I sometimes feel like I'm too lazy to do well at a good university

Maybe lazy is the wrong word... but I have a real problem with procrastination. If I have something to do, I will always find a way not to do it. Even right now there is homework I should be doing, but I'll leave it until late and then rush to do it before tomorrow. I can't help myself. It's not that I don't do the work, I just always put it off until absolutely necessary. I know where I want to be in life, and it seems illogical, but anyone else who suffers from procrastination like me will know what I mean.

I know that I want to go to university, I know which subject I would like to study, and I have plenty of good reasons to justify this decision. I'm definitely capable of attending one of the top universities in the country, and I can realistically achieve the grades they require. Without meaning to sound arrogant I've always done well with relatively little work, maybe this is what makes me complacent, I'm always sure to revise properly, but only because I appreciate the importance of exams. However compared to other people I know that achieve the same sorts of grades as me, I feel as if I do far too little - I know people who will get home from school and spend hours going over notes and doing extra exercises.

I'm worried my procrastination will only get worse when I go to uni. Being in a big city with lots to do and nobody to moan at me won't exactly do me any favours. It's making me quite apprehensive about the whole thing, especially as I'll be applying to good universities that I know will make me work hard. Has anyone had similar problems, and how have you coped with it at university?

Sorry if this is tl;dr, but I'd appreciate any advice you could give me, thanks :smile:

Reply 1

tif49

I know exactly what you mean.

Just try and do work as soon as you can, harder than it sounds right?

As long as you get the work done now, there is no point in worrying about the future. Worrying won't help, just focus on now and the rest will take care of itself.

If you've managed to get this far, I'm sure you'll do fine at Uni.

Reply 2

Robinson's_Crusade

Original post by lukas1051

Has anyone had similar problems, and how have you coped with it at university?

Sorry if this is tl;dr, but I'd appreciate any advice you could give me, thanks :smile:

I was much like you - I got very high GCSEs with, quite honestly and literally, no revision (on my own time; in school, we had revision classes.) For my A-levels, I put in effort at the beginning but it soon became apparent that the 'huge jump' was just fiction and I got AAB in the end with maybe 5 hours total revision on my own time and I failed to do about half a paper for an exam in the subject that I got the B in due to having a migraine that completely destroyed my sight during it.

Then I got to university and carried on with the same attitude ... only instead of continuing to get good marks, I was barely passing exams and when I failed a module in my first year, that was the wake up call that my method of coasting no longer worked. I still don't think I do as much work as others maybe do and I probably should, but I do an awful lot more than I used to and now get good marks that I'm proud to say I achieved.

TL;DR: I can talk until I'm blue in the face, because believe me people told me I'd trip up one day, but you might actually need to **** up before you change.

EDIT: Wow, negging someone for admitting that they've made mistakes in the past and then correcting them - mature. :rolleyes:

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 3

Rebellious-Steve

You're in the same position as a lot of other people.

Ultimately there is only one thing that you can do and that's have your life hit rock bottom.

Reply 4

Zottula

I'm the same.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Reply 5

Cicerao

Original post by Rebellious-Steve

Ultimately there is only one thing that you can do and that's have your life hit rock bottom.

Original post by Robinson's_Crusade

TL;DR: I can talk until I'm blue in the face, because believe me people told me I'd trip up one day, but you might actually need to **** up before you change.

Sad but true, it's like a drug you get addicted to and it usually takes a shock to knock you out of it.

Reply 6

edindzeko

Nah, you'll get by fine provided you do some work at the end of the year. You don't have to put in anywhere near the amount of work people say to get a good degree.

Reply 7

flywithemma

I'm very worried about this too :s-smilie:

I currently have 2 mini essays to write and a book to read by Monday, and I'm procrastinating in any way I can. I haven't even GOT to university yet...

Reply 8

River85

Original post by edindzeko

Nah, you'll get by fine provided you do some work at the end of the year. You don't have to put in anywhere near the amount of work people say to get a good degree.

Erm...what about work that needs to be done during the year?

As for how intensive degrees are, and the effort that's required for a good degree, this will vary by subject and university.

Reply 9

edindzeko

Coursework? Set aside 3 intensive nights for it and you're fine.

Granted yes, it will. I'm speaking from my experience.

Reply 10

TheEssence

Well if you struggle for motivation, just think of how you will be in 10years time having ****ed about in uni doing nothing, that helped me through a-levels :smile:

But if you can't motivate yourself to do work and feel you're wasting your time, drop out and stop wasting your time and money

I feel very much like you, OP, but I did really well in my first year at uni. When the time came to do some serious work, I managed to get my head down and managed to put in a lot more effort than I thought I was capable of. Don't worry, you should be fine.

Reply 13

poogly

omg I am EXACTLY the same case. Right now I should be doing my PS which I haven't even started.

I've noticed that it comes at periods. Usually at the end of the year I just get too numb to mind working and everything just flows for the final exams.

Or,
maybe we're just night people! It is not insane to believe that some of us just perform better at night. However it is not enough to explain the whole thing..

It sounds so painful but you just need to start. You can use the following guide.

Reply 14

The_Lonely_Goatherd

Original post by lukas1051

Oxford (presumably Cambridge too) is full of procrastinators, so that in itself shouldn't put you off trying top unis too much. Obviously those two unis have a more regular workload than some other unis, due to the weekly tutorials/supervisions. A system like that where there is work every week and reading which you're expected to have done and where you can't really hide behind others, could be to your benefit :smile: