As a kid with undiagnosed ADHD (diagnosed at 18), I was all over the place. I was the class clown that had a dull future because academics was just too hard. My older sister gave me books for birthdays and Christmas presents, year after year, until one day it finally caught my attention and I was in love! I soon realised I was worth more when I kept getting awards at school for “Best Reader” and “Top Spelling Bee”. After a traumatic car accident, with a big laceration to my head, everything changed. My brain changed. I changed. I became an academic… weird, right?
Well, I went from failing classes to graduating with two distinctions and a Bachelors Pass to University. With my Bachelors Degree, I found my passion for corporate environments. I found my strengths in analytics and the finer details no one cared about. With that, I enrolled into this course and felt myself flourish! I learnt how a small change can make a huge difference. This course taught me how a small comma can change the whole meaning.
Having to learn on your own and not have normal lectures, and needing to submit assignments every month, taught me structure and how to manage my priorities. Yes, sacrifices will be made, like your Sunday brunch with your friends, or even your one-hour lunch break at work, but it’s honestly worth it.
My assignment feedback was something I waited for eagerly to show up in the mail. I never felt useless. Atholl (my tutor) always encouraged and HELPED me. He was my ally through the whole course. I was over-critical sometimes and I even asked him if I was being over-analytical and he told me the truth that I was. My tutor answered all my questions and even offered further explanations and further readings I could do. It did get lonely but I discovered the student portal, where you can post a question to the forum and other students would help you and answer you. I personally didnt utilize this much but when I did, it was very much appreciated how the community responded.
My advice? Have a good routine. When it says spend 4-hours a week on your work, I recommend an extra hour for reading your assignment over and over again with your tutorial notes handy.
- Firstly, find the errors that are easy and you are sure of.
- Secondly, spot the errors that related to your current tutorial and your previous one.
- Thirdly, take that red pen and trust yourself (use an erasable one if it makes you more confident).
If you catch yourself being over-analytical, put the pen down and remind yourself of the basics. THE BASICS ARE YOUR BEST FRIEND!
If you are neurodivergent like me, find your strengths and use them to your advantage. ADHD is my super power when it comes to colour-coding and summaries… what’s yours?
And when in doubt, loudly read it out! You have got this.
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