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Chicago, IL

I can’t organize everything in my head. I need a classroom environment to keep me motivated. I get way too distracted trying to do it all online.

South Bend, IN

My least favorite class used to meet for hours on end but now the lectures are cancelled and I have so much more free time. I feel like I can actually be productive and efficient for this class and my others.  My motivation is better because now I can take ownership of my own work. There were some personalities I was working with before who I really didn’t agree with, and it’s refreshing to have that separation.

New York, NY

I miss in person classes and feeling like I am on a schedule and on top of my assignments. I also miss living at college and being in an environment where everyone is doing the same things as me. It is more motivating being surrounded by students instead of being home where I’m the only kid still having a lot of school work. I also miss just being with my friends and having fun doing things that have nothing to do with class or grades. 

Denton, TX

I can’t really stand it. We must study for tests, tests that people can cheat on because we don’t actually learn the material with this hodge podge online learning system. I’m not learning. I could watch the class recordings all day and not learn this way unfortunately. My motivation to learn has gone down the drain. I have started cooking much more, and putting mandatory time aside to walk several miles a day. Aside from that, school has become ‘that thing’ I do briefly every other day where I google answers, write them down, and turn them in for a grade.

Birmingham, AL

Before this semester, I had actually taken a gap due to mental health concerns. This semester was meant to be my “reentry” so to speak but I struggled a lot and every day was a battle. My primary motivator was attendance. If I could just get myself into the right classroom at the right time every day, I would be able to scrape by a passing grade. As soon as we switched to online, I lost everything that I’d worked for. There was no reason to do anything and I could hardly feel the consequences. As my As and Bs became failing grades, I felt even more detached from the situation and unmotivated to fix things. And even when I felt like I should catch up, I was already so overwhelmingly behind that it seemed like there was no point. 

Cincinnati, OH

My motivation is nearly non-existent. I really need a separation between my work space and home space, which I simply cannot have in my 1-bedroom apartment. And I hate meetings on Zoom. It is so weird to look directly at my classmates during class.

Seaside, CA

I loved all my classes before we shifted online, and now I can’t focus or get myself to do the work. It’s not the same because all these classes require active participation and discussions. Our syllabus has been shifted around, certain things are no longer counted, and attendance is not mandatory anymore. I’m just not motivated to do anything. It’s not the same when you can’t discuss in person, and when you don’t have a room of your own to go to for class or work.

Baltimore, MD

I have no motivation now and don’t have the same support nets as before to get help on engineering projects. My motivation is like 5% of what it was before.Thinking about doing the work makes me want to cry and hurt myself. Can’t focus, work routine disrupted, can’t go to normal study places.

New York, NY

It’s really difficult to stay focused on the material when there are so many other distractions in the house. Also, casual communication with my professor and classmates is almost impossible (everything is a formal email or a video call), and so instead of being exciting the work becomes a slog of trying to do the normal course load digitally. I lose focus so easily. I take notes with a pen and paper specifically so that I don’t have the distractions of my computer, and now I can’t avoid going to class. 

Elgin, IL

It’s draining being on a laptop all day and having to be in the same room for hours doing work, especially without a desk. I have lost motivation for my classes so I find it hard to participate and pay attention. I am more easily distracted in my room.