Not motivated in class

[benko]

First post here, so hello to everyone!

I'm a college student (Computer Engineering) and after 4 years in University I began to feel stressed, desperate and somehow a lil' despressed. Why? Well, after spending 4 years there I was still more or less at the halfway point of my degree (it's supposed to last 5 years, but few people acomplish that). So I decided to take a break and I took a Erasmus grant and went abroad (France). There, I found Steve's website and when I came back home my mind was crystal clear and the semester abroad relaxed me a lot.

So I set three goals that I'd expected to finish by summer:
* Pass every subject in this term
* Make a (small) videogame
* Start exercising

I'm going OK with the last two goals, but the first one is giving me problems. Right now my position is good because I didn't give up on any subjects but... there is ONE subject that I cannot stand. Boring subject, difficult and the teachers suck. Furthermore, I cannot skip those classes (if I miss the theory classes I will fail the final exam for sure and practical classes are mandatory) and I get the feeling that I'm wasting my time.

Later at home, when I think about it, I know I'm not wasting my time, because I really WANT to be an engineer (and I like the other subjects). But when I'm attending the classes of this Subject of Hell I cannot focus and the only thing I think about is "I want to get OUT!". When I'm home I don't do the (optional) assignments the teacher suggested and I work on the other subjects instead. If I keep this pattern, I will probably fail the theory & practices exams.

Any suggestions about how can I motivate myself? Thanks in advance.

[absvan]

Find out why you think the subject is boring. It could be some seed planted in your subconscious that makes you feel so when in reality the subject is interesting.

Also study this subject when you are mentally alert. For me the mornings are the best time. If you try to study something already boring when you are not mentally fresh, then you wont get anything done.

Another technique is to reward yourself. "If I finish this chapter, then I will watch this movie" etc etc

Hope that helps.

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by benko
there is ONE subject that I cannot stand.

How about you view this "ONE subject" as a personal path to personal growth rather than a subject that you must learn in order to get your degree...

In order to succeed in life, we have to slay many dragons... with each "kill" we acquire more self-confidence and more personal growth...

Maybe that boring subject could become a source of motivation and inspiration...

School is not just a place to learn material... it is also a place to receive a formation that prepares one for the challenges of life... and, we don't get ready for those challenges to come by ducking the ones that we are facing now...

If you feel that I am preaching... that's probably because that is what I'm doing...

.

[RT Wolf]

It sounds sorta like you aren't taking responsibility for that course. Blaming others (teachers, subject, not being able to skip classes). I don't mean that in a deragatory way, so let me try to explain myself differently.

You made a choice to take this course. It was embedded in your choice to pursue this degree, but you still made this choice. You have to take responsibility for maknig that choice.

And think of it as a new challenge. How can you make this interesting? How can you become more interested in this? Alternatively, how can you learn this stuff better, faster and with less effort than before. Make it a game.

[InJoy]

I have this trick that has worked for me whenever I am faced with something I have to do that I don't want to do. It works especially well on things that I have to do over and over again.

I make a personal decision to become the best at whatever task it is. For instance, if I were in your class and I couldn't stand the subject material, I might make it my personal goal to learn everything I could about it and get the highest score. I would do *all* of the optional assignments, and I'd do the mandatory ones before I'd even start on the assignments from other classes. I'd ask question in class, and tell myself over and over again that I love this class. If the teacher offered extra credit to the first ten people to raise their hands, my hand would shoot up like a rocket. I wouldn't go for an A. I'd go for an A+. Best in class.

What happens to me when I do this is this: First, I feel dread at having made this decision. I have, after all, committed to myself to throw myself deeply into a pool of something I don't like or am not good at. So I ignore the dread and keep going. I also feel like I am lying when I repeat to myself how much I'm loving this. I ignore that too, and just keep doing it.

Then something neat starts to happen. Invariably (at least on the occasions I've tried this) I find something small (within the task) that I really can get better at. Things start to get more interesting and the whole thing begins to feel like a fun competition to see just how well I can do. I begin to forget that I don't like what I'm doing, and by the end of it, I *do* like it. In fact, when the class/task/whatever is finished, I always feel a pang of sadness that it's over. It actually becomes something I not only really liked, but something I excelled at.

Funny, I haven't thought of this method in a long time, and there are some things I could apply it to in my own life. Thanks for reminding me. Hope it helps you too!

[Brutha]

What subjet gives you problems? Maybe we can convince you that it isn't so bad

[Kayceezharold]

Benko, congrats on achieving two out of three goals!

You are almost there for the third.
What you need to do is to first reinforce, again, why you are doing the course.
Of course the reason is you wanna be an Engineer.

Next, you know you have to successfully complete all the subjects, but there is this particular for which even, as you said, "teachers suck".

The challenge really then, is for you to remember that you have no choice but to complete this subject successfully. However, if you continue to feel this way, where you THINK the lessons are boring and the teachers ..., you WILL FAIL the subject!

Take a step back, and make it very clear to yourself that there is only one OBSTACLE, or CHALLENGE, that's keeping you from becoming an Engineer. And that one challenge is YOU!

Why i say it is YOU, is because whether the subject is boring or the teacher sucks, if you think about it, it is all because you perceive, or think, it is that way. Sit down in a quiet place and reflect on this.

If, on the other hand, you were to LEARN to like the subject and see the subject from another angle where you could learn to like it, you will find that it will be a breeze to do all the assignments. If this still can't work, see the reason behind why you have to pass this subject - your becoming an Engineer. So similarly for the teachers. Why not look at it from another angle and realise that the teachers are actually there to help you learn, and to pass the subject. Perhaps if you can approach the teacher and get to know the teacher personally, and treat them as friends, you may have a different opinion about them. In fact, they might just be as cool as you when you get to know them personally!

Once again, it seems that the only challenge you have overcome to achieve your dream job is to pass this subject. Try what I suggested and you'll realise that there was no problem at all in the first place!

The secret is that it's all in your mind Benko!
Strive to learn to love the subject and like your teachers, you will start to see the difference...

I can already see you as an Engineer creating successes in your future undertakings!

To your success!
Kayceez

The World Thru Kayceez Eyes
My Success Plan for Personal Development

[benko]

Thanks everyone for your comments!

I agree that I should take full responsability and not blame others (contents are boring, contents are hard, teacher has poor teaching skills, etc).

For those who asked, this subject is "Data Transport Systems". It's the continuation to "Nets". Practical classes are not that bad; they are very hard but I managed not to give up and look at them as a challenge. Theory classes, however, are a complete different world. Most of content is just big amounts of data to memorize, and I find this content boring (ISO standards for nets). And the teacher just reads the slides with his monotonous voice... Besides that, my memory skills are a pointer to NULL. Really, even my friends make fun of that.

So, I think this is all like a chain:

ME -> poor memory -> hard/almost impossible to memorize big amounts of data -> makes subject harder for me -> lose interest -> teacher makes me to lose more interest -> FAIL

Since the first element of the chain is "ME", I guess I'll have to change myself. I'll think about how. Thanks again!

[Michael Tipper]

Hi,

I did my engineering degree a few years ago now and I understand completely how you feel.

Well done on taking the initiative to use a site like this one to ask for help. From the short time I have been on here there are an incredible number of friendly and knowledgeable people who will give you their advice for free and so you are definitely in the right place (I am reminded of the "when the student is ready....." quote.

You are also on the right path about setting goals.

Getting motivated is really an interesting topic and the most important point is that you should know that only you can motivate you. You can be inspired by others but at the end of the day it is self- motivation that is important.

Focus on why it is important for you to get your degree and in particular pass the subject you are struggling with. When doing this, look at the emotional benefits (how you will feel) rather than the logical ones because we are emotional beings and not necessarily driven by logic (that is what we use to justify our emotionally triggered actions :-)).

Co-incidentally I have just put up a free video aimed at motivating students that covers some of these topics. It was done as part of an experiment I was conducting on seeing how many parents I could get to share it with their teenage kids.

You can find it at Student Success Motivation Goals Beliefs Empowerment. It is free, you don't have to sign up or anything but it does address the issue of student motivation. My target audience when I put it together was teenagers (15-17) and it is a bit in your face so the style may not be appropriate for where you are in your life however the principles will be relevant.

It is a bit long (about 22 minutes) because once I got going I couldn't stop :-). There is also a link to a much shorter video that gives some advice on revision and memory which you have identified as a problem for you.

Quick tip on that point - check out Mind Mapping, it is an incredible tool and whilst I was an engineer it was invlauable to me and continues to be so even to this day

I hope this helps and wish you all the best in your studies