Motivation

[Karim]

This is pretty much parallel with the "4.0" thread:

How do you guys motivate yourself to study (in order to get those high grades)? I'm only a freshman, so the prospect of becoming a doctor seems like it's not enough to motivate me...it's too far away. I need something that will affect me right then or there--that would explain my procrastination. The fear of getting a bad grade, which is certain when you only have 2 hours left to write an essay, gives me motivation to do an assignment (even though I sometimes put it off until the day of) but as for studying, sometimes I just convince myself that I know enough to do good on the test and put off studying...sometimes I never even study. This has worked for me in high school but not in college. I just can't "wing it" anymore and get the highest grade in class.

I know that, in order to go to medical school (and in order to become a doctor), I need good grades. It's just that studying is boring to me and I'd rather be doing other things like watching movies or browsing the internet. I wish studying felt good. I will be the first to say that I am very weak, mentally.

What do you guys do?

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[Karim]

Sometimes I seriously just sit at the library with my laptop, all my books and notes, and just can't get myself to study. I just sit there and check my mail, go on SDN, or waste my time downloading stuff. Even though I know I have stuff to do, I just can't bring myself to do it. It gets to the point that I repeatedly check my email even though I know that I have no mail...it's ridiculous. I have such an aversion to studying...to me, it's very hard to do. I know I'm not scraping my knuckles or whatever but the biggest battles in my life have all been mental.

 

[little_late_MD]

This is what separates the top of any group from the pack. Motivation is something that you have to find within yourself. It's what makes you want to push 100% all the time. Intelligence is a factor of success in anything, but the overarching theme you will notice in any person who is in the elite of their field is they are motivated. This sounds like a non-answer, but that is because my/your/his/her motivation only works for one person. To find what motivates you requires a very deep, and sometimes very scary, look inside yourself.

 

[Karim]

I know exactly what you're saying, but I really can't find anything that will really motivate me. I mean, motivation makes "something you have to do" a much easier process. It's like an enzyme in a reaction, if you will. When I was losing weight, I was really immersed in reading and learning about the process--I was obsessed with it. I began going to to gym everyday because I liked it and eventually, when the motivation ran out, I was still going because it became a habit. But I can't even get started with studying! I mean, I'm only a 17 year old kid and there's tons of other more exciting things out there to do! As a critic of myself, I will admit that this is a very childish and naive notion but I really can't help it. For my case, I think I need sheer WILL to just MAKE myself study. I don't have that. I can't think of anything that will make studying easy. I know I'm going to get bashed but I don't care--any criticism will help. Someone seriously make me feel like a loser or something because I admit that I am.

It's weird--I've seen my father work as a doctor for my entire life and I've been through a lot of volunteering and clinical service. I've spent so much time on the internet learning about doctors and what they do but I can't get myself to study for the life of me. Like I said earlier, I know I have to study to become a doctor but sometimes I wish that I can totally bypass the entire undergraduate phase and go straight to medical school to learn the stuff I'm interested in. Am I the only person who feels this way?

 

[little_late_MD]

Well, I'll tell you what motivates me. As a freshman I decided that I was going to explore the "extracurricular" activities at school. I joined a frat, partied my ass off, and generally went to class only to meet people for lunch afterwards. After three semesters of this track I wound up losing my full-ride, having a cum GPA of 2.6, and had 2 Ds and tons of Ws on my transcript. I had to pick-up a full-time job to pay tuition. Since then, I have spent 3.5 years pulling up my GPA. From that time on I never recieved less than a B in any class. I graduated last year with a 3.46. I am now back in school, working on a math minor and my med-school pre-reqs. I have straight As, but there isn't a semester that goes by that I don't wish I hadn't put my nose to the grindstone that first year. Fouling up your GPA is like buying a Honda Civic for racing. Sure you can dump $50,000 into it to make it do the quarter mile in under 10 seconds, but wouldn't it have been easier to just buy a race car in the first place?

 

[rumy]

it will be really ridiculous but sometimes i look at toooo damn cool Anakin/Vader poster on my wall and immediately get very motivated (and coool of course). BUT it works!!
but dont forget this (you know that better than me), everything you do, you are doing for YOURSELF!

 

[Hindiana_Jones]

Your not the only person who feels this way, but if you don't study, your not going to get into medical school. Its very easy to be enchanted by "glory end" of medicine, seeing people walk around the ward in scrubs and white coats, et al. However, this only comes after YEARS of hard work. It all looks very cool and interesting, and although it may be years away, if you don't work hard now, its never going to happen. What classes are you taking? Gen chem, bio? Try to study intrinsically, for being interested in the material itself. Or study because you want to do well and get into medical school. You want to be prepared when application time comes around and you want to be confident, because you know you are competitve candidate. Won't that feel good? Study now because you don't want to be up at 3 am when midterms come around trying to understand Chi squared , redox reactions, or what grignard's reagent is. Study now because although there may be better things to do, you only have a finite amount of time. If you want to be a doctor later, you must be a good student now. You will have to make compromises. Trust me, its very hard for me to see my old girlfriend with a new boyfriend now because I needed more time to study, but its even harder for me to see that D on my transcript in Orgo because I didn't balance my time.I don't mean to lecture you, but as a pre-med who has damaged their GPA, I cannot stress ENOUGH how important it is to study, and study regulalrly. Your a freshman? You should get in the habit of studying 2-3 hours everday, no matter what. I'm not saying to not have a social life, friends, ECs, but I am telling you to study regularly. Its going to be hard at first, and your not going to be 100% efficent or productive, but the more you work at it, the better you will get. After a few weeks it will seam like second nature and it won't be a pill to swallow. I'm sure you know all of this, but you need to do it. You can save yourself A LOT of trouble by studying regularly. Study, and study regularly. Also, I told myself that what I am studying now, will be relevant later. As a physician, it is important understand basic chemistry, and if you don't understand basic chemistry, your not going to understand upper level physiology. I remember a Medical student telling me how important it was to understand henderson hasselbach and pH. Seems boring now, doesn't it? Well, understanding how the Kindey works requires undestanding how pH works. So your investing in your education as a physician, now. You are in SUCH a wonderful position to do well and be successful, DON'T squander it.

 

[benelswick]

Not that you'd actually do this but this is what I should have done....

Stop wasting your time and your parent's money! Drop out of school and get a job. thorughly explore the avenues of life that do not require a degree or advanced professional training. completely support yourself on your own efforts, if that's means a ****box apartment with roaches so be it. Do this for as long as it takes to find the motivation for professional and educational development. My guess is that you'll be back in school in a year or two with profound motivation and you won't be asking questions like where do i get the motivation while your tapping on your $1500 birthday gift. this would take some cahones but like the other poster said its alot better than flubbing your gpa and trying to take up the slack later. remember those grades will stay with you forever. good luck!--Ben.

 

[nrddct]

Just think, if your not studying, someone else in your class is. That was always good enough to get me motivated when I was down. Also realize that no one will truly know how much you want to be a physician. A good way to show this is through grades and EC's.

 

[dajimmers]

Someone seriously make me feel like a loser or something because I admit that I am.

Ok. Right now. Get off of SDN. Pull out your wireless card and stomp on it. Reformat your computer, removing all games, pictures, and videos. Install only Office and an internet browser. Go home. Grab all of your DVD collection, video games, music, "fun" books, stuffed animals, and either lock them up or burn them. Take a pair of scissors and cut the power cord to your TV. Take your cel phone and throw it against the wall.

Should you do all of this? No. While it may make you study more, you'd probably end up committing suicide, and your parents would probably sue me. You can, however, implement some plan that allows you to use these only in moderation. If you can't find the motivation to study, make it so you can do almost nothing but study. Go into the basement of the library for two hours every day, with no internet access, if you have to. Just start taking small steps towards having studying be part of your regular cycle. Keep at a minimum 2-3 non-study activities you do regularly (gym, frat, friends, TV, games), and do them regularly as well. Learning to balance is the most important thing.

 

[Karim]

Not that you'd actually do this but this is what I should have done....

Stop wasting your time and your parent's money! Drop out of school and get a job. thorughly explore the avenues of life that do not require a degree or advanced professional training. completely support yourself on your own efforts, if that's means a ****box apartment with roaches so be it. Do this for as long as it takes to find the motivation for professional and educational development. My guess is that you'll be back in school in a year or two with profound motivation and you won't be asking questions like where do i get the motivation while your tapping on your $1500 birthday gift. this would take some cahones but like the other poster said its alot better than flubbing your gpa and trying to take up the slack later. remember those grades will stay with you forever. good luck!--Ben.

You are so right. The problem is that my parents wouldn't agree whatsoever. When I think about it, I guess I am spoiled and I'm taking college education for granted. Your advice would seriously work for me. Oh well.

 

[drmota]

Not that you'd actually do this but this is what I should have done....

Stop wasting your time and your parent's money! Drop out of school and get a job. thorughly explore the avenues of life that do not require a degree or advanced professional training. completely support yourself on your own efforts, if that's means a ****box apartment with roaches so be it. Do this for as long as it takes to find the motivation for professional and educational development. My guess is that you'll be back in school in a year or two with profound motivation and you won't be asking questions like where do i get the motivation while your tapping on your $1500 birthday gift. this would take some cahones but like the other poster said its alot better than flubbing your gpa and trying to take up the slack later. remember those grades will stay with you forever. good luck!--Ben.

this is some ridiculously good advice. the sad part is that 90% of us don't have the balls to do it. i wish i did. i'm in the same position as the OP and have been for the last 9 semesters. i never really found a way out of it until last year when i realized i needed to get straight As to have a decent GPA, and i did, but my GPA is still sub-par. i payed the price but i'm still giving it a go and hopefully i will get in somewhere

my advice to you - either put off your pre-med prereqs ( i didn't take any til the second semester of my sophomore year) for a year or two. you can even always go through college studying something else and then do all your prereqs in a postbacc program or even a CC ( i know of a girl who went to harvard and majored in english or something, then decided she wanted to be a doc, did all her prereqs in one year at a CC and now goes to UCLA med). the bottom line is you are YOUNG. you want to live a little, and you should. so do it, but dont get carried away, and put the premed **** on hold. that is just my advice. take it as you will.
-mota

 

[Hoberto]

I had this problem a lot of the time too. What works for me is bribing myself. So, I'll tell myself that if I work on this problem/read this book/write this essay for say, 50 minutes, then I can eat that cookie, or watch a bit of TV. This really works for me, especially if the reward is something I am dying to do. No Simpsons until this is finished....a good motivator.

 

[masterMood]

the problem with short-term goals is that when you do the reading, and you get closer to the goal, you tend to finish the reading in a hurry, and not really reading it.

so like if you say you can take a 20minute break if you finish this, and you get to the last 2 pages or so, you're going to read the pages really fast, because your immediate goal is in sight. Just a heads up on that.

On a different note, i have to say that the previous posts about motivation had some very excellent points especially by little_late_MD and hindiana jones.

one short-term thing that keeps me motivated that was said is that someone else in my class is ahead of me NOW. I must beat that person. A little competition is not a bad thing. Without competitition you slack off. Another thing i realize is that everything i do now (as previously said) relates to medicine. I tough it out by learning to ENJOY IT. I force myself to enjoy this stuff, and relate it to everything i will do in the remaining years of college, and in med. school. The more work i put in now, the easier academics will be in the long-run.

From your post, I wasn't sure if you said you were 17 years old or a freshmen in college. If you're 17, relax, I was extremely lazy my senior year in high school. It was only during the 1st week of college i got very scared that my laziness would make me fail in life, where i started getting focused.

Basically what you need to do is find the eye of the tiger like rocky did. A little fear and a little stress is not a badthing to have so long as it is controllable.

 

[Karim]

the problem with short-term goals is that when you do the reading, and you get closer to the goal, you tend to finish the reading in a hurry, and not really reading it.

so like if you say you can take a 20minute break if you finish this, and you get to the last 2 pages or so, you're going to read the pages really fast, because your immediate goal is in sight. Just a heads up on that.

On a different note, i have to say that the previous posts about motivation had some very excellent points especially by little_late_MD and hindiana jones.

one short-term thing that keeps me motivated that was said is that someone else in my class is ahead of me NOW. I must beat that person. A little competition is not a bad thing. Without competitition you slack off. Another thing i realize is that everything i do now (as previously said) relates to medicine. I tough it out by learning to ENJOY IT. I force myself to enjoy this stuff, and relate it to everything i will do in the remaining years of college, and in med. school. The more work i put in now, the easier academics will be in the long-run.

From your post, I wasn't sure if you said you were 17 years old or a freshmen in college. If you're 17, relax, I was extremely lazy my senior year in high school. It was only during the 1st week of college i got very scared that my laziness would make me fail in life, where i started getting focused.

Basically what you need to do is find the eye of the tiger like rocky did. A little fear and a little stress is not a badthing to have so long as it is controllable.

Actually, I'm a junior in college credit-wise, but this is my second semester in college (I started out early by taking some courses in the summer semester during/after my senior year in HS).

 

[Karim]

so like if you say you can take a 20minute break if you finish this, and you get to the last 2 pages or so, you're going to read the pages really fast, because your immediate goal is in sight. Just a heads up on that.

I know exactly what you mean. How were you able to deal with this, hoberto?

 

[Karim]

If you can't find the motivation to study, make it so you can do almost nothing but study. Go into the basement of the library for two hours every day, with no internet access, if you have to. Just start taking small steps towards having studying be part of your regular cycle. Keep at a minimum 2-3 non-study activities you do regularly (gym, frat, friends, TV, games), and do them regularly as well. Learning to balance is the most important thing.

I'm going to try this out. I just cleared out this shed in the backyard at home and I set up a desk, lamp, and chair. The shed is wooden and all...I don't know why but the phrase "burning the midnight oil" comes to mind when I think about it...I guess this is how they used to do it in the past without all those nifty yet distracting things like computers and TV's. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Sanctuary]

This is pretty much parallel with the "4.0" thread:

How do you guys motivate yourself to study (in order to get those high grades)? I'm only a freshman, so the prospect of becoming a doctor seems like it's not enough to motivate me...it's too far away. I need something that will affect me right then or there--that would explain my procrastination. The fear of getting a bad grade, which is certain when you only have 2 hours left to write an essay, gives me motivation to do an assignment (even though I sometimes put it off until the day of) but as for studying, sometimes I just convince myself that I know enough to do good on the test and put off studying...sometimes I never even study. This has worked for me in high school but not in college. I just can't "wing it" anymore and get the highest grade in class.

I know that, in order to go to medical school (and in order to become a doctor), I need good grades. It's just that studying is boring to me and I'd rather be doing other things like watching movies or browsing the internet. I wish studying felt good. I will be the first to say that I am very weak, mentally.

What do you guys do?

It is my firm belief that motivation is a character trait. Some people tend to me motivated, some others are not. Now I am certainly not implying that one who is motivated displays that motivation in every facet of his or her life. But rather, a good example would be someone who is highly motivated to study for 5 out of 6 of their classes. The sixth class being one they study only the 'required' amount to achieve an "A" or "P" or whatever grade they desire. You will find what I am saying to be supported by the American Psychological Association by doing a brief search on their site searcher. Studies have shown that students who don't study also have a greater tendency to not follow through with tasks to completion. In addition, they also place blame on tests or teachers or the person who was chewing gum too loudly, when they do poorly on an exam (I am taking this from the APA's article). I could go on with this but I'll let you learn more about what psychologists say, on your own.

With that in mind, you might want to reassess why you are pursuing a career as a physician. For one who lacks motivation, I imagine it would be rather difficult to get up at 5am after only 4 hours of sleep to go into the hospital for another 16 hour shift during your first year of residency. Oh yes, and for the same salary as a manager at McDonald's. The only difference: The manager at McDonald's makes overtime pay, you as the resident do not.

I encourage you to really think about what it is that you want to do. If you can't muster the strength to study, perhaps something else might come easier to you?

 

[Hoberto]

I know exactly what you mean. How were you able to deal with this, hoberto?

Well, my major was engineering, so I never had pages to read...just problems to work on, stuff to code....there was always a definite end in sight that couldn't really be rushed.

Sadly, for classes with stuff to read I went to class and learned all I could in class and if the lecturer was particularly bad I'd read in class but outside of class I didn't do anything. My B/B+ are proof of that.

I'm worried about this for med school. It will definitely be easier knowing that the material is geared toward being a doctor and will (I hope to God) be useful and interesting. For me, I am thinking that with only school and no work or hubby around I'll be more likely to have/make time to focus and do it.

I am reading these suggestions looking for good ideas just like you.

 

[Karim]

It is my firm belief that motivation is a character trait. Some people tend to me motivated, some others are not. Now I am certainly not implying that one who is motivated displays that motivation in every facet of his or her life. But rather, a good example would be someone who is highly motivated to study for 5 out of 6 of their classes. The sixth class being one they study only the 'required' amount to achieve an "A" or "P" or whatever grade they desire. You will find what I am saying to be supported by the American Psychological Association by doing a brief search on their site searcher. Studies have shown that students who don't study also have a greater tendency to not follow through with tasks to completion. In addition, they also place blame on tests or teachers or the person who was chewing gum too loudly, when they do poorly on an exam (I am taking this from the APA's article). I could go on with this but I'll let you learn more about what psychologists say, on your own.

With that in mind, you might want to reassess why you are pursuing a career as a physician. For one who lacks motivation, I imagine it would be rather difficult to get up at 5am after only 4 hours of sleep to go into the hospital for another 16 hour shift during your first year of residency. Oh yes, and for the same salary as a manager at McDonald's. The only difference: The manager at McDonald's makes overtime pay, you as the resident do not.

I encourage you to really think about what it is that you want to do. If you can't muster the strength to study, perhaps something else might come easier to you?

I have deeply considered your assertion, as I've been told this many times.

As a result, I decided to volunteer in a hospital, work at a physician's office, and essentially immerse myself in the world of physicians. I liked what I saw; in fact, I was enthralled.

I understand where you are coming from, as I've been told this before. For most people, the propsect of becoming a doctor is enough to motivate them to do great and difficult things. However, as I stated in a previous post, the fact that this goal, dare I say dream is so far in the future that the effect it has on my daily life is negligible. I need something that affects me right here and right now to get me off my computer and into the library.

Another thing that you must consider is the fact that what interests me is medicine, not the undergraduate classes that I am currently taking. I loathe Calculus; I can't stand writing essays. I have no motivation to do these. However, when I took Anatomy and Physiology in high school, I was EASILY the top of my class and I absolutely LOVED what I was learning.

I can't say that I share your belief that "motivation is a character trait." I believe that we, as humans, are intrinsically more content in an idle state than that in which we must exert any form of energy. I think that I speak for everyone when I say that I'd be perfectly fine with someone paying me a thousand dollars per day for sitting on my couch watching TV or using a computer. Of course, I'd like to play that doctor on TV but what the heck--that means that I'll have to get up and stop getting paid. I believe that motivation comes out of necessity--the dire necessity for me to lose weight gave me incredible motivation. The dire necessity to get into medical school for those who partied their entire freshman year away only to get a low GPA is much stronger than that of a green freshman with a fresh plate, such as myself. As a result, you will see the aforementioned people getting "straight As" (or very close to it) for the remainder of their undergraduate years (see today's "4.0" thread). The trend really is so very common.

These are all things that I have observed and noted in my life; I can't argue with statitics or studies published by the APA, but I do think that assertions that I have made are reasonable.

But...I know that, in order to get into medical school, I have do do well in those classes. I'm simply having a hard time getting myself to study and deal with such things that I unfortunately hate.

I think that the remedy to my problem is to force myself to study, somehow tie in the class to my passion, and hope it becomes habit. I am suffering from a weak state of mind. That is all.

 

[Sicilian]

This is pretty much parallel with the "4.0" thread:

How do you guys motivate yourself to study (in order to get those high grades)? I'm only a freshman, so the prospect of becoming a doctor seems like it's not enough to motivate me...it's too far away. I need something that will affect me right then or there--that would explain my procrastination. The fear of getting a bad grade, which is certain when you only have 2 hours left to write an essay, gives me motivation to do an assignment (even though I sometimes put it off until the day of) but as for studying, sometimes I just convince myself that I know enough to do good on the test and put off studying...sometimes I never even study. This has worked for me in high school but not in college. I just can't "wing it" anymore and get the highest grade in class.

I know that, in order to go to medical school (and in order to become a doctor), I need good grades. It's just that studying is boring to me and I'd rather be doing other things like watching movies or browsing the internet. I wish studying felt good. I will be the first to say that I am very weak, mentally.

What do you guys do?

Just study a couple hrs everyday. I understand for some of us, thats not enough; 9 or 10 is the norm. Which is fine. It all depends on your ultimate goal. If you're goal is to get into med school, theres no reason to study 14 hrs a day (unless that is, you're in engineering or programming or some killer major). To get into med school, you need a 30 something MCAT score, a decent GPA, and a few EC's. Like I said before, this equates to a couple hrs studying everyday (more on weekends since you have the time). You're not designing space shuttles for NASA. Take it easy.

 

[Karim]

With that in mind, you might want to reassess why you are pursuing a career as a physician. For one who lacks motivation, I imagine it would be rather difficult to get up at 5am after only 4 hours of sleep to go into the hospital for another 16 hour shift during your first year of residency. Oh yes, and for the same salary as a manager at McDonald's. The only difference: The manager at McDonald's makes overtime pay, you as the resident do not.

Out of pure necessity, I will grudgingly pull two all nighters in a row to finish an English research assignment that was given to me weeks in advance (true story). Out of pure love for medicine, I will gladly "get up at 5am after only 4 hours of sleep to go into the hospital for another 16 hour shift during your [my] first year of residency." In fact, the idea electrifies me. Bring it on!

 

[Karim]

Just study a couple hrs everyday. I understand for some of us, thats not enough; 9 or 10 is the norm.

9 or 10 hours a day is the norm!? I'm only awake for about 16 hours a day...when do I get to go to school!? I couldn't imagine 14 (except on the weekends).

 

[scumbucket1019]

Well, perhaps what helped me most was to volunteer at the hospital and shadow area doctors whenever I could. Doctors usually are quite willing to have you wander after them for a day, and some actually enjoy it and give ALOT of good advice. It gives you a wider picture of what you're getting into, and also is a good motivator because it makes the idea of going into medicine seem less detached from real life and less abstract. If there is a pre med advisor at your school, set up an appointment if you haven't allready--- they know their stuff, usually, and are a great help.

Still, when it comes down to it, undergrad is a long series of jumping through hoops and studying things you couldn't care less about-- (life in general is that way it seems), so if you really want med school, grit your teeth and jump--

peace---

/edited for grammer & spelling

 

[Shredder]

This is pretty much parallel with the "4.0" thread:

How do you guys motivate yourself to study

anyway schools overrated. the most successful guys drop out. you just to have what it takes

 

[Karim]

anyway schools overrated. the most successful guys drop out. you just to have what it takes

Hahah! Nice. It's quite ironic that all this talk about not being able to get study has really motivated me to hit the books! Who wudda thought? I'm off to the shed (it's where I study)! Wow, I am so weird.

 

[Hindiana_Jones]

Out of pure love for medicine, I will gladly "get up at 5am after only 4 hours of sleep to go into the hospital for another 16 hour shift during your [my] first year of residency." In fact, the idea electrifies me. Bring it on!

Yes, well, you say that now, but... Look, medicine isn't going to motivate you 100% to study a 100% of the time. I shadow trauma surgeons at Cook County Hospital (stroger) during the night shift. And around 4 am, I get tired, and its hard to give a damn, and I'm IN the frickin' trauma resus. The idea is, even though your NOT motivated, you study anyway, and that is hard part. In med school, you may not find pharmokinetics interesting at all. You may HATE histology, but you have to learn it anyway.You don't need to study 10 million gazzlion hours. And Calculus IS related to medicine. English IS related to medicine. No, you may not use calc directly in finding the second derivate of someone's kidney, but it is used in research. Medicine is a science, and uses mathematics as its tool. For instances, physicians who go into Radation Oncology have to learn more PHYSICS to be good DOCTORS. They have work with physicists doing E &M. The Physcists help plan the dosage, or so I've heard. Yuh, english papers suck, but Adcoms want to see that you can do something you don't like, and do it well, and be dedicated to it, b/c it will allow you to do something to do like, i.e get into medical school. It seams like people who do well just do it magically. They don't. They know their strengths and their weaknesses, and they don't give themselves opportunities to falter. I turn my computer off when I study in my room, or I don't study in my room at all. I used to pretend I could study in my room, or study with my girlfriend over. Guess what? I found out I couldn't do that the hard way. No innundos folks. You DON'T want to learn this lesson. I'm twenty years old, and I realized in ten years I'll be a first year intern, when I could have been a doctor at 26. Realize the gravity of the situation. You don't need to pass a kidney stone and freak out, but you do need to realize this is your career.

 

[Sicilian]

9 or 10 hours a day is the norm!? I'm only awake for about 16 hours a day...when do I get to go to school!? I couldn't imagine 14 (except on the weekends).

Well, it depends on the nature of the course. Stuff like physics gets pretty intense, you barely notice the time. Bio, you're looking at the clock practically every turn of the page. In my case, I study the stuff I don't like well in advance, because I know I'd procrastinate otherwise. Its also easier on a psychological level. The stuff I do like gets done on its own without that extra push. Really, its a question of personal initiative. Just remember theres three things you can do with a syllabus: study ahead, fall behind, or be exactly on schedule.

 

[Chris127]

Karim, I am EXACTLY like you. I am a freshman in college, and I too just dont study regularly. But of course, the night before the exam, I will study like mad, but it seems although a few days before the exam I think I know the material and that I will do well. Then the night before I look at the chapters, and again think I'll do well. This worked in HS, obviously not in college.

But you know what, I think living in a dorm may have something to do with it. I'm not blaming this indolence on my living enviroment, but its actually kind of tough, you know? Being in a dorm, I actually have to go out of my way to study, I cant just come home, sprawl out on the couch, lay some books down on the coffee table and study with all the privacy I need. The library is about a 7 minute walk, and I can just never bring myself to walk over there after class. I always walk back to the dorm, surf the web, play a few PC games, read, watch TV, etc. I always tell myself I have all the time in the world to go over there and study, I just never end up doing it. And my dorm is small and loud as hell, so its not like I can get anything done here either.

 

[Hindiana_Jones]

The library is about a 7 minute walk, and I can just never bring myself to walk over there after class. I always walk back to the dorm, surf the web, play a few PC games, read, watch TV, etc. I always tell myself I have all the time in the world to go over there and study, I just never end up doing it. And my dorm is small and loud as hell, so its not like I can get anything done here either.

Well, then all you need is to be motivated for 7 minutes to force yourself to walk over to the library. I know what its like, you come out of class, and your bored, or just relieved to not be in there anymore, and your mind goes to the place of least resistance. Its 7 minutes. DO IT! Be psyched for those 7 minutes.For me, the battle was just getting to the library. You know, the best thing to do after class is review what your teacher said. It will go to long term memory. I know you may dread going to the library, but just tell yourself "hey, I'll go for 1/2 an hour, and just see how I feel after that" and you may be pleasantly surprised the library isn't so bad, studying is so bad, and your actually enjoying it.

 

[Gavanshir]

Find a role model, someone you want to be like and model his/her behavior.

Not all of us were brought up by parents who filled our daily schedules with soccer practice, piano lessons, tv time, family time, etc. so we dont all carry that level of disicipline that automatically equals to academic success.

I personally found motivation in all of the following: A great role-model, my one day a week volunteer time at the hospital, ER the TV show, TLC and Discovery channel medical shows, writing down my long-term AND short-term goals.

If all else fails, listen to Tony Robbins (Seriously.) Learn about the concepts of "The Power of Now". His tapes really do work, here are just a couple of quotes:

How am I going to live today in order to create the tomorrow I'm committed to?
On Goals - Life

Remember, a real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken new action. If there's no action, you haven't truly decided.
On Decisions - Action


Finally, I think IDENTITY is very important. You have to know yourself and know who you want to be. Develop an image of who you want to be and start living it. If you have a role model, model their behavior, even the small things. I found that I had to part ways with hip-hop music and culture because the mentality it promoted was suggestive of a lax lifestyle and an image which wasn't in correlation with who I wanted to be. If you want to be a serious, successful and smart student, you have to see that student in the mirror everyday. It won't help if you only THINK you are that student but on the outside your interactions with friends & family, clothing and even your speech patterns project otherwise.

 

[67192]

I think a lot of what was said in this post by others was very good advice. Here are a few addtional tips:

1) Make To-Do Lists. These should be detailed, including different times/days to study for each class (change them depending on exams, essays, etc).

2) Enjoy what you are studying. It may be hard, but find parallels to something you enjoy. You seem to be really interested in medicine, so find medically-related problems, such as relating a solenoid (physics) to an MRI machine or redox rxns in chem to the redox rxns that happen in our cellular metabolism. I really hated Gen. Chem, but fell in love with Cell/Molecular biology and did a lot of research studying these processes and now I love learning and relating what I learn to biology/medicine.

3) Become friends with an over-achieving, motivated individual and study when they study. Go to the library together, form study-groups, etc. I think it is often harmful to look at other people who study the same/much less than you do and to think, "well, they don't study... i don't need to."

4) (As stated by others) Be competitive. No, not one of the gunner-type people. But something that always motivated me was thinking, "Wow, there are 500 (ya, big school) people taking Gen. Chem with me and many of them are highly intelligent and studying all the time. To go to med. school I have to get better grades then them and to do that, I must study harder then them."

5) Instead of the short-term study rewards, have a study reward that is farther away, but something to be more excited about than getting to watch T.V. (i.e. at the end of the quarter/semester). Plan a get-away with your friends/significant other to celebrate the end of finals and live-it-up for a few days. For me, school is 10-12 weeks (quarter system) of intense studying and I work really hard at making sure I always keep on top of things (that often means saying "no" to things that are more appealing). My reward is the good feeling I get after doing well in a class AND doing something fun/adventurous afterward.

NEWay- hope this helps!

Get back to studying!