Tips from a junior: How to stay motivated

‘Tis the season when motivation can be low for many of us. It’s the midway point through the semester when we’re all getting slammed with midterms; it’s starting to get colder outside, and all we feel like doing is cozying up and watching a movie. 

So Buffs, how on Earth do we stay motivated? I asked some of my peers for advice. 

If you’re in a class you don’t like...

“When I was taking chemistry I totally felt unmotivated,” says Sabrina Abel, junior Program of Exploratory Studies advisor at CU, adding that she strongly disliked it because she didn’t understand it.

“For this class, I tried to do it more so that I felt more confident in it, rather than struggling and stressing out about how hard it was.”

As a matter of fact, Sabrina is 100% correct! It may seem shocking, but the proper way to approach a course you don’t understand is to put more time and effort into the subject.

For example, I’m in accounting right now, and I am struggling. When I say struggling, I really mean struggling. However, my motivation is even higher since I don’t understand the subject. It’s like a foreign language to me! 

I take advantage of my professor’s office hours, get one-on-one help and ask questions when I'm confused. After my first few visits, my professor and I built a rapport, and he appreciated my extra effort to come in for help.

I also start studying at least 1.5 weeks in advance for a test. And little by little, as I take time to prepare for each exam, the information starts to click. The lightbulb that goes off in your brain when you finally understand what you’ve been working on for weeks is the greatest feeling and helps me to stay motivated. 

If you can’t seem to stay focused...

Sometimes in lectures, I find it really challenging to stay focused and pay attention.

Sabrina says, “If you find yourself zoning out and not wanting to pay attention, taking notes—even if it’s the most basic stuff—keeps you focused, awake and doing something.”

If you haven’t found your major yet...

Explore.

“Take a wide variety of classes to see what sparks your interest. Also, talk to people in different majors such as integrated physiology, or business and see if what they like seems interesting to you. Then, maybe you could try it out and see where it goes,” offers Sabrina. 

If you’re slammed with midterms... 

When her motivation is low to study for an exam, Sydney Busser, senior Program of Exploratory Studies advisor at CU, has some advice:

“A big thing for me is surrounding myself with people who have similar goals and life aspirations, because I could go to them and be like, ‘Man I really don’t want to study for this test; who cares if I fail,’ and they will be the ones to flip that mentality and be like, ‘Yeah maybe you don’t enjoy this class very much, but it’s still part of your degree, and it’s just one more test just push through.’”

It is super important to find a community that will support you. Make sure to surround yourself with a positive atmosphere that will make studying more enjoyable.