Accomplishing your academic goals can be a long road. It is easy to get discouraged or loose sight of your end goal in the midst of it. What are some ways one can stay motivated during this process?
Here are a few thoughts that come to mind:
1. Get involved on campus in areas you are passionate about. Although studies should be your top priority, college and graduate school campuses have a wealth of opportunities to develop leadership and pursue interests outside of the classroom. You will meet new friends, feel more connected to your campus and be involved in fields that excite you. Who knows, this experience could open up doors for employment or academic opportunities in the future.
2. Take classes you find interesting! Of course you have requirements, but every degree has electives too. Building classes into your schedule that you WANT to take is fun and helps you develop a love of learning.
3. Take care of yourself. Eat well, sleep well, exercise and give yourself breaks. This is huge and helps manage stress. (Please refer to my previous blog on managing stress).
Ok, there are 3 places to start with. What other habits have you found helpful?
I think grouping up with fellow students can be helpful! You can help keep eachother motivated, and help each other stay on top of studying and homework, and hold each other accountable for the work. And if you find someone you really jive with, studying can be much more productive and more fun in a group than alone!
I think another good thing to remember is: you are usually about as motivated and dedicated as the people who surround you. I know I have fallen into the trap when I had homework to do: roommates/friends want you to watch a movie with them, or play a game, or stay out late at night. It’s hard to say no! It’s fun and definitely okay to do! But if you are surrounded with people who ask you to do that kind of thing ALL the time, remember what you are at college for. Turn off your phone, hit up the library, close yourself in your room, or go to a friend’s place that is more focused on studying. It helps you to be more successful AND makes it so you can get sleep once in a while, instead of staying up until 2am to finish that assignment due at 8.
Dawn and Veronica, thanks for your posts! They are both very insightful. Studying with friends versus working alone does take a balance and many times depends on personality/study preferences too. I think it really comes down to the way you study best and the particular study/group situation. I’ve had amazing experiences studying in a group for one subject, but have had other subjects I’ve had to sit alone in the library for hours on end going through material because being in a group stressed me out and didn’t allow me to focus on what I needed to. Bottom line, I think all of these things are great tools to try and see what works for you. If group studying isn’t working, don’t feel bad about breaking away and spending some time reading alone. If you aren’t getting something else on your own, then try teaming up with students or ask a professor or TA for help. Do what it takes to get the best results and as you stay focused on that it will help manage the distractions too. Thank you both again for your great insights! Would love to hear more ideas too!