<p>Hey guys, I'm sorry to say that I am completely unmotivated. I mean, its only freshman year and I procrastinated so much throughout the year that now I have a four page research paper due this Monday and I didn't even start. I'm trying to do it right now, but I honestly don't even care. I would completely give up on this, except for the fact that I know that when I look back and see that this paper was worth 35% of my grade, I'm going to be depressed. </p>
<p>I want to get into a very selective college, and I want to show my teachers that I'm intelligent, but all I want to do is sleep these days. How can I become motivated, organized, and into more clubs/extra curricular's? I am even slacking off socially; my friends are getting mad that I don't hang out much anymore. Help!</p>
<p>My motivation is getting my a** out of town…do you really want to be forty and living fifteen minutes from where you grew up? Granted this doesn’t work if you live in a great town/city.</p>
<p>That’s very true, I don’t like my town much, but I feel like all these research papers and tests are getting to me. I’m not organized anymore, so it’s becoming a lot more difficult to handle.</p>
<p>This may seem like elementary shool, but my planner is my lifeline I write everything down, it’s a lot easier to stay organized. When you choose your sophomore classes pick the ones you are really interested in and work with your guidance consellor to build a schedule that isn’t to hard or boring one semester and really easy or interesting the next-BALANCE, trust me it helps a lot, this year I rearranged my shedule so I’d have my hardest class with my easiest class so I wasn’t overwhelmed unlike my classmates…</p>
<p>YES USE YOUR PLANNER!</p>
<p>I don’t use my school-issued one, but I bought a personal one so I can put personal business in with school priorities. Write things down AS SOON as you know about them. In the calendar section and the section where it has a little part for everyday. I write my homework under the respective day, and long term things in the calendar. </p>
<p>You need to find ONE thing you care about, and that you can only get if you work hard. If you’re already unmotivated freshman year, you’re setting yourself up for failure. </p>
<p>I’m a junior now. Sometimes I’ve wanted to slack off, and I’ve always procrastinated since freshman year. But I work best under pressure, and I’ve gotten straight As and A+s every marking period. </p>
<p>My goal is to get into the good schools that I want. That’s your goal, too. Use it. Whenever you feel like slacking off, think about it. I do, and it works. </p>
<p>When I feel like giving up, I say “my chances are even less at these schools” (and then I say them.) Whatever admissions decision I get, I can only blame myself (if it’s bad. If it’s good, I can pat myself on the back. And cry tears of joy of course.)</p>
<p>Next year with an even more rigorous course selection, I’m going to ditch my procrastinating ways. I do well with time management, though. I just get wiped out too easily. </p>
<p>Good luck, and ALWAYS try your best. How can your teachers see how intelligent you are if you don’t? How can you expect colleges to accept you?</p>
<p>lack of motivation
despair
fatigue
impact on social life</p>
<p>Maybe you should talk to a doctor and make sure you aren’t clinically depressed?</p>
<p>Otherwise, if you want to go to a selective college, you’re going to have to work hard. Planner helps a lot. Write everything down. Make habits to do homework immediately.</p>
<p>a four page paper doesn’t need more than a few hours. You’re fine.</p>
<p>Impetuous- don’t say that. Everyone is different.
OP- you better be doing your research paper right now.</p>
<p>Thanks guys!</p>
<p>^ I know but he wants a whole portfolio. This means that he wants two sources to be books, and the rest websites and such, but all printed out. Then he wants questions and notes along with a rough draft. Besides I know nothing on the subject that I picked out of a hat, and I have three other projects/papers. </p>
<p>Also, I just finished a couple of papers so I feel like its never ending. I know I’m complaining too much, but I’d rather complain here than at school or home where people will judge me a lot easier because they know me.</p>
<p>You’re a FRESHMAN. you haven’t earned the right to complain yet :)</p>
<p>Wait to really complain until after you take ap classes, most give a whole new meaning to work, sometimes I’d have a week to do 8 vocab words and then one night to do 76 vocab words plus have 20-40 page chapter read each night-no lie…ah apush. When did you get all this work assigned!..I know you said you were a procrastinator, but a full on research paper should be started earlier than two days before it was due…, log off cc, I’ve been a member for less than a month and it’s sucking me in…do your work!</p>
<p>Wordgirl- I knew you were talking about APUSH!</p>
<p>They give us around a week or two to do each project/paper. This certain research paper had two weeks to get done, but the topic is so…vague. I did make some headway though, since I began this thread! I have my outline for the paper, and I’ve narrowed it down to a specific case. I feel a tad better.</p>
<p>CPUscientist-Such fond memories…almost all nighters for presidential outlines and funny stories that when told to non apushers are incomprehensible showing the class’s state of mind, my schools has a 4-block schedule, so apush is just one semester /:</p>
<p>Nadizzle- no. Excuses. Welcome to the REAL WORLD (almost.)</p>
<p>Wordgirl- mine is a full year, we don’t do block. But we do 1-2 chapters a week (ch 31 due Monday.) we really have no work except read the chapter and the occasional essays, though. It’s still stressful. Hang in there girl :)</p>
<p>I actually had apush last semester, we averaged 3 chapter per 6/7 days, is chapter 31 wwi? How often does your class do dbqs?</p>
<p>3 chapters!? Omg I’m proud of you for surviving lol. We use the American pageant. Ch 31 is after WWI (that was ch 30) and the 1920s.</p>
<p>EDIT: DBQs are with every test. Sometimes it’s an FRQ (like this week’s was.)
EDIT AGAIN- tests are every 3-4 chapters. But this next one will be five chapters. So like a test/DBQ/FRQ a month. But we have essays in between.</p>
<p>My class was going to make we survived apush shirts, but we didn’t have time…) :
The 1920s was my best test, I’m so jealous of everyone who has apush a full year!</p>
<p>Nadizzle, that’s a great way to get started. Zone in on something, preferably something you are interested in, and then writing will be much easier.</p>
<p>My tips for surviving high school
- USE YOUR PLANNER. Yep. Use it for everything. Then get a big fat black marker to cross off the things you finish. It feels so good. (Or am I just weird .___.) Write down all due dates and test dates and HIGHLIGHT these so you don’t forget. When you write those down, the day or two before make sure you write down to study or print the thing out. Just in case. </p>
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<li><p>Do your homework. Finish projects and assignments on time. Late credit might be given but it’ll hurt you grade. You can do it if you spread it out over the time period given. Procrastination is brutal.</p></li>
<li><p>If you’re tired after school, take a nap! But leave enough room to finish. Sometimes it’s good to get the bulk of your work done before dinner. After dinner it’s harder to motivate yourself to work because you get tired. But this is not true for everyone. On some days I can only work intensely late at night lol. You’ll have to stay up late sometimes. Just suck it up…all I have to say for that one unfortunately 
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<li><p>Surround yourself with a good group of friends. They will be there for support, encouragement and sanity. You can’t study all the time. Go out and have some fun sometimes. Uh and don’t do drugs. That’s just silly and common sense. If you want to experiment at some point, I suggest college. but to each their own…</p></li>
<li><p>Don’t take on more than you can handle, obviously. Don’t take AP classes just for the credit. If you know you won’t work hard in it, then don’t take it…at least do well in the easier option. </p></li>
<li><p>Eliminate stressors that can be eliminated. Is your super dramatic, egocentric friend always causing you to be stressed out? Taking up all your time? It’s a good time to say goodbye…you most likely won’t see them after high school anyway. Just eliminate what you can. </p></li>
<li><p>Find motivators. Mine is my future. College is a huge deal to me. I want to get into a good school, graduate and have a good job. The only way to get there is by hard work so that’s what I do. I want to get out of here and go out into the world. Well, if I slack and go the easy route, community college it is. So…look at your options. Work hard, play later. Or play now, and work hard for the rest of your life…possibly struggling to pay the bills from month to month or something. That’s drastic I know but it’s a reality for many. Food for thought. Idk if it even matters to you as a freshman, but I knew that’s what I wanted even in middle school and I’ve had a one track mind. </p></li>
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<p>There’s more. But I’m about to go watch a movie. So if I think of more I’ll be back on my phone maybe. Haha good luck OP!! </p>
<p>Oh…use CC to your advantage. Lots of good resources.</p>