Whether you’re just a mere few months from graduation, or if you’re a freshman, sophomore or junior just looking for some fresh motivation and a way to mentally get back into school, look no further! After a long and relaxing break, it can be really hard to get motivated again to finish the second semester of the year on a high note. January is the month of “Blue Monday,” the time of year when statistically, people are most depressed. It’s cold, dark, the holidays are over, and yet we are expected to start anew and go through an entirely new semester, be ready for new classes, and be ready to return to our jobs, clubs, and maybe even start new internships, clincal rotations, or other responsibilities. I know that when it came to the second half of my senior year in high school, I was deeply entrenched in a losing battle against senioritis. I definitely don’t want to get stuck in that again as a senior in college, so this time around, I researched some tips for avoiding senioritis and I want to share some of my favorites with you!
1) Start preparing
When you over-think about the future, it can seem pretty bleak- if you don’t have a job or internship lined up for after graduation (or, for the underclassmen, for the summer), it can be easy to stress too much about that and not focus enough on the tasks at hand- your current classes and responsibilities. Carve out a little time every week for applying to jobs or internships and visiting the Career Center. You won’t find a job any faster by obsessing over applications for hours on end, so be realistic, take a deep breath, and work on it little by little- you will land your dream job, just give it time!
2) Get inspired
Do things that will keep you interested and engaged in the semester. Examples could be getting involved in new clubs, writing a term paper or doing a term project on a topic that really interests you, or even just looking up motivational quotes! Consistently be inspired and find reasons to be actively engaged in your school work, and you’ll find you have more motivation.
3) Take care of yourself
Whether you’re taking 12 credits or 20, working 2 jobs or none, it can be really easy to loose track of your health. Let’s face it – our routines are all over the place. Sometimes those all-nighters are unavoidable, but they can take their toll! Nothing is a better de-motivator than getting sick mid-semester. Make sure you take the time to eat healthy, get outside, exercise, meditate, spend time with friends or family, and just generally do things that make you feel happy and less stressed or overwhelmed. Get plenty of sleep, drink plenty of water, don’t overdo it on the coffee and late nights, and give yourself a break every once in a while! Remember: you’re already doing a lot, and it will be better in the long run to take it slower if it means your health (and sanity!) remain intact!
4) Face reality
This one is really more for seniors, but underclassmen should be prepared as well. The reality for seniors is that this is the last semester ever! After these next few months (provided you don’t continue on to grad school), you won’t have to write academic papers, sit in three-hour night classes, or buy textbooks anymore! How awesome is that?! The freedom and the possibilities of life after college are within your reach, that should be motivation enough! That being said, if you decide to give up now, what does that say about your future? If you tank your GPA in the last semester because you just aren’t motivated, what does that tell a future employer or a future grad school? It could give them the wrong impression, and the decision to allow yourself to be engulfed in senioritis might very well follow you for a while to come!
5) Get organized and scheduled
Getting organized and keeping a schedule are pretty self-explanatory. Make use of that agenda book that Molloy gave us back in September – write down assignments and important due dates so that there are constant reminders in your bag or backpack of what needs to get done and when. Also, keep track of your papers! Between notes, syllabi, the resumes you might be carrying around, grad school apps, and all of the other papers you could have, it’s easy for things to get lost if you don’t know where they are. Take this time now to create some sort of system for yourself to stay organized, and make it a habit! You will thank yourself now and later for being organized and creating a habit of it.
6) Reward yourself
You’ve come this far! Whether you’re a freshman who has really grown a lot in these first few months of your college career, or you’re a senior graduating in May, you have come so far and have no doubt been working hard and gracefully handling all of the curveballs life can throw at you. Give yourself the credit you deserve! Go out on a Friday night, binge-watch a little Netflix every so often, and take yourself seriously, but not too seriously.
If you’re still looking for motivation, click here or here and read some more tips for avoiding senioritis and staying motivated!