Sometimes I wish I had a sign on my head that said, "I swear I have social skills!" I'm tired of people thinking I'm awkward, when really it's just me coping with my inability to speak right and focus.

I was in the 6th grade when my parents became fairly concerned about the way I was learning. And, I felt stupid, especially since I seemed to be the only one in my family with a learning disability. Coincidentally, this was about the time that we moved from Colorado to Pennsylvania. Because of this, it was easy for us to blame my terrible grades on the stress of moving.

I remember my mother always stressing to teachers in elementary school to place me in the front row of the classroom. Early one, she probably did this to make sure I was getting the right education, but maybe she knew more than even I did at the time. I was a quiet kid, and I was in my own world most of the time. I was more imaginative as a student, and I was “a visual learner.” As I got older, the running joke was that everyone was afraid of me driving because they know I tend to zone out. I zoned out at everything, everyone, and nothing.

What is ADHD?

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood disorders and can continue through adolescence and adulthood.-- National Institute of Mental Health

According to Web MD, the symptoms include having daydreams, shifting from task to task without finishing anything, becoming easily distracted, missing important details, making careless mistakes in homework and tests, getting bored quickly, having trouble getting organized or settled, not listening when spoken to, understanding information slowly and having problems when following instructions.

There are actually different categories and many types of ADHD: the hyperactive-impulsive type and the inattentive type. Most people with ADHD have both.

The inattentive type of ADHD is basically what people would call ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). So, for me, I would be more restless, I would have problems concentrating on certain tasks, and I wouldn't always absorb all of the information said to me. I also have a hard time getting settled, which is where almost what could be called Obsessive Compulsive Disorder comes in. That just happens to be the way that I handle my anxiety from ADHD -- through cleaning and organizing.

Struggles in Memory:

One of the biggest problems that comes along with ADHD, at least for me, is remembering things. I can’t remember certain dates my boyfriend of almost five years and I went on, and I can’t remember what I did two birthdays ago.

So how does this all affect my life as a college student?

Especially this year, as a junior, I'm having trouble with a lot of things. My ability to remember things is all out of whack. I am twisting the words and stories that I learn in class, and I keep seeing people that I definitely know but can't remember their names. I kid you not, I cannot even express to you the amount of people I have seen on campus this year that I have talked to before but I do not know their names, the conversations we had, or where I know them from.

Distorted Stories:

Another new thing I am noticing this year is that I need to record my professors on my phone. I have caught myself twice completely distorting the facts from my history class. I told my boyfriend a whole story about how George Washington started the French-Indian war when I wasn’t even right. I was not even close to how the story was told in class! It’s embarrassing. I can’t help out my friends by giving them my notes if they need it because my notes aren’t always accurate!

Lack of... Smartness?

I would love it if my SAT scores didn't make me look so dumb. The problem is my ability to test. I have been taking tests in separate centers since middle school, whenever I could. I only applied to two colleges, and I got into the one that I go to now. There was actually a fear that I would not get into a good college because my grades were too low. This was scary for not only me, but my parents. I worked so hard over the years and the motivation was there... I just couldn't get my 2.0 GPA up any higher than what it was. It was only in college that I was finally able to bring my GPA back up, because of my art classes which require hands-on work rather than tests and quizzes.

Social Skills:

Sometimes I have moments where I can't speak correctly, and I almost have a slur to my words. I hate it more than anything when I have a bad day with speech. Some days I'm just generally groggy, and it feels like I have marshmallows in my mouth. Sometimes I wish I had a sign on my head that said, "I swear I have social skills!" I'm tired of people thinking I'm awkward, when really it's just me coping with my inability to speak right and focus.

ADHD has nothing to do with how smart a person is. Some individuals with ADHD have very high IQ scores, others score in the average range, and others score much lower. Often individuals with ADHD who are very bright are not recognized as being impaired with ADHD symptoms. -- National Resource Center for ADIHD

I know that there are much worse cases of ADHD than what I have, which is why I feel bad that I use accommodation plans sometimes. I am just barely in the ADHD category. Although this is true, everyone’s ADHD is different. My ADHD specifically has to do with remembering things and comprehending my studies. I hate that this is what I have to deal with on a daily basis, especially since I would love more than anything to be able to remember my dates with my boyfriend.

I will always be overly attentive to the last-minute buys in a check-out line, and I will most likely continue obsessively cleaning my room to procrastinate writing a paper or studying for a test. Since this is what I have and it makes me who I am, I have to live with it. It’s just a matter of how I handle my problems. I can spend a long time thinking about how my glass is half empty, but why should I if I can imagine it's half full?