Motivation

[Harradin]

I'm at university, at the end of my second year, I had medical circumstances which meant that I had to miss my exams and repeat a year in order to sit them. However earlier this year I managed to get a unconditional graduate job (I have to get my degree) which I start in July which was awesome and I was chuffed to bits!

 

I felt very motivated to finish and get a great result, I sat down and revised weeks before and I felt great before each exam and felt pretty confident after the exams. However my exam results were not what I expected which tore me up a bit considering how hard I had studied but I got onto final year.

 

This year I decided to step it up, I was studying from 9am-5pm every day and my coursework grades were good. I also managed to get a first (highest grade) in my dissertation. During exam periods I was working flat out, felt confident before and after the exams so coming up to results I was nervous but didn't feel too bad.

 

However this year's results were worse then last year's, I have 4 resit exams in 2 weeks and I'm not going to get the degree classification I want. Considering that I worked even harder then before, I just feel like garbage.

 

I've got to pass these exams to get my degree but I have absolutely no motivation and I've given up caring. So my question is how do I motivate myself for this final push, when it seems like the harder I study the worse my results get?

[Els]

Is it possible that you overdid things and overstretched yourself? You mention you studied 8 hours a day everyday, does that mean weekends as well? IMO rest is very important to your performance. 'More' studying isn't always better, so if you take time to rest and relax occasionally, you might actually be more productive during the time that you spend studying. Ditto with taking the exam, try to be refreshed and rested when you go in if possible.

 

I suggest you try a more moderate approach next time.

[spiderowl]

Do you know why you failed the exams? Have you managed to get any feedback from any of the tutors? I think knowing where you went wrong and being able to work on a plan to fix it would help to motivate you. I know many unis do not provide specific feedback on exams but only general.

 

Unis often provide support for students with study skills. It might be worth gong to one of the workshops. Also, study skills tutors can often do one-to-ones. This might help you to identify weak spots so you can build on them.

 

It could be that you are like me, someone who does better when they have time to think deeply about things, rather than quickly under pressure in an exam. For exams, it's worth going through all the things you are supposed to know and make bullet points on each one. Learn the bullet points before the exam. That way you are not missing out on anything. Don't forget to refer to references to your sources appropriately as not doing so can go against you.

 

What kind of exams do you find the most diffiucult? If it is quantitative-type exams, see the study skills tutor to see if you can improve your speed with this somehow.

 

I really wish you all the best with your re-sits. I'm sure you can do this. It just sounds to me like you have not received much guidance and need to seek that now.