<p>How do you guys motivate yourself through the really hard classes that you are just not interested in but you have to take them since they are requirements? </p>
<p>For example, I'm a CS major, and last semester I had to take a hardware/computer architecture class that I literally did not care about. It's the only hardware class I had to take and I hated every moment of it so I did really bad.</p>
<p>Next semester I have to take a EE class which I also have zero interest in. I already started looking at some of the material and it's just physics and harder material from AP physics that I also hated. But I HAVE to take that class to graduate. </p>
<p>I don't want to do badly again because I know if I don't have interest in it, I usually don't work that hard in it (since I hate the material).</p>
<p>So any suggestions? How do YOU get through these annoying classes?</p>
<p>Annoying? Circuits, architecture, and assembly are the basis for CS. Don’t think of it as an annoying/useless requirement, think of it as an important, foundational sort of class. I’m a software person too, but knowing how the underlying components work give you a better understanding of computers as a whole, what’s going on, why your code works, etc.</p>
<p>Honestly, I’m not a fan of circuits either. But it’s still important. The best thing you can do is buckle down and work through it. Make yourself do all the problem sets, make yourself study, and make yourself learn the material… even if it’s not the most interesting class you’re taking. Treat it like a requirement if you must, but treat it like an important one.</p>
<p>As someone who majored in CS (we don’t have a distinction but practically it was a secondary major though) and I really didn’t like data structures.</p>
<p>How do you motivate yourself? Remind yourself of the consequences for failure. That should be all that’s needed.</p>
<p>As an education major I’ve taken some required classes that I was not keen on, such as Socialcultural Influences. While the material was interesting the structure was incredibly annoying and involved so much work outside of class. Was all the material necessary for what I intend to do as a teacher? Probably not, so I chose to nitpick the things I did want to implement later on. There’s a reason I had to take the class, so I should get something out of it.</p>
<p>I feel like you’re just not interested in the major. That’s one of the reasons why I did horrible in my first 2 semesters of college. I realized that I hated CS and it really started to bore me. Why exactly are you studying CS? If you absolutely HAVE to stay in the major, I would suggest that you do what Vladenschlutte said and remind yourself that if you don’t do well, you’ll fail and there will be horrible consequences. Remind yourself that in order for you to get that degree you have to do some courses that you absolutely hate. For example: Last semester and this semester, I had/have to take a statistics class, and to be honest I hate/d it. I had to remind myself constantly that I needed to pass this course in order to get into the next statistics course, and I have to remember that again this semester (and no, I’m not a stats major).</p>
<p>I am dreading the math and science courses. I put off science, and math I’m taking a zero credit remedial math course I hope will help me get through the required math course next fall.</p>
<p>I mean…you just have to do it…I don’t want to take Thermodynamics…or Electrical Systems…or Statics and Dynamic…well let me phrase it like this: I don’t to endure the difficulty of said class, but I will. Why? Because it will put me closer to my career. </p>
<p>Dangle a carrot. If you’re hungry enough, you’ll run for it.</p>
<p>^^I also have 17 gen ed courses!! Not at the same school though.</p>
<p>My least favorite requirement was probably bio. I just didn’t care in the least. What motivated me was not wanting to wreck my GPA or my image of myself as a good student. In other difficult classes, I’ve motivated myself by thinking about how disappointed my parents might be.</p>
<p>GE’s ew, they burn your GPA due to subject apathy. Haha, as an electrical engineer on the contrary, I’m dreading the programming I have to learn over winter break to take an electrical engineering course w/out the prereq. Maybe we’re opposites, maybe it’s because I don’t have an instructor or class to help me.</p>