Staying Motivated in College-- Spring term

Honestly, I wish I had an appropriate word for spring slack, but I don’t. It’s similar to senioritis. Spring term can lull you into this state of chaos without you even realizing it is. This state of chaos is both laziness and the pressure not to have that laziness so your mind is constantly whirring with stress or you are completely in that state of chaos where everything is fine because you don’t care. You should care. Don’t aim for a C when you know you can get a B.

I had someone have a breakdown because they were suffering from their lack of motivation and after helping that person, I thought it might be helpful to share my thoughts with you!

Some simple tips I have for staying motivated even when summer is slowly approaching are:

• ENCOURAGE YOURSELF. Even if you don’t 100% believe it or are at the brink of losing your mind and all faith in the institution that is education, tell yourself you can do it. Remind yourself of all the awesome accomplishments and skills you have already garnered. And at this low, you might not see any positive aspects of yourself, but do not deprecate yourself. You are in college that is a feat in itself. 
• BREATHE. I know that the end of the term can be a mental overload and a physical toll, but please, just breathe. Take a moment to just inhale and exhale. It sounds completely cliché, but that moment of serenity will alleviate you of some stress.
• WRITE DOWN YOUR OBLIGATIONS. If you write out everything, you will get a sense of what needs to be done and from there, you can plan your course of action. When I said everything, I mean everything— all of the assignments you need to submit, the hours you need to work, the meetings you have to attend, the tests you need to pass, and other responsibilities. Physically writing and seeing these items in front of you might stress you out at first, but view the list as a step to getting to where you want to be. See it as a challenge and tackle it.
• REMIND YOURSELF OF YOUR GOALS. People do not reach their dreams by just sleep. It takes action and none of that laziness, self- loathing, and procrastination is enough to get there. Do you want to help others? Do you want to make your family proud? Do you want to make 6 figures and provide? How will you do that if you’re not trying 100%? Competition might be an unhealthy form of motivating yourself or setting a goal, but if it’s not hurting you or anyone, go for it! Graduate summa cum laude, study your butt off to beat the usual #1 in class, or just show your ex or your current’s ex, how great you are— whatever it is, remember that you want this and remember that you have to work for this.
• ACT. After these steps, actually do those things you wrote so you can continue to be who you encouraged yourself about and so that you can realize your aspirations. Do it. 
• TAKE BREAKS+ REWARD YOURSELF. If you need to relax, relax. Working in a condition that is hurting you will not be as productive as it should be. Say you're a balloon and say pressure and stress are extra pumps of air… If a balloon is overinflated, it will burst and all of that air will just spread throughout  the whole room and that balloon cannot be put together again. If you over- stress yourself, you are risking your health and honestly, not working to your true potential. If you do this, it might just blow up in your face, making all of that pressure surround you instead of you keeping it in control and contained. If you do something, reward yourself. You deserve to feel fulfilled after you act well.

My favorite site to find out about the class & professor is:

Rate My Professors.

Just look at the course information for the class you’re interested in, check the professors listed, and search them through the database by their name or by your school and the subject. 

The site will give you an average score out of 5 based off the reviews by students on:

• Overall quality
• Helpfulness
• Clarity
• Easiness
• Hotness (yes, as in if they’re gauging if they are attractive enough for you not to mind sitting in class for hours! Denoted only by a pepper not a number, haha.)

You can also read the individual reviews and look for those specific to the course you’re researching on! Based off of that information you can determine which class you want to register for.

This is a resource to tap into every time you register for classes! 

Planning Courses+ Classes

PLANNING COURSES+ CLASSES, reposted from my tumblr! 

Choosing classes is crucial. The principal priority and reason to be in college is most likely for the education and for the career options it’ll open up so classes are paramount. 

In high school, you’re used to having a short list of class options in a few categories and being guided through the process; but in college, you have a variety. It’s such a huge difference. And even if you’re already in college and completely done with high school, the stress of choosing classes is still heavy. 

There’s an effective way to tackle general curriculum and your intended major while scoping out other ones and this is my method for one full- time term. 

I hope this helps!

1. General Ed.*

Recommended # of these classes: 2+.

Reason: Your first term is the one that you should pack the general classes in because they provide a better foundation for more in- depth ones. Another bonus of making a larger part of your schedule out of general ed is that these are usually “core” classes so you probably have some background from high school. That prior knowledge will give you and your GPA an advantage. Starting strong can help keep you motivated and who doesn’t love a high GPA.

2. Weak Subjects

Recommended # of these classes: 1

Reason: It’s one area and it’s an area you happen to be a bit subpar at so you should take it one class at a time and make that time as soon as possible and consistent! By being proactive and handling this vulnerability as early as you can, you don’t have to worry about falling behind in it or lacking the skills it can provide when needed. This tip is huge, especially if your weakness intersects with your major. Business requires a few courses of calculus and I am by no means a math genius so I learned the hard way that I should have taken stats earlier so I wouldn’t have to take two math courses at once just to reach the typical math requirement expected. Plus, once you get these classes out of the way, you can breathe easier, become acclimated with the subject or even become good at it.

3. Electives

Recommended # of these classes: 1

Reason: It’s inevitable and mandatory to take classes outside of your major, minor, and general ed so it’s a refreshing and required slot of your schedule. This one class will give you the opportunity to look into other studies you might be interested in and yes, if you find some other career path you like better, follow it or minor it if you don’t find it as a sustainable income source. Do what you love, do what you never had the courage to do before, do what you think would give you helpful skills, or even just do what you know you’ll ace. It’s an elective, but it can open lots of doors for growth, change, and improvement. It’s also nice to have on your schedule as a break from the usual curriculum!

4. Major*

Recommended # of classes: 1+

Reason: This is the path that you pursued so follow it. Take a class or more just to test the waters and garner insight, knowledge, and expertise. This is the most obvious category of classes to people and it should be because they are going to usher you into your potential career path. Do not slack of in any class, especially not these ones because the college professors and career professionals care about your performance, not your excuse. Also, take these classes just for your own personal progress to step toward your goals!

* The asterisk indicates that as time passes, these categories should shift in their part in your schedule. As you take general ed, the list diminishes so you’ll need less of that and as you get further along, it’s best to start taking mainly major classes as you proceed on your path to that career.