Losing hope.

[Kenn]

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Hey SDN, don't be fooled by this being my first post. I have an alias account that I normally post from but I have friends over here on SDN and I'd rather them not know I'm going through this moment of weakness.

I'm a sophomore taking Organic Chem I and Biology, and while Biology isn't that bad I feel as if Organic Chem is. To be honest it is partly my fault seeing as how I put the work off for so long. Sometimes I feel as if the life of someone aspiring to do medicine is so hard in undergrad because you do all this work for something that might happen 3-4 years from now. Me being a sophomore I'm working hard, doing 2 types of volunteering, research, but I lack the motivation to be honest and when I think about it its like "You won't see the fruits of your labor until about 3 years down the line." and I know it'll be worth it in the end but even when I tell myself this it doesn't seem to make a discernible difference.

I have my first Organic Chem test today and I realized how much I sucked after I completed all the homework problems...and I know that Orgo I, first test shouldn't be that hard but I feel like it is. But that's due to my lack of exposure to my material because of my laziness/lack of motivation. After sleeping for about 4 hours I'm now awake and wondering how can I change myself...I want to be the person I was in freshman year, the hardworking guy who wanted to learn as much as possible but I can never seem to muster up that motivation.

Guys, I know this rant (if you can call it that) was a bit off tangent and didn't make sense but I'd like to know how you all stay motivated. How do you all find the mental discipline to get up and study when you want? How do you all find the courage to look forward at all that's left to do and say to yourself "I can do it." as opposed to my "I hope I can do it."

Advice/help/opinion?

 

[Kenn]

This looks an awful lot like a "If I had a penny for every time I read a thread title like this ..." type of thread.

=[

 

[vinniekan]

I am not a big fan of telling ppl what to do but here's what I would do

1.) sleep more than 4 hours, I personally need at least 6-7 to study efficient (and not fall asleep studying the backside attack)

2.) find a 8-5 job first chance you get, and you'll realize how you will not want to do that for the next 40 years of your life, that was motivation for me to study and get good grades to get into school (i have been working an 8-5 for a year now)

$0.02 cha-ching

 

[Stratego]

Vinniekan's #2 really resonates with me. The utmost desire to never again work at an entry-level job for minimum wage was a real push for me. And my mother's comment that "well, someone has to work at K-Mart." Fear is a great motivator.

 

[boaz]

What you are looking for is knowledge that you already possess but need reminding. Let this be that reminder.

 

[flip26]

The vast majority of declared "pre meds" never even make it to the MCAT stage, much less to applying.

Organic Chem pushes many over the edge. Go ahead and jump...because this process will not suddenly become any easier once you take Organic...if you don't have the internal motivation to gut through this, and are looking for motivation "tips" on the internet, you don't have what it takes to go the distance.

 

[JonathanMD]

2.) find a 8-5 job first chance you get, and you'll realize how you will not want to do that for the next 40 years of your life, that was motivation for me to study and get good grades to get into school (i have been working an 8-5 for a year now)

This.

My god, yes, this.

Two things:

1) My first real job was a cashier at IKEA. I worked 9+ hours a day and was literally standing in one spot, ringing people up, and watching the never ending lines of customers plow through for hours on end... then go to sleep, wake up, and do it again. 9 hours a day, 5 days a week. Stand there. Go home. Get up. That was life. All for less than $10/hour. This was life after high school, after dropping out of technical school, thinking about what to do with my life. I'm sure other people have had worse, but you get the picture.

2) At my undergrad, I had a 35 year old classmate who was putting himself back through school. (Good for him.) We were in a research lab with a small team (4 people). Him and the instructor started talking about him and his situation and it came down to this, "What we do here in school is so much more fascinating that anything out there in the real world. I think a lot of these kids just don't understand when they complain about homework and tests."

I hate to always be the "glass is half empty" guy, but what you're doing now is not only better, but much, much more, than the alternative. If it's really not for you then... I'd say it's not for you. But you have to do some real soul searching before you make that kind of decision.

 

[lstone13]

All of us go through moments of weakness, and you should not be ashamed for it. Questioning ourselves forces us to seek our motivations, and thus, drives us to continue on and push ourselves further and harder.

My sophomore year, I also had a period of time where I lost confidence in my ability to pursue medicine, and after that year, I switched to a pre-law career track. I realize now that because I made that switch and explored other options, I became even more sure that medicine was right for me. After I returned back to a pre-medicine track, I was even more motivated to study for my classes and to pursue a medical career.

In sum:
1) Don't be ashamed of your momentary weakness, it happens to all of us and you still have time to catch up with your studies, these moments allow us to find strength within ourselves to pursue our dreams
2) Don't be afraid to look into other options, you may find that by exploring other careers, you realize what you want to do and you can use that realization as your motivation

 

[KokoLoco]

Right, I've had those moments as well during the past few years. Who hasn't? Okay, a few probably haven't, but many have. Orgo sucks - Orgo II was the worst class I had. I cried after every test. I know I shouldn't admit that, but I did. I still managed to pass it with a B, to my surprise. But the only difference between the guy who gave up during Orgo II and me is that I kept going and didn't drop out. During my prereqs, I had tests I should have studied harder for, but just couldn't muster up the motivation.

Having been in the workforce for several years, I realized I couldn't do what I was doing for the next 30. Wasn't going to happen. I try to keep my eye on the prize when I get down. Some day, I'll thank God I kept pushing through. That's all I can hold on to because I can't go back to the dissatisfaction from before. The guy who posted about working 9 hours a day at IKEA - whether it's 9 hrs on your feet, 9 hours in front of a computer, 9 hours in meetings, etc. - if you're not getting satisfaction out of it, it will be the most awful 9 hours of your day, EVERY DAY (almost), for the rest of your life (or until you retire, of course).

I've also had doubts about the path, but again, I know what started me out, and I just have to trust my decisions when I'm doubting them. Maybe this isn't the path for you. Or maybe it is. Wait it out a bit. Have a pity party. Sometimes, you just have to ponder a lot and wait for the motivation to come back. Good luck!

 

[Insulinshock]

Yea I have these moments I'd say about twice a semester. In fact, I had one two weeks ago when I got a 67% on a physics II test. But you have to realize that each step is just one drop of water in the ocean that is pre-medical coursework. Yesterday I scored a 100% on a molecular bio test, so it changes all the time.

Organic chemistry takes a lot of work. If you're doing the work, and you know you're putting in the required time to understand it and are STILL failing, then that might be a cause for concern. But in my experience that's not usually the case; most people are either studying wrong or aren't putting in the right amount of time, and if thats the case than you have nobody to blame but yourself.

NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, whether you do good or bad on a particular test, you have to put it behind you and keep on plowing forward.