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Motivation

Hi, I used to be such a motivated student and worked so hard, got a*s in gcses and A-levels. But this first semester of uni I feel like I don't really care tbh. Like I've still gotten consistently 60%+ on coursework and stuff, but I wouldn't do any independent study outside my lessons and would work only on my coursework if I needed to. Now I've got exams and I'm still quite meh- like I just don't wanna revise. I'm confident I'll get a good grade in two of my modules but will likely not do so well in my other one, but yk- I just don't really care tbh.

Has anyone else felt this shift- like found the transition to uni really difficult and lonely, and not been able to keep up with the work even though you have enough time to be able to do it?

Reply 1

University of Bath

Official Rep

Hi there,

Its quite normal to feel demotivated at this stage, so please don't worry too much. Its probably because you've worked so hard at your A levels, and it has just been Christmas too - perhaps you're taking a while to get back into the swing of it.

However something which helped me whenever I felt like this was to try to bring to mind all the reasons why I applied in the first place, and how hard I'd worked to be here. I wanted to do that hard work justice by keeping up good habits at uni.

Its good that you're feeling confident with a couple of your modules. Something which might help you get some motivation to revise would be to set small goals - set a target of doing say one or two lectures/topics per day for the module you're struggling with as well as some low-level revision (e.g. a spider diagram/a couple of practice questions, reading over a couple of textbook pages or online articles) for the modules you are more confident with.

If you manage to achieve those small goals each day then the work you've done will build up and you'll start to feel not only satisfied but more confident with the content. And remember to reward yourself for reaching those goals 🙂

Its normal to have lapses in motivation, and usually they don't last. However try to remember that at uni you tend to get back what you put in, so the more you try to engage with your course content the better I'm sure you'll feel!

Hopefully this helped a bit, best of luck in the next few months 🙂

Holly
University of Bath

Reply 2

hallamstudents

Official Rep

Original post by BirdCatcher49

Hi, I used to be such a motivated student and worked so hard, got a*s in gcses and A-levels. But this first semester of uni I feel like I don't really care tbh. Like I've still gotten consistently 60%+ on coursework and stuff, but I wouldn't do any independent study outside my lessons and would work only on my coursework if I needed to. Now I've got exams and I'm still quite meh- like I just don't wanna revise. I'm confident I'll get a good grade in two of my modules but will likely not do so well in my other one, but yk- I just don't really care tbh.
Has anyone else felt this shift- like found the transition to uni really difficult and lonely, and not been able to keep up with the work even though you have enough time to be able to do it?

Hi there,

It can be quite normal to feel a dip in motivation when you come to uni and it can take some time to adjust.
Here are some of my top tips to get some motivation back;

Try and plan your week out so that you know when you have to do work and when you can do fun things! When I don't have a plan, I feel like I end up feeling stressed and demotivated as I feel like I should be doing work, where's if I know when I need to do it, I can fully relax when I am not doing it and I am more motivated when I know I have work to do.

See if your friends would come to the library with you. This can sometimes be more motivating and if you know other people are doing it too it can be more fun.

Talk to your tutors about how you are feeling and if they can support you with this at all. Sometimes they can be quite helpful with things like this so it is worth asking them if you feel you need the help as they may be quite good with this.

If you are struggling to work at home, try and stay at uni for an hour after your class and get a little bit of work done in the library.

Overall, it can be hard to get motivated but I think lots of people experience dips in motivation but also times where they feel really motivated.

I hope some of this helps 🙂

Lucy -SHU student ambassador.

Reply 3

BCU Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by BirdCatcher49

Hi, I used to be such a motivated student and worked so hard, got a*s in gcses and A-levels. But this first semester of uni I feel like I don't really care tbh. Like I've still gotten consistently 60%+ on coursework and stuff, but I wouldn't do any independent study outside my lessons and would work only on my coursework if I needed to. Now I've got exams and I'm still quite meh- like I just don't wanna revise. I'm confident I'll get a good grade in two of my modules but will likely not do so well in my other one, but yk- I just don't really care tbh.
Has anyone else felt this shift- like found the transition to uni really difficult and lonely, and not been able to keep up with the work even though you have enough time to be able to do it?

Hi @BirdCatcher49,

You’re definitely not alone in feeling this way, so many students go through a big motivation dip when transitioning to uni, especially if they were really high-achieving at school. It’s a huge shift from the structured environment of A-levels, and without that external pressure from teachers and parents, it’s easy to feel a bit lost.

This could happen when you're feeling burnout adjustment fatigue, when you work really hard for GCSEs and A-levels, uni might feel like a bit of a crash after all that effort. It’s common for motivation to dip, especially in first semester. Furthermore, at uni, no one is chasing you up, and the workload is more independent, which can make it harder to stay engaged.

Remember that it’s a transition, first year is a huge adjustment, and a lot of students feel this way. It doesn’t mean you’ll always feel unmotivated, sometimes it just takes time to settle in. If you’re really struggling, you could also talk to someone (personal tutor, uni wellbeing services, etc.), but honestly, feeling a bit demotivated about uni in first year is more normal than people admit. You’re not failing, and you’re definitely not alone in this.

Rooting for you!
Danish
BCU Student Rep

Reply 4

Kingston Zhi En

Official Rep

Original post by BirdCatcher49

Hi, I used to be such a motivated student and worked so hard, got a*s in gcses and A-levels. But this first semester of uni I feel like I don't really care tbh. Like I've still gotten consistently 60%+ on coursework and stuff, but I wouldn't do any independent study outside my lessons and would work only on my coursework if I needed to. Now I've got exams and I'm still quite meh- like I just don't wanna revise. I'm confident I'll get a good grade in two of my modules but will likely not do so well in my other one, but yk- I just don't really care tbh.
Has anyone else felt this shift- like found the transition to uni really difficult and lonely, and not been able to keep up with the work even though you have enough time to be able to do it?

Hey there @BirdCatcher49 , just to add on to what the others have said, I totally get how uni can be isolating and demotivating given the new environment and emphasis on self study. Even if your projects or assignments feel boring, it would be good to set yourself small goals and rewards to motivate yourself. Be it joining a society, going for exercise or planning socials with new friends, time in university is more than your grades and modules! 🙂
Something that helped me was to set a small daily goal and rewards eg.(go to the movies) once I have completed that task, this keeps me motivated and helps me avoid procrastinating🙂 giving time to do the things I really like. I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck in your university journey! 🤗

Zhi En
(Kingston Student Rep.)

(edited 1 month ago)