The $50,000 Mistake: Why Standard High School Transition Plans Often Fail ADHD Students in College

The $50,000 Mistake: Why Standard High School Transition Plans Often Fail ADHD Students in College

When I sent my own kids to college, I couldn’t figure out why so many of their classmates were struggling so badly. At first, it was baffling — these were smart, capable students. Why were so many of them crashing just a few months into freshman year?

So I started digging. And what I found made everything click.

As a behavior analyst, I had unintentionally prepared my kids for college in a completely different way than most parents. I didn’t just rely on what the high school provided. I took a layered, skill-based approach — and honestly, it explained a lot.

Over the past five years, I’ve sent three kids to college. Two have already graduated (both in just four years), and my third is right on track to do the same. And they didn’t choose easy paths — all three pursued demanding STEM fields.

But here's the truth: it wasn’t just about academics.
It was about executive functioning and real-world readiness — the skills that make the difference between surviving and thriving on a college campus.

The Problem with "Standard" Transition Plans

High schools mean well. For students with ADHD, autism, and other executive functioning challenges, they often provide transition plans designed to help with life after graduation. On paper, these plans look good. They talk about jobs, living skills, and asking for help — all important things.

But here's the problem: they skim the surface.

They don’t dig deep into the executive functioning layers that truly predict college success.
They don't prepare students for what really happens when structure disappears, when routines evaporate, and when a single missed deadline can snowball into an academic disaster.

Typical high school transition planning is designed to prepare every student, which means it has to be broad, generic, and shallow.
From Home to Campus is different — it's designed to prepare your student, making it narrow, specific, and deep.

In high school, students often manage because they’re in a tightly controlled environment with external structures — daily class schedules, teacher reminders, parent check-ins.

College is a different world.
Students take four or five classes across an unstructured week. They have long stretches of "free" time — and no one prompting them what to do next.

And unless you’ve assessed how your student operates without that external scaffolding, you don’t really know how they’ll perform.
Most transition plans don't catch this.

The gaps are invisible — until your student is suddenly facing a crisis alone.

The Statistics Speak for Themselves

Only 30% of students with ADHD graduate college within six years.
Six years!

When you planned for your child to go to college, did you plan for six years of tuition, fees, and living expenses?
Most families didn’t — we certainly didn’t.

And it’s not because students aren't smart enough.
It’s because they’re missing the real-world executive functioning support and readiness they need to survive the transition.

Individualized Launch Planning Changes Everything

At College ADHD Coach, we believe in individualized launch planning.
We don't guess.
We assess your student’s real-world executive functioning skills — not just in theory, but in context.

• How do they handle unstructured time?

• How do they plan for long-term deadlines without daily reminders?

• Can they advocate for themselves when things go wrong?

When we identify strengths and breakdown points ahead of time, we can build a launch plan tailored to your student’s real needs.
We’re not just hoping they'll adjust — we’re setting them up to succeed, stay, and thrive.

Join Us: From Home to Campus Workshop

If you're serious about giving your student the best chance to succeed in college — not just academically, but in life — we invite you to join us at our upcoming workshop:

From Home to Campus: A Parent’s Roadmap for ADHD Success.

In this live, three-part series, you'll learn how to:
✅ Identify hidden executive functioning gaps
✅ Predict potential breakdown points before they become crises
✅ Build a tailored, realistic launch plan that sets your student up for success

Don’t leave your student’s future to chance.
Join us and help them launch with confidence.

[Register for the From Home to Campus Workshop here!]
www.collegeadhdcoach.com/fromhometocampus