The Importance Of Motivation In College

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College is one of the biggest commitments a person will make in their life. Many freshmen enter college with the hopes of doing well, but also fear the possibility of failure. They believe that they can get through college with the same level of commitment and motivation that they had in high school. Their first semester begins, and the students start out running. Unfortunately, halfway through the semester, many students start to lose steam. They underestimate the level of work that is needed for college and become overwhelmed. Once their motivation starts to waver, their grades will start to suffer. This scenario is a reality for some students, but it does not have to be. With the right amount of motivation, a student can excel in their classes and enjoy every moment of college.

Motivation is not an easy skill to come by for many college students, especially freshmen. All throughout high school, students have the assistance of their parents and even their teachers to help them stay on top on their work. In college, the only person a student can rely on is themselves. Every test date, every assignment, must be remembered and prioritized. Between having a job, trying to keep a social life, and keeping up with all of their classes, many students feel extremely overwhelmed. This will happen to many students, but most are able to overcome their lack of motivation and implement ways to make college life less stressful and to keep themselves motivated the see them through graduation. Freshmen are not the only students who can start to feel their motivation diminish. Seniors experience the same struggles as they inch closer to graduation. Senioritis kicks in and they struggle to finish their last few classes that they need to graduate. Seniors have been going to college for years. Most are eagerly awaiting graduation and are exhausted from the constant test Bus 2 taking and endless homework assignments. These students want to start their careers and cannot take the stressful lull of class anymore. This can cause these individuals added stress and as a result, their grades start to slip. Another reason that a person has difficulty being motivated in college is because they will begin to realize that the major that they have chosen will play an important role in their lives. The rest of their working life will be centered around their major. This realization is intimidating to many students, especially those who are uncertain that the major they have chosen is the right one for them. Some individuals will start to panic and will find it difficult to focus on their school work. If a student is sure that they have chosen the wrong major, their motivation will plummet. They will feel uninterested and unsatisfied in class and will not put the effort that they are capable of into their work. Even if these students are able to dig deep and finish the required courses for their degree and become acclimated in their new jobs, they never feel quite fulfilled in life. This situation can result in a severe lack of motivation that will play a role in the rest of their lives. Motivation is not a pre-programmed part of the human brain; it is a learned trait that comes as we grow and evolve as individuals. Human motivations can be categorized into five levels of their needs. Each one of these needs must be met before a person can fulfill the next need. For example, the need for food, sleep, and overall health must be fulfilled before the need for shelter and protection. If someone is hungry or sleep deprived, they are unable
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This need involves friends, intimate relationships, the ability to give and receive love, and the satisfaction of being part of a group. The fourth need is esteem, which revolves around a person 's sense of achievement, independence, status, and dominance. The fifth and final need is an individual 's self-actualization. This need involves one 's own feeling of self-fulfillment, the realization of their personal potential, and the desire to seek personal growth and discovery. At this stage, the person discovers what is most important to them in life, which makes the motivation for self-actualization unique for each

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