Academic Plan
Changes and steps I have in place going forward:
I am registered with QSAS and throughout the semester I will set up monthly meetings to review my academic progression through my courses, specifically how my strategies and accommodations are working.
I am in contact with an ADHD coach who I'm going to plan biweekly to weekly meetings over the course of the semesters depending on my workload. I have tried using external accountability before by communicating my upcoming assignments to friends and it worked well, but relying on friends is not as consistent as having a paid ADHD coaching professional. I am also looking to them for mentorship through managing my schedule concerning factors outside of university that impact my academics.
I am currently working on recovering my GPA by retaking two of my failed courses for a total of 9 credits, and I am proving to be successful in them.
Allotting myself more wiggle room for time to work on course material during the semester to factor in my distractibility and attention level on any given day. This includes:
Setting up my course schedule with a variety of heavy and lighter required readings courses, as well as a variety in the weighting of assessments. Each semester should have some more challenging courses and slightly lighter ones to help ease the weekly workload.
Significantly lowering the amount of hours I am available to work at my part time job. This will allow more time for planning and following through with the timelines I set for myself for getting larger assignments done.
During the past two years I was on the varsity sailing team which I found had an immense positive impact on my mental health. This year I will not be joining again due to the large time commitment which will allow me more time to ensure my academic success. I’ll still have the social connections the team offered me during my time with them.
Setting specific timelines for myself with the guide of my QSAS advisor and ADHD coach that will allow me extra time to use the student writing help services. This will help me stay on track of my timeline and I could use the benefit from the services to help strengthen my work.
Taking lighter course loads allowing more time to be allotted to spend on each course
Better adaptive technology that allows for text to speech. This has helped me in the past with large volumes of reading but it was a paid service. I have it again now and will be looking into the services that queens offer for students with disabilities.
Communication with profs to meet my learning needs. Due to my difficulty taking notes in class when there is a lot of reading, I'm going to reach out at the beginning of each class to my profs to see what services they could offer to help me with note taking. (ex. if they can provide notes or other note takers in class)
I know where to access mental health services now for times where I feel overwhelmed or debilitated, and I can recognize where the likely high stress points will be in the semester so I can set up a plan for them.
I have attached documentation from my psychologist, who confirms that my learning difficulties greatly impacted my academic performance. I am using the strategies she advised and will be meeting with her again within the year to review any changes.
I know I can turn this around next year and I appreciate your time and consideration.
Thank you,
Jayna Mandin
20236286
I am registered with QSAS and throughout the semester I will set up monthly meetings to review my academic progression through my courses, specifically how my strategies and accommodations are working.
I am in contact with an ADHD coach who I'm going to plan biweekly to weekly meetings over the course of the semesters depending on my workload. I have tried using external accountability before by communicating my upcoming assignments to friends and it worked well, but relying on friends is not as consistent as having a paid ADHD coaching professional. I am also looking to them for mentorship through managing my schedule concerning factors outside of university that impact my academics.
I am currently working on recovering my GPA by retaking two of my failed courses for a total of 9 credits, and I am proving to be successful in them.
Allotting myself more wiggle room for time to work on course material during the semester to factor in my distractibility and attention level on any given day. This includes:
Setting up my course schedule with a variety of heavy and lighter required readings courses, as well as a variety in the weighting of assessments. Each semester should have some more challenging courses and slightly lighter ones to help ease the weekly workload.
Significantly lowering the amount of hours I am available to work at my part time job. This will allow more time for planning and following through with the timelines I set for myself for getting larger assignments done.
During the past two years I was on the varsity sailing team which I found had an immense positive impact on my mental health. This year I will not be joining again due to the large time commitment which will allow me more time to ensure my academic success. I’ll still have the social connections the team offered me during my time with them.
Setting specific timelines for myself with the guide of my QSAS advisor and ADHD coach that will allow me extra time to use the student writing help services. This will help me stay on track of my timeline and I could use the benefit from the services to help strengthen my work.
Taking lighter course loads allowing more time to be allotted to spend on each course
Better adaptive technology that allows for text to speech. This has helped me in the past with large volumes of reading but it was a paid service. I have it again now and will be looking into the services that queens offer for students with disabilities.
Communication with profs to meet my learning needs. Due to my difficulty taking notes in class when there is a lot of reading, I'm going to reach out at the beginning of each class to my profs to see what services they could offer to help me with note taking. (ex. if they can provide notes or other note takers in class)
I know where to access mental health services now for times where I feel overwhelmed or debilitated, and I can recognize where the likely high stress points will be in the semester so I can set up a plan for them.
I have attached documentation from my psychologist, who confirms that my learning difficulties greatly impacted my academic performance. I am using the strategies she advised and will be meeting with her again within the year to review any changes.
I know I can turn this around next year and I appreciate your time and consideration.
Thank you,
Jayna Mandin
20236286