Lost motivation

[NguyenDDS]

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[amh137]

I would think of it this way. Would you rather buckle down and study hard for a few more days, OR keep slacking and going in unprepared and then possibly having to retake it again. You're almost there, so just find a way to get it done. Good luck.

 

[invictusx]

I was suppose to take the DAT last week, but I rescheduled it a week later. But ever since then, I've just been slacking, not motivated, and burnt in general... didn't get much done. I've been basically finding any distraction I can set myself on. I've wasted a lot of valuable time.

For those who are studying for the DAT or who have already taken the DAT, how do you pull yourself back up after being burnt from studying?

Walk up to a mirror and tell yourself, "Hello Dr. Nguyen. You're going to be the best dentist. I'm going to kick the DATs' butt and I'm going to get through it. If one person can do it, I can do it."

For me it relieved a lot of stress

 

[Jab1113]

Walk up to a mirror and tell yourself, "Hello Dr. Nguyen. You're going to be the best dentist. I'm going to kick the DATs' butt and I'm going to get through it. If one person can do it, I can do it."

For me it relieved a lot of stress

+1

and then go watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk56VxaeqEQ

.....then ask yourself "What am I going to do in the limited time I have left until I destroy the DAT?"

 

[dentalWorks]

I was suppose to take the DAT last week, but I rescheduled it a week later. But ever since then, I've just been slacking, not motivated, and burnt in general... didn't get much done. I've been basically finding any distraction I can set myself on. I've wasted a lot of valuable time.

For those who are studying for the DAT or who have already taken the DAT, how do you pull yourself back up after being burnt from studying?

This is kinda normal for people to lose hope ~ ESPECIALLY when thier DAT date has arrived (they set themselves up for failure because they believe they will fail, so its easier for them to blame it on "I didn't try as hard" than to say "omg I tried soo hard and failed")

My advice to you, take 1 day off from everything, don't work, don't study, just go have fun. 1 day of fun, followed by few more days of DAT misery, followed by taking the test, and 4.5 hours later, walking out of the exam center and NEVER having to look at this f-ing thing again.

 

[CougarDental]

I've found that when I'm feeling less motivated, if I take a practice test, it freaks me out enough to push forward.

 

[Cofo]

I was suppose to take the DAT last week, but I rescheduled it a week later. But ever since then, I've just been slacking, not motivated, and burnt in general... didn't get much done. I've been basically finding any distraction I can set myself on. I've wasted a lot of valuable time.

For those who are studying for the DAT or who have already taken the DAT, how do you pull yourself back up after being burnt from studying?

Hey buddy, I know your stats...and you know them too lol.
You and I both know you don't just want to, but you need to do well on this test. You only have a few more days. Just keep going. SUCK IT UP!
For real, you can do this. Everytime something challenging comes to you, are you just going to throw in the towel and allow yourself to be defeated? 👎
Take a practice test. Go over the stuff you missed. Then go over the stuff you personally feel might need brushing upon. Then go over your notes. The day before the DAT...relax...don't study. Then take the DAT knowing you are going to score well. Don't let this test beat you. A famous child molester once said a sagacious, short parable: "Beat it. Just beat it." Good luck...but keep studying and you won't need it!

 

[UCSD1984]

I was suppose to take the DAT last week, but I rescheduled it a week later. But ever since then, I've just been slacking, not motivated, and burnt in general... didn't get much done. I've been basically finding any distraction I can set myself on. I've wasted a lot of valuable time.

For those who are studying for the DAT or who have already taken the DAT, how do you pull yourself back up after being burnt from studying?

Have you tried dragging yourself to a study environment? If I try to study at home, I'll get an hour or two hours of studying done in a 10 hour time frame. If I drag myself to the library (I'll even drive half an hour to UCSD's library) and sit in a quiet area, I'll get a ton more done. If at all possible, don't take your laptop and turn your cellphone off when you get there. Note what time you got there, and set yourself to leave no earlier than 6 hours later (or 8, or 10, whatever you feel is necessary to cover what you've scheduled to cover).

Everyone falls into a slump when studying for an exam like this, I guarantee it. If you're at the point where even if you got to a library, you still feel tense when studying...then I would recommend taking 1 or 2 days off and just enjoy yourself. Go to the beach/a bar/out with friends/shopping/whatever. Spend some time on yourself and don't even think about the exam for the entirety of your time off.

Hope everything works out for you. Best of luck.

 

[NguyenDDS]

Thank you everyone! 🙂 I will try to go somewhere else to study.... been studying at home. Maybe that's part of the problem too 🙂 Will be studying now... byeeee.

 

[Doc Smile]

Thank you everyone! 🙂 I will try to go somewhere else to study.... been studying at home. Maybe that's part of the problem too 🙂 Will be studying now... byeeee.

Barnes and Nobles is the best if they have a section with study tables (some do some don't!). Plus you can drink starbucks coffee, read books, and look kewl while studying. And gurls totes dig the studying-for-dental-school look.

 

[wired202808]

Hey buddy, I know your stats...and you know them too lol.
You and I both know you don't just want to, but you need to do well on this test. You only have a few more days. Just keep going. SUCK IT UP!
For real, you can do this. Everytime something challenging comes to you, are you just going to throw in the towel and allow yourself to be defeated? 👎
Take a practice test. Go over the stuff you missed. Then go over the stuff you personally feel might need brushing upon. Then go over your notes. The day before the DAT...relax...don't study. Then take the DAT knowing you are going to score well. Don't let this test beat you. A famous child molester once said a sagacious, short parable: "Beat it. Just beat it." Good luck...but keep studying and you won't need it!

thats messed up LOL MJ was a good man!

 

[Double Bonded]

Your motivation should be to never have to learn taxonomy, ecology, or animal behavior again.

 

[nc0127]

to be honest, you are not alone when it comes to feeling the way you are. I was planning on taking the DAT June 22 because I thought to myself "after I graduate I will have a solid month 1/2 to prepare with no distractions". I had it all wrong! Because the test date was creeping up on me, I started getting really nervous and tried cramming in more info, but that only causes me to lose motivation and not absorb! So...I just moved the exam to Aug. 8 and this huge weight got lifted off my shoulders where I felt motivated the day after to study!

Basically, my point is that you are probably losing the motivation mainly because you don't feel like you are ready to take this exam. Only YOU will know where you stand with the content and with confidence. If you have been preparing for a while, and you have sincerely been taking prac. exams and scoring well then don't psyche yourself out. I know it is easier said than done because I am in the same boat.

I have random bursts where I'll get into study mode, but I usually tell myself everyday "you've come THIS far, you've endured hard science classes and lab hours, shadowing hours etc..Don't give up NOW or else it'll all be a waste" so try and tell yourself the same. If we are taking the DAT, we have really come a long way academically so just keep your head up, you're almost there!

Good luck 🙂 and please post how it goes for you!

 

[jeffity]

Get out of the house to study for sure.

Print the image of this guy's score report and hang it up. You'll cry the first few times you see it, but it will eventually light that fire right back up!

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=11006441&postcount=9

 

[Desi Don]

Get out of the house to study for sure.

Print the image of this guy's score report and hang it up. You'll cry the first few times you see it, but it will eventually light that fire right back up!

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=11006441&postcount=9

Print this guy's scores as well. http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=8714300&postcount=1

Look at them and think "I gotta get there, I gotta study, I'm gonna make it"

 

[evanyou]

If you have a dental school near your place, I would try to study at the library. I actually went to UCSF library. I've been grown up in SF and always decided I will get in there oneday whenever I was passing by. Even if I was bit embarrassed when I have to take my cliff AP bio book out from my backpack, it was pretty motivating😀

 

[seunglim87]

If you have a dental school near your place, I would try to study at the library. I actually went to UCSF library. I've been grown up in SF and always decided I will get in there oneday whenever I was passing by. Even if I was bit embarrassed when I have to take my cliff AP bio book out from my backpack, it was pretty motivating😀

HAHAHAHAH 100% agreed. it was embarassing when you had to take out your AP bio in your school library

 

[UCSD1984]

If you have a dental school near your place, I would try to study at the library. I actually went to UCSF library. I've been grown up in SF and always decided I will get in there oneday whenever I was passing by. Even if I was bit embarrassed when I have to take my cliff AP bio book out from my backpack, it was pretty motivating😀

It's so funny you say that. I was at UCSD's library yesterday and I whipped the AP Bio book out, and I got some interesting looks. Needless to say I was embarrassed. All you have to do is lay out "Destroyer" and "Kaplan DAT" right next to it and then the looks change drastically 😉

Edit: It also doesn't help that I'm sitting on my laptop watching Chad's videos on the PERIODIC TABLE, hahaha. Oh lord...

 

[yappy]

Reading this has helped me! I lost my modivation due to the flu... so feverish and pukey I could not even flash cards for 4 days. Back into it tomorrow.

GL OP. I look forward to reading your breakdown.

 

[Noelle23]

This is all too funny! I was at starbucks a couple weeks ago and was reading Cliff's AP Bio and a College Professor said it's really nice to see a motivated HS student! 😱 LOL! I said, Nope already graduated college😳 I explained what I was doing but he still seemed confused that I would be studying that level of book for a graduate level entrance exam. Haha!

 

[evanyou]

This is all too funny! I was at starbucks a couple weeks ago and was reading Cliff's AP Bio and a College Professor said it's really nice to see a motivated HS student! 😱 LOL! I said, Nope already graduated college😳 I explained what I was doing but he still seemed confused that I would be studying that level of book for a graduate level entrance exam. Haha!

Tell him that cliff bio is not easy as he might think😛

 

[molar3]

It's so funny you say that. I was at UCSD's library yesterday and I whipped the AP Bio book out, and I got some interesting looks. Needless to say I was embarrassed. All you have to do is lay out "Destroyer" and "Kaplan DAT" right next to it and then the looks change drastically 😉

Edit: It also doesn't help that I'm sitting on my laptop watching Chad's videos on the PERIODIC TABLE, hahaha. Oh lord...

ahahahahha lolll ahhhhhhhh ditto. and i pause every 5 seconds too, to write down notes......😳

 

[predentlove]

you guys will all be great dentists (;

 

[dantemac]

Yeah, study somewhere else than home. My idea of studying at home = sitting out by the pool, maybe pick up my notes to read. Ugh...

 

[RCLEE]

Go look at all of the DAT done scores. That normally get me motivated and fired up.

 

[Maygyver]

I did all of my studying at home. Just realize that you need to study other wise you will bomb, that should be enough motivation. It's just like studying for finals. Just get it done.

 

[bharat008]

The best motivation is you won't become a Dentist... hahaha.. I am sure you will study now..

 

[predent07]

LOL this is hilarious and encouraging.
i have those two scores open on my tab now.
i study off the princeton ap bio book but i also bring the MCAT ochem so i'm good 😀
press on!!
almost there! 👍

 

[addis4ever]

how do people do it?! how can u get 30's on the DAT? wow! 😱 can somebody please answer this question

 

[Maygyver]

how do people do it?! how can u get 30's on the DAT? wow! 😱 can somebody please answer this question

I love the hyperbole. You don't need a 30 to do "well." Just study and you will do fine.

 

[PhansterZ]

how do people do it?! how can u get 30's on the DAT? wow! 😱 can somebody please answer this question

Well, one way to get a guaranteed 3 30's is to study really hard for the Sciences.

Step 1: Get all the biology questions right. 30!
Step 2: Get all the chemistry questions right. 30!
Step 3: Get all the Organic questions right. Another 30!

and, if you do all that, you get a freebie 30 for Total Sciences!

Buy 3 get 1 free.

 

[addis4ever]

Well, one way to get a guaranteed 3 30's is to study really hard for the Sciences.

Step 1: Get all the biology questions right. 30!
Step 2: Get all the chemistry questions right. 30!
Step 3: Get all the Organic questions right. Another 30!

and, if you do all that, you get a freebie 30 for Total Sciences!

Buy 3 get 1 free.

lol....nicely put! 👍