College, the big step after graduating high school and the stepping stone to the real world. It’s overwhelming, stressful, and at times you may even want to quit. Looking back at how easy high school used to be can really discourage you during your semesters in college. You begin to get lazy, especially being able to pick your own schedule, you miss classes, or you stop keeping up with the readings and assignments for that online class you decided to give a try.
STOP. Take a deep breath, take a small break and look at what you have to get done.
Staying motivated in college is hard, and it may seem impossible, but here are a few ways to not lose that motivation or regain it if you already have.
- Make friends in classes. Study together, copy notes/rewrite notes, and quiz each other on new material so it sinks in, and revisit the materials when a test or quiz is coming up. Making friends in classes always helps, and it keeps you in check if you decide to skip that day.
- Read the syllabus of your classes, and make schedules for when assignments are due. Map out the term, and figure out when you should allot time for specific assignments. Set shorter times for smaller assignments, possibly a few hours for reviews and homework, and more time for papers and exams.
- Focus on getting work done during the week. Before work or after if you have a job, in between classes, during your break time at work, during your lunch break on campus, etc. The best way to remain focused and motivated is to get all of your things done before the weekend so you can unwind, focus on your social life, and mental health.
- Working hard and getting the professor to remember you as a student is a great way to stay motivated as it has its rewards. You can always pull out favors, internships, and even recommendation letters from professors who see you’re hardworking and care about the information you’re learning through your grades and your attempt to know them outside of class.
- Remind yourself it’s okay to take breaks! Working too hard can overwork your mind to complete shutdown mode, making you unmotivated, stressed out, and exhausted.
- Sleep at a decent time, and try not to pull all-nighters if you can. You want to set time aside for studying so you can rest and be able to function daily.
Work hard now so you won’t have to work harder to catch up in the future. College is worth getting through, it’s worth the abundant success life will bring you after you complete it, and I promise you this: when you’re sitting down during graduation and they tell you that you can turn your tassel, all this will finally feel like it fell right into place. Stay motivated, stay hungry.
You got this.
Xoxo,
Nicole