Passion in College, where do you find it?

I was speaking with quite a few students lately who have been experiencing a lack of passion with their degree. I recently spoke to two students in particular that were both facing the same problem in my program. A feeling that they had lost the desire they once had in their subject matter and didn’t know how to get it back. Here are the three main suggestions I gave them so they could regain the passion they once had in college.

Remember why you started this degree

After a few years of readings, papers, exams and labs many students forget why they actually started their degree. I asked one of my students this exact question and he couldn’t answer it. If you’re lacking motivation in your degree I suggest you go back to your last year of high school and find out why you chose your subject in the first place, did you really want to become a doctor and decided to enter premed? Did you have a passion for ancient history and decided to become a historian? Were you constantly intrigued with human interaction and wanted to become a sociologist?

Go back to that time when you were starting your degree and find the excitement you once had for the subject.

Concentrate on your end goal rather than your journey

A lot of students have what I call the “I just don’t wanna” problem. Many students concentrate so much on the journey that they forget to pull their head out of their work for a minute and really look at what they’ve accomplished and how close they are to their end goal. Stop right now, take a minute and look at what you’ve accomplished. Think about how far you’ve come! Even better, go take a look at some of your earlier essays, exams and labs; after you stop laughing take a minute to realize the improvements you’ve made in yourself and how much better you’re about to become.

Re-evaluate why you wanted to go into (X)

Unlike other tutors and student mentors, I personally think that sometimes you should absolutely re-evaluate why you wanted to go into your chosen subject and whether you should complete it. I knew a student who was really interested in becoming a doctor, she had the grades but she was so much more interested in design. After a long talk we both realized that it was her parents who had forced her into premed and she really wanted to get into architecture. She switched majors next semester and never looked back. Never get forced into a degree that you aren’t passionate for. Even if you complete the degree you’ll never be happy with the ensuing career. Follow your passion and money will follow.

However, remember that you can’t live on passion alone

You can’t live on passion alone, make sure you stay accountable to the fundamentals but also keep a keen eye on your end goal and you should be able to navigate the line between accomplishing the daily goals that your degree requires and motivating yourself towards academic success.

Tagged as: Academic degree, college, Colleges and Universities, education, Student