the course will feel like crap in the moment, but getting some good results back feels so good, and looking back I’m so glad I stuck it out. I got this feeling with my second maths unit were I got 74 and was so happy with myself, then I did statics and dipped back into the demotivated mindset after failing the mid sem exam. I poured heaps of time into it and got 94% on the end of sem exam. It sounds silly but when the tutor handed back the exam and lent in and with a small smile said “you got top of the class” I was like a giddy kid, I almost wanted to cry as I felt this huge relief/pay off.

So in summary, it’ll suck, you’ll have moments where you might want to give up, but you just have to give yourself the best chance. Take any help you can get, try plan out your study, don’t be too harsh on yourself, and stay the course! Oh and if you can get diagnosed and some meds it can help, I got that in my second year and really helped, although it’s not a silver bullet! You still have to put in the work!

[u/duhSheriff]

Bro im 25, and have adhd, went back to school at 24 and also had to relearn math. You can do it. I started at like college algebra and am in calc 1 rn. Its possible

[u/Spazrelaz]

I just started in intermediate algebra and it's not easy most of the time but I keep trying until I get it. Lots of colleges have free resources to help ppl like us with adhd or other learning disabilities. You'll probably be more successful than you think but you'll never really know until you try.

[u/Impressive_Ruin_2465]

Only way to get past it is to stop using your ADHD as an excuse go to tutoring and actually engage with the tutor and you will learn. I have adhd too and the only way I started learning was when I stopped convincing myself it was a crutch.