Sense of achievement gone after getting in

It's because you've had your mind set on one thing for so long that when you finally get it you're just like 'phew, that's done'. You need to reset your wishlist now so that you have something else to aim for. A good one would be 'graduate with a first/2:1' or 'become chair of a society' or something like that. It'll give you a bit of purpose to life and you'll find that you start loving uni properly, not just being massively underwhelmed with it.

Reply 2

S.R

OP

3

Original post by hothedgehog

It's because you've had your mind set on one thing for so long that when you finally get it you're just like 'phew, that's done'. You need to reset your wishlist now so that you have something else to aim for. A good one would be 'graduate with a first/2:1' or 'become chair of a society' or something like that. It'll give you a bit of purpose to life and you'll find that you start loving uni properly, not just being massively underwhelmed with it.

Yes you're right. Getting into a good university isn't the be all-end all of life. I need to move on and focus on bigger targets such as getting a first. Thanks.

Reply 3

I feel that way every time I achieve something. The feeling of "success" doesn't last forever... in fact it's quite short lived. And then you need to go and do something even better in order to redeem that feeling... but then it goes again and you need to do even better again.

I got into a top RG uni too, felt great for a few weeks, then it went away. Then I finished top of the year in my class, and that felt great too... did that every year. Then I got a first, and that felt great, but then the feeling went away. Then I got into another RG uni for a PhD, which felt great, and than the feeling of success went away.

You constantly need to "level up" to maintain the feeling of success. It's almost a drug.

But yes, once you achieve something that you work long and hard for, and spend weeks/months/years planning and contemplating, it becomes very old very quick once you actually achieve it, I feel. Which is completely normal.

I think we place too much emphasis and over-estimate how something will change our lives. For example, when I think about my next big goal (completing the PhD), I have an image in my mind of how life will be when that's done. I'll wake up every morning and acknowledge that I'm "Dr." me, and that I've proved myself to be extremely intelligent and well-qualified, or whatever.

But actually, I'll probably wake up the day after my PhD feeling exactly like I was when I woke up the day before I got my PhD. Yes, things will be different, but the world won't suddenly become a shade more rosey. It won't be as big a deal as it was before I'd started my PhD, because it's something I'll be working towards and expecting to get for 3 years.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 4

+ polarity -

21

A couple of days ago someone (in a game) told me that humans crave achievement, and I think it's totally true. You've achieved what you wanted to, now you're looking for the next big goal, amirite? I think it's natural to have a sort of refractory period between when you get yours and you're ready to get back to work, and this would be your lack of a sense of achievement. Now go and get that bish/first/car/woteva

Reply 5

ValuableAdvice

Getting into university is not in and of itself a great achievement. Nor are achieving good grades by themselves great achievements. A great achievement would be to establish a successful business or to discover or invent something that greatly benefits society. That should be your goal in life.

Reply 6

username115564

Original post by ThisIsTheLife

I got into a top RG uni too, felt great for a few weeks, then it went away. Then I finished top of the year in my class, and that felt great too... did that every year. Then I got a first, and that felt great, but then the feeling went away. Then I got into another RG uni for a PhD, which felt great, and than the feeling of success went away.

Please, carry on...

Reply 7

Original post by JW

Please, carry on...

Not sure what you're implying? Could you elaborate?

Reply 8

-aTOMic-

Original post by ValuableAdvice

Getting into university is not in and of itself a great achievement. Nor are achieving good grades by themselves great achievements. A great achievement would be to establish a successful business or to discover or invent something that greatly benefits society. That should be your goal in life.

I'm not sure what all the negative rep is about! 'ValuableAdvice' actually has a pretty good point, although put rather bluntly. Grades at the end of the day are artificial and are not a true reflection of your originality and even capability due to selection of content and marking by the examining board. Grades cannot be applied to "real life" and in a few years they will be "worth" less and less...

A profiting business or creation that has garnered an audience is a much more valuable and worthy achievement and I have great admiration for those who leave school immediately after their GCSEs/A Levels to start their own businesses.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 9

Original post by -aTOMic-

I'm not sure what all the negative rep is about! 'ValuableAdvice' actually has a pretty good point, although put rather bluntly. Grades at the end of the day are artificial and are not a true reflection of your originality and even capability due to selection of content and marking by the examining board. Grades cannot be applied to "real life" and in a few years they will be "worth" less and less...

A profiting buisness or creation that has garnered an audience is a much more valuable and worthy achievement and I have great admiration for those who leave school immediately after their GCSEs/A Levels to start their own businesses.

Actually it's a stupid and irrelevant comment. The OP was clearly talking about a personal sense of achievement. This is measured based on a person's own metric, their own idea of what they want to acheive, and their own criteria for deciding whether or not they have achieved it.

Whereas the inaptly named "ValuableAdvice" was trying to measure achievement based on some societal norm, where somebody is only considered successful if they have provided for society.

While that may be valid when it comes to evaluating a person's utility to society, it is no good at evaluating how successful they should be allowed to feel. We set or own goals and our sense of achievement is linked to how we feel we meet those goals, and not much else. Of course, it's good to be acknowledged by others and have your work praised, but for me and many others, that's not the be all and end all of achievement.

And balls to the idea that our success should be measured by some societal norm. First of all, I don't really give a crap about society, and I exist to provide for ME, not for everybody else. Anything I do will be about maximising MY wealth and MY happiness. If that happens to involve providing something useful for everyone else as a byproduct, then great, and if somebody wants to praise my work and acknowledge my achievement, then great. But it's not my primary goal, and it's not what informs my own personal sense of achievement.

Reply 10

RibenaRockstar

14

I know exactly what you mean - I've just acheived my lifetime aim, at the age of 18 (making the University Challenge team) and I'm not entirely sure what to do next...

Reply 11

Doglamlico

Original post by ThisIsTheLife

got into a top RG uni too, felt great for a few weeks, then it went away. Then I finished top of the year in my class, and that felt great too... did that every year. Then I got a first, and that felt great, but then the feeling went away. Then I got into another RG uni for a PhD, which felt great, and than the feeling of success went away.

Hehe brag much :smile:

Top RG uni, top in my year, every year. First, RG PhD :pierre:

Reply 12

Original post by The Polymath

Hehe brag much :smile:

Top RG uni, top in my year, every year. First, RG PhD :pierre:

True story btw.

But wasn't meant to brag, just my own personal journey through achievement and how I've felt about it/reflected on it at various points.

Reply 13

Doglamlico

Original post by ThisIsTheLife

True story btw.

But wasn't meant to brag, just my own personal journey through achievement and how I've felt about it/reflected on it at various points.

Yeah I didn't mean it seriously, but pretty don achievements right there :smile:

Reply 14

username115564

Original post by ThisIsTheLife

Not sure what you're implying? Could you elaborate?

See:

Original post by The Polymath

Hehe brag much :smile:

The smugness is palpable.

Reply 15

Original post by JW

See:

The smugness is palpable.

Don't come into a thread about achievement and then moan when you find mention of *shock* people's achievements.

Reply 16

-aTOMic-

Original post by ThisIsTheLife

Actually it's a stupid and irrelevant comment. The OP was clearly talking about a personal sense of achievement. This is measured based on a person's own metric, their own idea of what they want to acheive, and their own criteria for deciding whether or not they have achieved it.

Whereas the inaptly named "ValuableAdvice" was trying to measure achievement based on some societal norm, where somebody is only considered successful if they have provided for society.

While that may be valid when it comes to evaluating a person's utility to society, it is no good at evaluating how successful they should be allowed to feel. We set or own goals and our sense of achievement is linked to how we feel we meet those goals, and not much else. Of course, it's good to be acknowledged by others and have your work praised, but for me and many others, that's not the be all and end all of achievement.

And balls to the idea that our success should be measured by some societal norm. First of all, I don't really give a crap about society, and I exist to provide for ME, not for everybody else. Anything I do will be about maximising MY wealth and MY happiness. If that happens to involve providing something useful for everyone else as a byproduct, then great, and if somebody wants to praise my work and acknowledge my achievement, then great. But it's not my primary goal, and it's not what informs my own personal sense of achievement.

http://youtu.be/4M98x-FLp7E?t=23s

0:24 to 0:30 of this video sums you up (and most of TSR) nicely.

Reply 17

username115564

Original post by ThisIsTheLife

Don't come into a thread about achievement and then moan when you find mention of *shock* people's achievements.

Call me naive but I wasn't expecting anyone to be so ungracious as to actually list their achievements. You may notice the rest of us have resisted the temptation.

Reply 18

Original post by -aTOMic-

http://youtu.be/4M98x-FLp7E?t=23s

0:24 to 0:30 of this video sums you up (and most of TSR) nicely.

Hmm yeah... none of that applies to me whatsoever:

1) I have a first class degree in Aerospace Engineering from a top uni - I could have gone into industry and made a killing, and have job offers to do so.

2) I live in my own place, not student accomodation.

3) I'm 23 and I'll graduate with a PhD at 25... Not much older than the age most people graduate with their undergraduate.

4) I make plenty of money from my PhD stipend, plus teaching at university, plus a small business venture I operate in the evenings - I probably make more money now than you will after 10 years in your chosen industry.

5) Good grades are not a measure of my self worth. They're just a stepping stone to the things that really do matter - and fortunately, I have all the things that do matter AS WELL as top grades.

6) My research is space engineering, an industry which forms a considerable part of our GDP in the UK, and which is projected to almost treble its worth to the economy by 2020. My research is deemed useful and my skills will be highly sought after in industry. I won't struggle to find a job and the job I do end up in will probably be well-paid and have a high rate of progression.

No doubt that video describes a lot of post-grad students, especially those who work in the arts and humanities fields. They don't have any useful skills, they're broke because their PhD stipends are low due to the reluctance of research councils to waste their money, so they live in second rate accommodation and won't have a life past their PhD.

But that's not me.

Good try though.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 19