The Student Room Group

Motivation for AS Levels?

I know there are probably loads of topics on this, but I'm still going to ask. So I've been in year 12 for about 6 weeks now and it's going well, but I just feel like I'm lacking motivation. I need to sort this out ASAP before it's too late. I just feel because I have no experience of what I'm supposed to be aiming for (how good my dream job is, how much I like a certain uni etc), I just can't motivate myself to get there.

I have work I need to finish, essays to write, but I just keep procrastinating or finding myself distracted. Are there any tips that worked for you, that got you motivated?
The fear of failing again is what motivates me to work my socks off
The fact that I require A*AA to go to UCL also motivates me:smile::smile:

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I had that problem last year and so didn't do as well in my AS Levels as I should've done. I found that if you work out where and what time of day you work best - for me, it's in the kitchen (less distractions) in the evening - that helps. Also telling myself 'right, you have to finish this chemistry by 9 o'clock' helped because it gave me a deadline to work for.

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Reply 3
Original post by toonervoustotalk
The fear of failing again is what motivates me to work my socks off
The fact that I require A*AA to go to UCL also motivates me:smile::smile:

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Thank you, I've been looking at grade requirements too, hopefully it'll help motivate me :confused:
Reply 4
Original post by boods8897
I had that problem last year and so didn't do as well in my AS Levels as I should've done. I found that if you work out where and what time of day you work best - for me, it's in the kitchen (less distractions) in the evening - that helps. Also telling myself 'right, you have to finish this chemistry by 9 o'clock' helped because it gave me a deadline to work for.

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Thank you, I think I need to be stricter with my deadlines. :colondollar:
A picture of your goal? Put it on your wall!

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Original post by perfectmix
I know there are probably loads of topics on this, but I'm still going to ask. So I've been in year 12 for about 6 weeks now and it's going well, but I just feel like I'm lacking motivation. I need to sort this out ASAP before it's too late. I just feel because I have no experience of what I'm supposed to be aiming for (how good my dream job is, how much I like a certain uni etc), I just can't motivate myself to get there.

I have work I need to finish, essays to write, but I just keep procrastinating or finding myself distracted. Are there any tips that worked for you, that got you motivated?

I hope you find your motivation soon and don't do what I did:tongue: I got CCCU at AS as a result of doing literally no work.. However as a result of this I have found my motivation (so some good has come) as I realised how important they were. I'm now retaking ALOT of exams, taking extra tuition etc. to get the grades needed for liverpool (ABB). Unfortunately some people need a kick up the backside to get their head down, and I hope you find yours before exam season:wink:
Find out what you biggest goal is in life and look what it takes to get it. Mine is to move to North America from the UK and to do that, I pretty much need to get good grades now and have a little luck later down the line. Just knowing that if i fail I'm pretty much stuffed motivates me
Original post by perfectmix
I know there are probably loads of topics on this, but I'm still going to ask. So I've been in year 12 for about 6 weeks now and it's going well, but I just feel like I'm lacking motivation. I need to sort this out ASAP before it's too late. I just feel because I have no experience of what I'm supposed to be aiming for (how good my dream job is, how much I like a certain uni etc), I just can't motivate myself to get there.

I have work I need to finish, essays to write, but I just keep procrastinating or finding myself distracted. Are there any tips that worked for you, that got you motivated?


Sorry for the long answer but I hope you get something out of it.

I was in your position this time last year and I wish I had done the same as you and asked for help in keeping motivated. For me, the biggest motivation was going to university open days and finding my dream uni, the one I felt at home at and could realistically see myself attending next year. Unfortunately for me, I only went to open days this past summer so I could no longer do anything to change my AS results, which were good but nowhere near where I wanted them to be. I'm not telling you to go off on a uni spree or anything but I would reccomend you start thinking about your goals after A Levels; what do you want to do (whether that be uni or something like an internship) and what grades do you need to get there. Hopefully having that in your mind (or on some sort of inspiration board) will give you some motivation.

More immediately, I'd say identify your distractions and distance yourself from them, like your phone. If you need to, turn it off and notify people that you won't be reachable for X amount of time. The hardest thing is starting the work; just the other day I left an essay until the morning it was due (I literally had 30mins to write it before class) and once I had to force myself to do it and got into the essay, the writing just flowed out and after handing it in I'd noticed more things I could have said in the essay and didn't get the chance to because I'd left it too late. Once you start doing the work, you'll get into it and after it's finished you'll wonder why you didn't start it earlier.

One thing that might be causing your lack of motivation is that you might have negative feelings towards the work you're being set or the topic you're currently studying in a subject. My advice would be to put your feelings aside and just plough through it, there's no avoiding it because it's on the syllabus. Also, the sooner you attempt whatever it is you have to do, the sooner you can identify any problems or struggles you have and then have plenty of time to ask a friend or teacher for help. Another piece of advice is to add enjoyable things into school; for example if you're a stationary and supplies kind of person, get great stationary and supplies that make you smile, that make you want to use them. It may sound silly but for me I like to use (and show off) all my cute stationary such as my patterned pens and customized folders. Put the joy into school where you can't yet find it.

If there is no possible way you can get motivated I stress that you keep to deadlines as much as possible, even if that means pulling a few all-nighters here and there. I have a friend who's overwhelmed by the work she has but the only reason she's overwhelmed is because she hasn't managed her time well and is procrastinating a lot. She's behind on all her deadlines and didn't get her UCAS application done in time for our school's personal deadline, meaning she's at the bottom of the list to get it checked by teachers and sent off to UCAS. She also recently did an important exam related to uni and although she had been given a free pass for the week at school, she put off revising and when she came out of the exam she was almost in tears because she hadn't revised enough to prepare herself. I see her in this situation and I don't have the faintest idea how to help her because once you get behind deadlines it's extremely hard to catch up, especially when you have more work piling in. I'm not telling you to make studying your life and give up your social life but you need to prioritise; if you have an important deadline coming up and need to do your essay or project, maybe skip that outing with your friends that you'd planned even if it means upsetting said friends. At the end of the day you're working towards your future and your friends, although an important part of your life, are not going to feed and clothe you for the rest of your life.

I hope you can get more motivated soon and if you can't don't worry too much about it at this stage, but look to find little ways to add excitement to your studies. Good luck!
Reply 9
I personally tried to enjoy my studying as much as I could. I know it's "cool" among many people to talk about how much they procrastinate, etc, and hate class but for me I just tried to look on the positive side for all my studies and that's been really helpful. Of course, different tips work for different people but that's how I managed to motivate myself and hopefully that might be a bit useful for you. :smile:
Reply 10
Original post by Edminzodo
A picture of your goal? Put it on your wall!

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Good idea!
Reply 11
Original post by JustJack997
I hope you find your motivation soon and don't do what I did:tongue: I got CCCU at AS as a result of doing literally no work.. However as a result of this I have found my motivation (so some good has come) as I realised how important they were. I'm now retaking ALOT of exams, taking extra tuition etc. to get the grades needed for liverpool (ABB). Unfortunately some people need a kick up the backside to get their head down, and I hope you find yours before exam season:wink:


I'm glad for you, good luck! I want to knuckle down before it becomes too late :confused:
Reply 12
Original post by himynameiswill
Find out what you biggest goal is in life and look what it takes to get it. Mine is to move to North America from the UK and to do that, I pretty much need to get good grades now and have a little luck later down the line. Just knowing that if i fail I'm pretty much stuffed motivates me


That's a good point! I need good grades for my future!
Reply 13
Original post by bella_shadow
Sorry for the long answer but I hope you get something out of it.

I was in your position this time last year and I wish I had done the same as you and asked for help in keeping motivated. For me, the biggest motivation was going to university open days and finding my dream uni, the one I felt at home at and could realistically see myself attending next year. Unfortunately for me, I only went to open days this past summer so I could no longer do anything to change my AS results, which were good but nowhere near where I wanted them to be. I'm not telling you to go off on a uni spree or anything but I would reccomend you start thinking about your goals after A Levels; what do you want to do (whether that be uni or something like an internship) and what grades do you need to get there. Hopefully having that in your mind (or on some sort of inspiration board) will give you some motivation.

More immediately, I'd say identify your distractions and distance yourself from them, like your phone. If you need to, turn it off and notify people that you won't be reachable for X amount of time. The hardest thing is starting the work; just the other day I left an essay until the morning it was due (I literally had 30mins to write it before class) and once I had to force myself to do it and got into the essay, the writing just flowed out and after handing it in I'd noticed more things I could have said in the essay and didn't get the chance to because I'd left it too late. Once you start doing the work, you'll get into it and after it's finished you'll wonder why you didn't start it earlier.

One thing that might be causing your lack of motivation is that you might have negative feelings towards the work you're being set or the topic you're currently studying in a subject. My advice would be to put your feelings aside and just plough through it, there's no avoiding it because it's on the syllabus. Also, the sooner you attempt whatever it is you have to do, the sooner you can identify any problems or struggles you have and then have plenty of time to ask a friend or teacher for help. Another piece of advice is to add enjoyable things into school; for example if you're a stationary and supplies kind of person, get great stationary and supplies that make you smile, that make you want to use them. It may sound silly but for me I like to use (and show off) all my cute stationary such as my patterned pens and customized folders. Put the joy into school where you can't yet find it.

If there is no possible way you can get motivated I stress that you keep to deadlines as much as possible, even if that means pulling a few all-nighters here and there. I have a friend who's overwhelmed by the work she has but the only reason she's overwhelmed is because she hasn't managed her time well and is procrastinating a lot. She's behind on all her deadlines and didn't get her UCAS application done in time for our school's personal deadline, meaning she's at the bottom of the list to get it checked by teachers and sent off to UCAS. She also recently did an important exam related to uni and although she had been given a free pass for the week at school, she put off revising and when she came out of the exam she was almost in tears because she hadn't revised enough to prepare herself. I see her in this situation and I don't have the faintest idea how to help her because once you get behind deadlines it's extremely hard to catch up, especially when you have more work piling in. I'm not telling you to make studying your life and give up your social life but you need to prioritise; if you have an important deadline coming up and need to do your essay or project, maybe skip that outing with your friends that you'd planned even if it means upsetting said friends. At the end of the day you're working towards your future and your friends, although an important part of your life, are not going to feed and clothe you for the rest of your life.

I hope you can get more motivated soon and if you can't don't worry too much about it at this stage, but look to find little ways to add excitement to your studies. Good luck!


Thank you so much for the really detailed reply! I will take into consideration your advice & put it into practise!
Reply 14
Original post by Skitee
I personally tried to enjoy my studying as much as I could. I know it's "cool" among many people to talk about how much they procrastinate, etc, and hate class but for me I just tried to look on the positive side for all my studies and that's been really helpful. Of course, different tips work for different people but that's how I managed to motivate myself and hopefully that might be a bit useful for you. :smile:


Thank you, I think positive thinking does help, rather than dreading doing work!

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