UNIV 1210: Academic Success and Personal Development

A Section Specialized for Neurodivergent Students

Every fall semester, a DASS staff member teaches one section of UNIV 1210: Academic Success and Personal Development for students with ADHD, learning differences, and ASD. This course is a two-credit, letter-graded (not pass/fail), elective course that satisfies SMU's Oral Communications Proficiency. This section of Academic Success and Personal Development helps students in the following ways:

  • learn and implement time management and organization skills
  • improve their reading rate;
  • practice note taking skills;
  • develop good study and test-taking skills; and
  • determine their own learning style and ways to utilize this style, etc.

This section of the course also addresses particular learning issues that students with ADHD and learning differences face, such as academic accommodations and self-advocacy, and provides an open forum in which to discuss them. This class serves as a natural networking opportunity for students with ADHD and learning differences to learn from each other, while improving their study skills.

Instructor Permission

Before enrolling, you must obtain permission from the current instructor, David Tylicki. Please email him at dtylicki@smu.edu, or phone the DASS office, 214-768-1470.

Student Testimonials

"[Academic Success and Personal Development] was a great way to bridge the academic gap between high school and college! It taught me new ways to study and approach work and it reinforced what had been taught to me in high school. Taking this section allowed me to interact with other students facing the same challenges I faced and I was able to learn from their experiences."

-Annie, sophomore from California 

" [Academic Success and Personal Development] helps you become a better reader through drills, allows you to have better study skills through different study strategies, helps you become an efficient test taker, and helps you get more organized."

-Anonymous student evaluation

" [Academic Success and Personal Developments is] a class that you need to take your first year. It will give you confidence and help start off your college career without freaking out. I got more than I expected. It really helped in that it was a safe area to talk about problems, how to study, and what you need to know [to be successful]. Basically, it gave me confidence."

-Anonymous student evaluation