College Student

Hello,
I am a 19-year-old, female college sophomore at one of the top universities in the country. I had never even considered the possibility of having a disorder until this summer, when I had my first job. I have always had issues keeping attention, but I have always learned to deal with them (I chew gum during class, tap my leg and make sure to sit on the end so that I can get up once for at least 5 minutes in the middle of class so that I can clear my head and go back to keeping attention).
However, at work, I realized that I cannot listen to vocal direction. I need to have things written down to do them, but it became a major issue. Had I not been on a grant, I believe that I would have been fired due to my inability to keep attention when spoken to or follow through on tasks as I lost attention somewhere in the directions.
I have always been able to adapt to be able to function well, such as in school (I kept straight As in school for most of my life), but I am realizing more and more that I don't know if I can function in the work force when I get out. It is also becoming a problem when I have lab classes, because I constantly forget lab protocol and misplace things necessary for experiments.
I have made an appointment with the college's psychology and counseling services... I guess my major question here is, is it possible for me to still have ADD/ADHD and still be high functioning, and able to take tests and whatnot, and have it not have been caught until now?

[Sandman2]

   Yes, it is extremely possible and I have seen numerous posts over the years here saying the same thing.
    Many times the student was at a high school that just was not that challenging and were able to "coast" through.  If you had at least 3 AP classes (and you scored a 4 or higher) that probably was not the case.
   Probably the best answer is that you are very intelligent, learned to compensate for your study short comings, and were able to nail the tests based more on what you did and thus did not have trouble in high school.  
   There are two sites aimed at the adult ADD sufferer that you might want to check out.  They are totallyadd.com and http://jeffsaddmind.com/for-first-time-visitors.
      Both sites are done by people with ADD.  totallyadd was actually a PBS special and consequently is a series of short videos.  Quite entertaining and useful.   Jeffs add mind really reflects him.  Has much more adult interaction.  Both are worth checking out.
And you will find info that you can relate to.
     By the way, you obviously have learned lots of ways to compensate.  You just need to learn a few more.  For example, you don't have to listen to vocal direction, but you certainly can record it.
    And I do think that your appointment with your college's psyc center is a good idea.  They will or should have experience in dealing with your problem.  And I should add, that I have seen many posts by adults who have gone on to medication on an as needed basis to get them through a test or a tough study assignment.
   So there are lots of ways to go.  If you have any more questions please post.  Best wishes!!!