If you’ve been keeping up with me since the old ‘altvogue’ blogging days, you’ll know that in the fourth week of my first year of uni, my first quarter-life crisis began.
I struggled greatly with the jump from high school to university, and thought I had made a grave mistake in accepting my offer.
The thing is, back then I thought I was completely alone, despite the fact that feelings like this are not only normal, but pretty common amongst new students. I can’t say that I have fully cracked the code, but two years have passed and I am more passionate and motivated about my degree than I ever thought possible.
But how do you do it? That’s the age old question.
The truth is, there is no easy answer. While the tips I am about to provide you with have saved me from a great deal of heartache, they are not as simple as flicking a switch. I cannot do the work for you, so if you want results, you need to commit.
Goals
If you have willingly signed yourself up for working tirelessly for the next few years to get yourself a degree, logic should tell you that you have some type of career goal in mind. If you have absolutely no idea what you want, there will be very little motivation to complete it.
The best way to stay motivated, is to visualise yourself in your dream career every single day. Picture what you want your life to look like in five years, and hold onto that image. I am no expert in the law of attraction, but I know enough to tell you that ‘wanting’ something is simply not good enough. You have to wholeheartedly believe that it will happen.
I do recognise that not everybody knows exactly where they want to be, and most of you will probably only have a vague idea- this is still great. Instead of picturing yourself in a career, picture your future lifestyle, and let uni help you figure out the rest.
Tasks
In the beginning, receiving a list of your assignments can be rather daunting and you will most likely have no idea where to start.
The thing that you need to realise, is that assignments are designed to help you- not to hurt you. Treat every project as a vital learning experience.
Taking the easy way out and cramming or trying to do the assignment on the last possible day means that you’re putting learning as an afterthought. Instead, break it up into small tasks and go the extra mile to discover new truths as you go. This will not only help you in the long run, but your passion for the project will be reflected in your work, and thus, in your grades.
Plan
If you want to succeed, flying by the seat of your pants is not the way to do it.
At the beginning of every semester, visualise your long term goals, and have a long hard think about what you can do in the next 13 weeks to contribute to them. Then, write down 3-5 realistic, short-term goals that you WILL achieve by the end of it.
Next, get yourself a planner, and at the beginning of each week, take some time to use it. Break down your major weekly tasks into smaller ones, and write a flexible to do list for each day.
While you’re doing this, visualise your short term goals, and tackle those weekly tasks in a way that will help you to achieve them. You’ll be AMAZED at how much this can do for you.
Influence
While it definitely shouldn’t be the main reason for attending uni, attending your classes is one of the best ways to meet new people and make friends as a young adult.
The great thing about doing a degree versus the HSC, is that for the most part, everyone that you have a class with will have similar goals to you, and probably similar interests.
Find yourself a positive group of people and help each other out. You will all go through pretty much the same triumphs and failures, so building a support network is great to not only keep yourself motivated, but to motivate others.
Me time
In spite of everything I have just told you, don’t forget that you are only human and will have some limitations.
While keeping yourself motivated and dedicating your life to getting where you want to go is great, spreading yourself too thin is one of the worst things you can do- especially when you’re in the process of figuring out ‘how to adult’.
Be realistic with your daily goals. Push yourself, but do it safely.
Take some time out of every day to have a bit of fun. Do something you love, or simply do nothing- whatever floats your boat. A healthy mindset is essential for success, and stress will do you more harm than good.
If you have any further questions or tips, feel free to leave a comment below as I’d love to hear from you!
Until next time, 😉
