Dear Incoming Freshmen,
As a polished and experienced college student of 3 months, I have some advice for you. Sure, there may be struggles with finances, leaving Mom and Dad, or worrying about even getting into a college. But once all this is out of the way, that familiar feeling that was so near and dear in high school is going to come creeping back to you. That same feeling that leaves essays half done, dishes unwashed, and that call to grandma still unaccomplished. Lack of motivation.
You might think that once you have the place to live, you have the finances figured out, you made the friends, you are ready to take on college – right? Wrong. Everything else could be going fine in your life and that perpetual lack of motivation can come crashing down on you. Soon after, your grades will drop, and you’ll stop taking care of yourself, or even worse – drop out. One week of losing motivation can have significant impact on weeks thereafter. Sure I’m bringing the dramatics but lack of motivation can be very harmful. It’s a slippery slope that most students unfortunately slide down. Although, if you are one of the 40% percent of students who are “chronically disengaged” and unmotivated, it is not the end of your college world (Crotty). And coming from someone who struggles with this aspect of college, I get it; How can you force yourself to do something that you simply don’t want to do? A lack of drive may be difficult to overcome, but it isn’t impossible. Perhaps this handy list of tips can offer some resolve.
Tip #1: Take advantage of the help your school offers. You know all those flyers and presentations your school gave you the first week that you were only half paying attention to? The ones stuffed at the bottom of your backpack? Those can actually be helpful. Your school probably has some sort of tutoring service. You may feel that if you continually cannot understand a class, then why bother? But extra help can really boost a student’s self-confidence and motivation. After all, 61% of colleges reported that tutoring had a significant impact on student retention (“Survey of Student”). Just attending one session can help. Just give it a try alright?
Tip #2: Have someone to talk to. College students are at very pivotal points in their lives. It can quite frankly, be overwhelming. Almost everyone experiences hard times, and this can interfere with your studies. From troubles at home, to relationship problems, to even depression or anxiety, having a trusted person to talk to can help alleviate some of the pain. Most schools offer psychological counseling if you feel you don’t have anyone else to talk to. “Psychological” may seem like a scary word, but it’s really just code for people who are specifically trained and paid to listen to your problems. So, if you are struggling emotionally or mentally (which is very common), and it is interfering with your will to succeed, then try talking to someone.
Tip #3: Perhaps the most important tip – rely on yourself. Most of the time in college, you are going to be independent. Your teachers or parents aren’t going to be there to yell at you to get your assignments done. The desire and motivation can only come from one person – yourself. You have to have specific goals, and more importantly a want to achieve these goals. YOU are the only person who is going to drag your sleepy self out of bed, feed your self ramen, and make you do homework. And if at the end of the day, you continually still simply cannot make yourself participate in college, then maybe college wasn’t your idea in the first place. 30% of Americans have a Bachelor’s degree (Chew), and if you are not one of them, no one can tell you that it’s not OK. The next step is just finding something you are actually motivated to do.