So as the title suggests, after the first semester of junior year, I’m already burned out from studying for PSAT and extracurricular activities. I was just curious as to what keeps you guys motivated to study and trudge onward through all this standardized testing and college issues… It seems the list of things that I’ve neglected has grown larger by the day and I’ve lost a lot of the ambition I originally started off with in the beginning of the year 
Any pep talk is welcome too because very desperate haha
DON’T LET YOUR DREAMS BE DREAMS. YESTERDAY YOU SAID TOMORROW! SO JUST DO IT!!!
I look at the major requirements for cell biology at Rice.
@awesomepolygot I do that too! I look at all the classes and major requirements at different colleges. Once I see all the super intresting classes I can take and thibgs I can do, I’m a little more motivated to push through high school. I also look at med schools and residencies.
What if med school isn’t in the cards for you? Why do you want med school? What is the drive to eventually go to med school. It is obviously a motivated for many students but what underlies the motivation to want it?
I have three things:
- I think about how excited I am to go to college and take classes in my major and eventually have a job doing what I love.
- I am extremely competitive, so I think about what other people are doing and where they’re applying, so I work harder to keep up.
- I seriously reconsidered the schools I was applying to and cut the number down significantly. This might not be for everyone, but it allowed me to really focus on the schools that I loved, and I have no regrets.
Senioritis is a real thing next year, so don’t get burned out now!!!
I actually want to become a research biologist or astrophysicist, preferably at NASA
Watch documentaries on young prodigies and realize I’ve accomplished nothing compared to them. Jealousy is a huge motivation boost
I have a genuine desire to learn about the world around us. It gets hard sometimes, but understanding how things work (love love love physics) and how society came to be (love love love history) is a huge motivator. When I see people who understand the mechanics of something, not only am I jealous, but I also feel pretty bad that I don’t know.
Also, my family immigrated here when I was 5, so they sacrificed a lot for my education. I want to make sure their decision was worth it because the ride hasn’t been easy so far.
Food. I think about that sandwich waiting for me as I do my math homework.
^ Lol, that’s only partially true. Whenever I notice myself slacking, I think about how I could better use my energy and time. If I catch myself procrastinating, I think about how nice it would be to finish my work early so that I can just relax. I also compare myself to other people (I know, I know, I shouldn’t do that…) and imagine what they do to balance a bunch of activities and still get good grades. Then I try to emulate their study habits or whatever it is that of their abilities that I respect.