When a student struggles with executive function challenges, each day can be a slog to get through. It can be a stressful and difficult process filled with missteps, second guessing, and forgetting. Let’s take a glance at what a typical day can look like for a college student. We’ll call him Alex.
The morning begins with a symphony of alarms. Alex set five of them, each spaced five minutes apart, since he struggles to wake up (and fall asleep), but somehow he still wakes up late. Frantically, Alex rushes to get ready and bolts out the door. Only once he gets to class does he realize the clicker he needed for his first class attendance is still on his desk in his dorm. Not to mention, he had to skip breakfast just to make it to class a couple minutes late.
In lecture, Alex tries to focus, but the professor’s words blur into a haze. The struggle to take notes is real: either Alex writes down every detail, missing the big picture, or zones out entirely, lost in thoughts about the upcoming group project or the email that’s been sitting in the drafts folder for days. By the end of class, the notes are a chaotic mix of highlights and doodles, and not all that helpful.
After class, Alex heads to the library with the best intentions. The to-do list is long—an essay, a pile of readings, and a group project that’s due soon. But where to start? Alex spends nearly half an hour trying to prioritize, only to get sidetracked by a notification. Before long, an hour has slipped away, and the only thing accomplished is reorganizing a playlist. It’s time to get to his next class.
By evening, exhaustion sets in, but the work remains. Alex finally starts the essay around 10 PM, and realizes it’s going to be much more difficult than he initially thought. He never fully analyzed the assignment or looked in depth at the rubric. Frustration mounts, but he pushes through and finishes the paper at 3 a.m, slightly before the 9 AM submission deadline. He knows tomorrow will be another tough day.
This is a small example, but when students struggle with EF challenges in college, each day, and even assignment, can feel like a monumental lift. The stress and emotional wear can build up, and students can get overwhelmed and burnt out. Working with an academic coach can help students build skills to better manage their work and themselves.