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CU Boulder | Life > Academics

Gifted Kid Burnout

Kaylynn Linser Student Contributor, University of Colorado - Boulder
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CU Boulder chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

One thing that I’ve learned about myself from my time studying at the University of Colorado, Boulder is how to deal with academic struggle as a formerly labeled gifted kid. Throughout my life, academic success came fairly easy to me, as growing up an only child led me to becoming a perfectionist in every area of my life, but especially in the realm of academics.

However,  when my freshman year rolled around and I started struggling with my classes and receiving lower grades than what I had in the years before, I was taken aback for a moment. I was soon realizing that college classes would likely be more challenging, pushing me to make both an adjustment in my academic practices, but also in my generally goal-driven mindset. It’s not to say I’m not still a very driven student, I am, but I’ve had to learn to be gentle with myself along the journey of academic transition. So, for the remainder of my freshman year, I drove myself incredibly hard academically in order to achieve the grades I was after, taking difficult classes in an already heavily loaded semester. I was thriving, in all honesty, as keeping myself busy kept my mind goal-centered. 

Now, I’m in my second semester of my sophomore year here at CU Boulder, and I think it’s safe to say, through discovery of this past midterm season, that I’m officially a victim of gifted kid burnout. It’s not an easy pill to swallow. 

Previously, when finding motivation to prepare for an exam, or take the extra hour to meticulously edit a paper, it was a no-brainer and something that was simply just a part of the process for me. But when this past midterm season hit and I was swamped with exams and essays and projects, I found myself unmotivated to put in an equivalent amount of work, even if I knew I needed to in order to achieve the grades I wanted. This led to the anxiety-fueled dread of unproductivity and dysfunctionality. 

Navigating hitting a wall in my motivation during one of my most difficult midterm seasons thus far has been more frustrating than anything. I’ll ask myself why I can’t just do it—and the answer  is that I don’t know. 

So I have to learn to be comfortable with this situation, which hasn’t been easy, and understand that sometimes, a rest on the mind is more necessary than five more points on the 10-page essay. So what is the answer to the never ending dilemma of students hitting burn-out walls? I don’t know. And not knowing the answer to something, after years spent receiving praise for being “so bright” and “so thoughtful” and “so driven” is an uncomfortable situation to say the least. Especially because it pertains to my own ability to continue to fulfill these commendations for both myself and others’ expectations. 

It’s definitely still something that I’m working on, and I’m closer to finding comfort in the uncomfortable and learning to have grace on myself. It’s something that I know is going to continue to be in the back of my goal-driven and praise-motivated mind through the remainder of my academic career. In the meantime, I’m learning that taking breaks and setting boundaries in order to prevent overworking myself is, in fact, okay. 

Kaylynn Linser

CU Boulder '27

Kaylynn Linser is a Contributing Writer for the University of Colorado Boulder Chapter of Her Campus and has been a member since January 2025, collaborating with other writers to create articles and features covering relevant and intriguing topics.

She studies at the University of Colorado Boulder majoring in English and minoring in Political Science. She hopes to attend law school post-grad, but we will just have to see where life takes her. She has always enjoyed writing, both in and outside of an academic setting, working on a yearbook staff for all of high school, providing journalism and editing experience, another career aspiration for her.

When not droning over hours and hours of reading for class, Kaylynn enjoys listening to music, her favorite artists at the moment are Gracie Abrams, Taylor Swift, Role Model, and Fleetwood Mac, alongside a deep interest in the music industry as a whole. She has been a competitive dancer since she was 4 years old and now teaches beginner classes at a studio in Boulder. On the weekends, you may find her enjoying a rom-com or another watch of Pride and Prejudice (2005) with her friends, who she loves dearly.