Written by Johnathon Goodenow. Media by Kayla Morton.
As we reach the end of the spring semester and summer draws near, many students are struggling to complete assignments and prepare for exams. There are plenty of reasons why this could be, here are a few of them and ways students can try to combat them.
Lack of Motivation
Some students struggle with their classes simply because they don’t care about the topics covered in them. This can happen often with general education requirements and electives, but sometimes even classes required for majors can seem uninteresting. When students are not motivated to do their assigned work, it is easy to fall into the habit of putting little or no effort into that work.
There are a few different solutions to this problem. If the assignments for the class in question involve projects or essay writing, students can make them more interesting by looking at them from a different angle. Ask questions like, “Can I make this relate to something I’m interested in?” or “How can I make my work stand out from everyone else’s?”. Maybe a DM project can turn out to be something humorous. Maybe an essay can draw from pop culture to show how society has or hasn’t changed in regards to a certain subject. What’s important is that the project becomes YOURS.
A second option would involve holding something back from yourself until you complete your work, and then rewarding yourself with it. For example, a student could decide not to play video games until after he has completed upcoming assignments. This may not work for large projects, but it would if students managed their time (gasp) and could split projects into chunks they could reward themselves for completing those different parts.
Another solution could be to slug through the work with some classmates. Completing math assignments, for instance, can be a lot easier with several minds working at once, and the same people can become a study group once final exams roll around. A group can help motivate each other and keep each other accountable for completing work.
Too Much Distraction
Social media, video games and even hanging out with friends can be detrimental if it takes so much time that you can’t finish assignments.
This is probably the most difficult problem to solve with the amount of technology that has invaded our lives. Especially because homework often involves the use of computers. The most effective way to get things done when distractions are a constant threat is to separate yourself from them. Use school computers instead of your own to do some work. Don’t log into Facebook on them, and don’t bring your friends with you unless you are doing a project together. If worse comes to worst and you absolutely have to prevent yourself from tabbing out at all costs, here is a Chrome extension that can allow you to temporarily block websites from your browser.
Overstressed
Maybe it’s the case that you’re so stressed about an upcoming project that you can’t focus on completing it. You are so afraid of the possible negative outcome; you can’t bear to touch the assignment. In this case, the most helpful thing you could do is step back for a moment and think about what you are making and who you are making it for. Professors are not here to make you feel worthless about yourself, and neither are your classmates. They all want you to succeed, and can help you if you have a question or a problem.
In the end, the only person who can decide if the work gets done or not is you. Whether you commit yourself or “fake it till you make it” is up to you. Don’t risk taking a hit on your GPA if you don’t have to.
