No motivation for uni anymore. Advice? (1 Viewer)

[hungry]

It's my first year, second semester at USYD. I'm studying science/nursing but might transfer to just science. My major is computer science.

First semester I pushed myself to work hard. I had a full week; I went to uni 5 days a week, was there most days from 9 - 5 (meaning I'd have to get up at 6:30am and be home by 6:30pm) so by the end of those days I was often very tired but I still pushed myself to do a lot of work at home.

Well, it didn't pay off, and I was very disappointed as I barely scraped 3 credits and a distinction. I guess it's not "bad" but given the amount of effort I put in, it made me feel very discouraged. And I am the type of person who "studies smart" as well, there wasn't a problem there.

Anyway, come semester 2, I have a bit more time. I go 4 days a week, usually get home by 4 or 5pm. However I feel I have lost all motivation. I was initially the type of student who would NEVER skip a lecture, I couldn't imagine letting myself do that. But recently I have been skipping one of my 2 hour lectures. The lecturer has horrible English speaking skills and a very strong accent, I can't understand a word she says. I found the lectures to be pointless, and I became sick of being there for 2 hours spending my energy trying to understand what the heck she was saying. So I started skipping that lecture, and not even trying to catch up. The lecture slides are brief and honestly I need the aid of the lecturer's words but can't understand them! So I guess I'm just hoping I get the info I need from tutorials and readings. Honestly I don't even care anymore, which is weird for me, because I used to be the type of student who might panic in this situation and become very nervous about failing.

I barely study anymore, I mean I still do work most days but it's the bare minimum. Like if I have an online quiz, I'll do that. If I have an assignment, I'll rush through it to get it done. But I don't study as much as I used to nor as much as I should. I'm just studying enough to pass I guess (and that's become my new motto; "Ps get degrees" lol I never thought I'd sink this low).

Basically I come home and am not bothered for anything. I go to uni and I'm not bothered for anything. I cant concentrate in lectures most of the time, my mind is always somewhere else. I don't know if it's laziness or something else.

I don't want it to effect my marks but I can't get myself to have any motivation. I don't think it has hurt my marks yet, but I fear it might. I just have an urge to hurry up and finish uni. I'm sick of it and everyone. I haven't been able to make friends. There is one person in my tutorial that I did make friends with but I don't know if he really cares about me or being friends. He's nice and everything but I feel like he doesn't want a proper long term friendship. it's going to be like all those other people you just meet in tutes and they don't really care about you or care to talk with you and pretend they don't see you when you're not in a tute with them (this happened to me many times). I hate uni and I don't know what I even want to study anymore and everything sucks :'(

 

[D94]

The harsh reality of higher education is that you are surrounded by peers who are all capable, and more often, more capable than you. No matter how smart you study or how much you study, there will be those who simply do better.

Your credits and distinction can reflect the fact that you are an average student. It sounds harsh but you need to realise that. University isn't meant to be easy, and it takes more than the lecturer's words and tutorials to be academically capable.

 

[Flop21]

You were getting credits + distinctions when you were studying. What's wrong with that? That's good in my eyes (yet my opinion means little, I'm not in uni yet).

Set yourself a goal and stick to it. You stopped studying because... what you didn't get HDs? Aim for credits as your bare minimum and distinctions if you want to put in the hard yards.

Uni isn't easy, especially at a top uni like USYD. You're surrounded by high achievers and at one of the top unis in Australia. Of course it's going to be harder than normal, but that doesn't mean it's impossible.

So try and get your head around that credit and distinction is a good thing. It's a respectable outcome.

I think you may have depression as well. Nothing wrong with that, just a thing people get. Low motivation + not caring is a big sign. You could see a psychologist (who will teach you ways to deal with your problems, talk with you etc.) and/or a GP who might be able to prescribe you something if you really need it.

You gotta stop putting words in other people's mouths/heads. You don't know what they're thinking, e.g. they are most likely not thinking 'nah don't wanna be in a long-term friendship with this chick'. They are probably not even thinking about that at all. Friendships don't just happen usually. You have to put in the effort to make a long-term friendship. Just try and be really open and try to forget about worrying or thinking to much into things. Go with the flow and talk to anyone you come across. A simple 'hey, I'm x' with a smile with everyone you come across can do wonders.

Good luck.

 

[Squar3root]

give up

never try

don't bother

 

[nerdasdasd]

It's my first year, second semester at USYD. I'm studying science/nursing but might transfer to just science. My major is computer science.

First semester I pushed myself to work hard. I had a full week; I went to uni 5 days a week, was there most days from 9 - 5 (meaning I'd have to get up at 6:30am and be home by 6:30pm) so by the end of those days I was often very tired but I still pushed myself to do a lot of work at home.

Well, it didn't pay off, and I was very disappointed as I barely scraped 3 credits and a distinction. I guess it's not "bad" but given the amount of effort I put in, it made me feel very discouraged. And I am the type of person who "studies smart" as well, there wasn't a problem there.

Anyway, come semester 2, I have a bit more time. I go 4 days a week, usually get home by 4 or 5pm. However I feel I have lost all motivation. I was initially the type of student who would NEVER skip a lecture, I couldn't imagine letting myself do that. But recently I have been skipping one of my 2 hour lectures. The lecturer has horrible English speaking skills and a very strong accent, I can't understand a word she says. I found the lectures to be pointless, and I became sick of being there for 2 hours spending my energy trying to understand what the heck she was saying. So I started skipping that lecture, and not even trying to catch up. The lecture slides are brief and honestly I need the aid of the lecturer's words but can't understand them! So I guess I'm just hoping I get the info I need from tutorials and readings. Honestly I don't even care anymore, which is weird for me, because I used to be the type of student who might panic in this situation and become very nervous about failing.

I barely study anymore, I mean I still do work most days but it's the bare minimum. Like if I have an online quiz, I'll do that. If I have an assignment, I'll rush through it to get it done. But I don't study as much as I used to nor as much as I should. I'm just studying enough to pass I guess (and that's become my new motto; "Ps get degrees" lol I never thought I'd sink this low).

Basically I come home and am not bothered for anything. I go to uni and I'm not bothered for anything. I cant concentrate in lectures most of the time, my mind is always somewhere else. I don't know if it's laziness or something else.

I don't want it to effect my marks but I can't get myself to have any motivation. I don't think it has hurt my marks yet, but I fear it might. I just have an urge to hurry up and finish uni. I'm sick of it and everyone. I haven't been able to make friends. There is one person in my tutorial that I did make friends with but I don't know if he really cares about me or being friends. He's nice and everything but I feel like he doesn't want a proper long term friendship. it's going to be like all those other people you just meet in tutes and they don't really care about you or care to talk with you and pretend they don't see you when you're not in a tute with them (this happened to me many times). I hate uni and I don't know what I even want to study anymore and everything sucks :'(

let's try break it down.

Your issues:
1. Disappointment in marks leading to a loss in motivation
2. You haven't been able to make friends
3. Loss of interest in the course maybe? (please confirm)

yes?

.....
Issue 1
By no means are credits and distinctions bad. You should be totally happy with that, given that you study smart. If you stop studying as hard, then you would not achieve C's and D's , that fact should motivate you.

The fear of failure should motivate you to keep trying hard!

Issue 2
Have you tried organising events after class or asked people out for lunch / study? Sometimes you need to give it a bit of a push in order for a friendship to grow .

You can't really just form a friendship JUST over class as it isn't enough time to form experiences etc...

Issue 3
Did you love the things you were studying at the start? If so ... think of how you can find that spark again

 

[Librah]

It's my first year, second semester at USYD. I'm studying science/nursing but might transfer to just science. My major is computer science.

First semester I pushed myself to work hard. I had a full week; I went to uni 5 days a week, was there most days from 9 - 5 (meaning I'd have to get up at 6:30am and be home by 6:30pm) so by the end of those days I was often very tired but I still pushed myself to do a lot of work at home.

Well, it didn't pay off, and I was very disappointed as I barely scraped 3 credits and a distinction. I guess it's not "bad" but given the amount of effort I put in, it made me feel very discouraged. And I am the type of person who "studies smart" as well, there wasn't a problem there.

Anyway, come semester 2, I have a bit more time. I go 4 days a week, usually get home by 4 or 5pm. However I feel I have lost all motivation. I was initially the type of student who would NEVER skip a lecture, I couldn't imagine letting myself do that. But recently I have been skipping one of my 2 hour lectures. The lecturer has horrible English speaking skills and a very strong accent, I can't understand a word she says. I found the lectures to be pointless, and I became sick of being there for 2 hours spending my energy trying to understand what the heck she was saying. So I started skipping that lecture, and not even trying to catch up. The lecture slides are brief and honestly I need the aid of the lecturer's words but can't understand them! So I guess I'm just hoping I get the info I need from tutorials and readings. Honestly I don't even care anymore, which is weird for me, because I used to be the type of student who might panic in this situation and become very nervous about failing.

I barely study anymore, I mean I still do work most days but it's the bare minimum. Like if I have an online quiz, I'll do that. If I have an assignment, I'll rush through it to get it done. But I don't study as much as I used to nor as much as I should. I'm just studying enough to pass I guess (and that's become my new motto; "Ps get degrees" lol I never thought I'd sink this low).

Basically I come home and am not bothered for anything. I go to uni and I'm not bothered for anything. I cant concentrate in lectures most of the time, my mind is always somewhere else. I don't know if it's laziness or something else.

I don't want it to effect my marks but I can't get myself to have any motivation. I don't think it has hurt my marks yet, but I fear it might. I just have an urge to hurry up and finish uni. I'm sick of it and everyone. I haven't been able to make friends. There is one person in my tutorial that I did make friends with but I don't know if he really cares about me or being friends. He's nice and everything but I feel like he doesn't want a proper long term friendship. it's going to be like all those other people you just meet in tutes and they don't really care about you or care to talk with you and pretend they don't see you when you're not in a tute with them (this happened to me many times). I hate uni and I don't know what I even want to study anymore and everything sucks :'(

Skipping lectures really isn't that big of a deal, i go to like 2-3 a week if i'm feeling up to it.

"Pretend they don't see you when you're not in a tute with them (this happened to me many times)," i think i've done this before and i hope your not talking about me , mostly just happens because there's like 10 people around in the lecture that your acquainted with, and it's just awkward to say hey to one person and not the others.

 

[RenegadeMx]

masturb8

 

[hungry]

You were getting credits + distinctions when you were studying. What's wrong with that? That's good in my eyes (yet my opinion means little, I'm not in uni yet).

Set yourself a goal and stick to it. You stopped studying because... what you didn't get HDs? Aim for credits as your bare minimum and distinctions if you want to put in the hard yards.

Uni isn't easy, especially at a top uni like USYD. You're surrounded by high achievers and at one of the top unis in Australia. Of course it's going to be harder than normal, but that doesn't mean it's impossible.

So try and get your head around that credit and distinction is a good thing. It's a respectable outcome.

I think you may have depression as well. Nothing wrong with that, just a thing people get. Low motivation + not caring is a big sign. You could see a psychologist (who will teach you ways to deal with your problems, talk with you etc.) and/or a GP who might be able to prescribe you something if you really need it.

You gotta stop putting words in other people's mouths/heads. You don't know what they're thinking, e.g. they are most likely not thinking 'nah don't wanna be in a long-term friendship with this chick'. They are probably not even thinking about that at all. Friendships don't just happen usually. You have to put in the effort to make a long-term friendship. Just try and be really open and try to forget about worrying or thinking to much into things. Go with the flow and talk to anyone you come across. A simple 'hey, I'm x' with a smile with everyone you come across can do wonders.

Good luck.

Thank you for your response. And yeah, now that I think about it, I tend to put words in other people's heads a lot. I think I really overthink these things >.<

let's try break it down.

Your issues:
1. Disappointment in marks leading to a loss in motivation
2. You haven't been able to make friends
3. Loss of interest in the course maybe? (please confirm)

yes?

.....
Issue 1
By no means are credits and distinctions bad. You should be totally happy with that, given that you study smart. If you stop studying as hard, then you would not achieve C's and D's , that fact should motivate you.

The fear of failure should motivate you to keep trying hard!

Issue 2
Have you tried organising events after class or asked people out for lunch / study? Sometimes you need to give it a bit of a push in order for a friendship to grow .

You can't really just form a friendship JUST over class as it isn't enough time to form experiences etc...

Issue 3
Did you love the things you were studying at the start? If so ... think of how you can find that spark again

Thanks. I guess I'm not too bothered by my marks, I mean I guess it was really just I felt I put in all my effort. I guess at the end of the day really I just want to finish my degree with decent marks.
There is only one person I kinda tried organising stuff with, the person I mentioned in my original post. I am really shy/awkward so that was a big step forward for me.. I asked if he wanted to study with me for a test (which we did). But sometimes I feel like maybe I'm being annoying to them? As I mentioned previously (and Flop kinda pointed out) I might just be putting words in other people's heads. I found out we had a lecture together and asked where abouts he sits. He told me but he didn't really say anything more, like he didn't ask where I sit, or to meet him there or anything like that. I think maybe he prefers to sit alone, I don't want to be a bother (but again I might just be really overthinking this).
Lastly, well I think I enjoy my subjects. But when I have trouble understanding something I become nervous.. then I end up avoiding studying that subject altogether, making me fall further behind. I don't know I have like a fear of facing work that might be too difficult. Then everyone around me seems to be getting literally 100% in assignments and stuff (this is especially for programming) and I'm getting "Average" marks and it makes me even more nervous. Even though I do enjoy programming, I think I've been avoiding it a lot because of this, and I'm falling behind.

Skipping lectures really isn't that big of a deal, i go to like 2-3 a week if i'm feeling up to it.

"Pretend they don't see you when you're not in a tute with them (this happened to me many times)," i think i've done this before and i hope your not talking about me , mostly just happens because there's like 10 people around in the lecture that your acquainted with, and it's just awkward to say hey to one person and not the others.

Nah, I can understand it in some circumstances. But the most recent time this happened was actually right before a tute. In fact the person saw me, pretended not to, but we were heading to the same door. She held the door for me (as she walked in front) but put in a lot of effort to pretend not to see me. Then went and stood somewhere far from me while we waited for the current class to finish. She is in my group for the tutorial assignment :/

 

[obliviousninja]

do it for the bae

 

[Flop21]

But the most recent time this happened was actually right before a tute. In fact the person saw me, pretended not to, but we were heading to the same door. She held the door for me (as she walked in front) but put in a lot of effort to pretend not to see me. Then went and stood somewhere far from me while we waited for the current class to finish.

Hahaha. Yeah that is awkward, pretty rude. But who knows, maybe she's just as shy as you? Or heavily introverted. It's sometimes easy to just ignore someone and not put the effort into saying hello. When you were at the door, you should have spoken up and said something like "oh hey, it's x" at this point they'll probably look at you (and you'll be seeing their reaction), you either further explain where you last saw each other, or go on to ask her "how are you?" while smiling. And hopefully at this point the conversation has started and you're able to follow her to where she sits down.

Some people will also just plain not like you. It's a hard truth. You just move on to the next person. Sometimes I'll just sit next to someone I've met before, but don't really know, and do exactly what I just said above ^ and maybe start talking about the class we're about to listen to. Another tip is when you're talking to them act like you've known them for ages and they're a good friend. It'll make them more comfortable as well.


Being able to be social is a skill, and you simply have to work on it and practice to get better at it.

Good luck hope you find your motivation again.

 

[psyc1011]

You were getting credits + distinctions when you were studying. What's wrong with that? That's good in my eyes (yet my opinion means little, I'm not in uni yet).

Why say it then if it's completely futile?

We all have different expectations and aims so how can you not see the clash?

It's like you are saying: it's good in my eyes so it's good in other's eyes..

 

[Flop21]

Why say it then if it's completely futile?

We all have different expectations and aims so how can you not see the clash?

It's like you are saying: it's good in my eyes so it's good in other's eyes..

I see the clash. The point of my post wasn't suppose to be about that though. It was suppose to encourage OP to get her motivation back.

And I say it because I want to. It's not hurting anyone and it's a public forum.

 

[psyc1011]

I see the clash. The point of my post wasn't suppose to be about that though. It was suppose to encourage OP to get her motivation back.

And I say it because I want to. It's not hurting anyone and it's a public forum.

Then why add a nugatory comment at the beginning?

You say it because you want to but do you need to?


EDIT: I was being a dick, apologies.

 

[RishBonjour99]

From the sound of things, you are clearly a capable person (going off your grades) and this seems more like a social/settling in problem.

A big part of my first year was simply getting to know people because without that university can become a big struggle that you start to hate. For instance, my first couple of weeks (and for MANY others) was just tough, it was very different from school and we were all keen to see where our 'place' was in university. I still remember my first ever assignment at university and how rekt I was when I got a mark of 63 (10% assignment). I thought it was a one off so I kept at it for the 2nd one and got 57 (10% assignment). It's here that your mates come into play because without that I probably would have just lost all motivation. It just takes some adjusting because following that everything becomes a lot easier (I ended up on the Dean's List that same year - within top 20/3000+ students because I picked up performance dramatically). Basically, I had settled into university. So definitely do not give up or fall into thinking you're an 'average' student. If you were, you would be quite happy to get a distinction/credit.


I also agree with nerdasdas, make an active effort to get to know people (e.g. ask them if they want to grab lunch between lectures/tutes etc.) - you will get absolutely no where being passive. If you are, everyone will already be in 'groups' by the time you hit 2nd year or so and it becomes a lot harder to become close with people (as most of your class mates will be over that phase).

Hope everything goes well!

 

[hungry]

Hi, thanks again everyone for your responses. In the time since posting this, I've tried being more friends with that person. I will admit I think lack of friendships is really what my problem is here, at least partially.

I have not really made progress on this friendship however. Mainly because he still seems to not be interested, so I think I'll stop trying with him. I don't believe he is shy, in fact he is normal/confident. He seems to simply be introverted and not interested in friends that much. (I'm introverted too, but even introverts need friends lol). I did study with him again, and have small conversations with him on facebook and ask about himself, sit with him in the lecture, but he never does the same, so yah. I haven't asked him to do something outside of uni though, like eat or whatnot, because well I feel nervous to do anything like that with anyone lol and anyway as I said he doesn't seem interested in a friendship. So eh..

 

[Queenroot]

Just study

I study for 8/9 hours on weekends each day it's fun

 

[Queenroot]

I don't have any uni friends either

 

[hungry]

i remember reading you said you study like one hour a day

 

[Queenroot]

i remember reading you said you study like one hour a day

are you talking to me?

 

[Queenroot]

In the past I used to do an hour-2 hours a day and that used to be enough cos at the end of the week it used to total to about 14 hours. I don't get time to study throughout the week now so end up cramming on the weekends. I need a solid 2 hours though for any subject.