You feel overwhelmed. It doesn’t seem that you’ll hold out for much longer. It’s a pattern. You start studying all excited but once the excitement wears off, you’re in the middle of reality.

And reality is tough.

It can be hard to find motivation to keep going. Here are some reasons that you should keep studying.

1. To get an education.
2. To earn a degree. There are barely any jobs that offer positions to people without a degree, or are on the path of obtaining one.
3. To prove people wrong. That science teacher that said you’ll never make it in the medical field? Make him eat his words.
4. To prove yourself wrong. Every student has doubts on whether or not they can be good enough in the classroom. Prove yourself wrong, and always be better than you were yesterday.
5. This is a privilege. Regardless of how much you believe that you HAVE to do this, to some extend you don’t. Realize that you have the privilege of an education even being an option for you.
6. Take advantage of what you’re capable of. Don’t waste a perfectly intelligent mind.
7. More money. That degree can do wonderful things to your bank account in the future.
8. It’s interesting. Studying can get pretty boring, but there are always those topics that spark your curiosity and motivate you to learn more.
9. It’s useful. That random fact that you read in a random textbook can stick with you and really end up helping you out one day.
10. It’s fun to know useless stuff sometimes.
11. To make your parents/family proud. This is one of the main reasons I study. My parents have always been aware of my capabilities and have pushed me to be academically better every year. They know I have big dreams, and I just want to achieve them so they can know that their child made it.
12. To make myself proud. This goes along with number four. Knowing that you accomplished something, however small or big the thing may be, is a huge self-esteem booster.
13. To be independent. There’s nothing quite like knowing that you don’t need someone else’s job, degree, intelligence, or presence to make you successful.
14. To pursue your passion.
15. To gain knowledge. Whether its in your field, or a completely different one, being knowledgeable is just downright fun.
16. People will look up to you. Your siblings, your best friends, and your classmates may see you consistently studying, and it could motivate them to do the same.
17. To make a name for yourself. “Oh yeah, (insert name here), I know them. Aren’t they like really successful now?”
18. To become your own role model.
19. To be able to pay off your student loans.
20. Because the long nights and excessive coffee will all be worth it. Even if it doesn’t seem like it now
21. To exercise your brain. Your brain is just like a muscle, and like the body it needs to be exercised.
22. To improve your hippocampus. Your hippocampus is responsible for memory, and if you study your memorization will become significantly better.
23. Because stationary is amazing. I could spend a whole paycheck on just pens.
24. To be productive. I used to spend a lot of time on social media, and although I still do, the amount of time I spend studying and getting stuff done has definitely increased.
25. So classes will be easier.
26. So tests will be easier.
27. So the anxiety of getting a bad grade is sufficiently decreased. I constantly worry about my grades, but studying has helped me not worry so much.
28. Because coffee exists.
29. So you won’t have to retake a class. Failing a prerequisite for your major really sucks, so maybe try not failing the first time around. This also saves you a lot of money because you won’t have to pay for the class again.
30. Finals week won’t suck as bad. You’ll be used to studying so when finals week comes around it wont nearly be as stressful as for those students who are now opening a textbook.
31. You’ll get used to FOMO. Fear of Missing Out. Every college students nightmare. Eventually, you’ll get used to the feeling.
32. You’ll be getting the most out of your college experience. You’re paying for these classes. Might as well try your best to pass.
33. You’ll get used to not getting enough sleep. So, if you decide to go to grad school you’ll have that department covered.
34. There’s really good study music out there.
35. I guarantee there will be at least 5 places on campus, or around you that are perfect for studying, and you’ll want to go there everyday.
36. You’ll become a pro at writing essays, or lab reports.
37. You’ll make a lot of friends that are just as passionate about studying as you are. And you will cherish them.
38. You get really good at time management.
39. Sleep becomes 5x more satisfactory after a night of studying.
40. Because you want to. There’s no better motivation for studying, than the motivation that comes from within.

Why do we believe that we can pump up the muscles in our body but not in the possibility of pumping up the different ‘muscles’ in our brain? In order for our mind to balanced, like the body of a champion bodybuilder, we have to devote attention to all the muscles, no matter what our ‘natural talents’ may be. So there is no need to bypass an important subject just because your ‘heart isn’t in it’. Never stop developing and learning. Who knows what new dreams this could lead you to?