Staying motivated for school

Jamie Lauren's picture
Posted July 24, 2008 - 2:53pm by Jamie Lauren

One of my friends recently got in touch with me to ask an urgent question:  how do I motivate myself to study molecular biology?  A fellow pre-medical student, my friend is passionate about medicine because of the potential personal impact she’ll be able to make … but significantly less enthusiastic about learning the minute details of RNA synthesis.

As I replied, I recognized what has worked for me, when my mind – which is more inclined towards creative brainstorming, writing, and filmmaking – is forced to endure hours of seemingly mundane memorization:  I always try focus on why I’m studying it.  In my friend’s case, she is passionate about treating patients, with an eye on working in underserved communities.  Thus, I encouraged her to let her passion for helping those in need carry her through the process of learning molecular mechanisms. 

Sometimes, this can be difficult if one feels far removed from the applications of their studies.  If this is the case for you, I would recommend seeking out opportunities to gain practical experience – whether volunteering in a hospital, interning at a news station or taking time to write poetry.  These hands-on experiences reignite your passions and provide jet fuel when you feels bogged down by the occasional drudgery of coursework.

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Lost Motivation

by Daniel Kitchen (not verified) - Nov 2 2008 - 8:45pm

I am currently going to school full time, work full time, and working on starting a business of mine. Over the past semester I have lost a great deal of motivation with school because of many reasons that I was not sure of for a while.

I as well am a pre-med student and have the dream of being able to help many people on a daily bases the knowledge I will have. It seems as though it slipped away without me noticing it. I justified it in many ways: I must be burnt out. I will make up for it later when I get to a four year college. I have ADD.

But when I got to the point where I was not sure if I was going to pass a class I started to look more at the true problem. I had lost sight of why I am really here in this world and let fears take over as well as mixing my priorities up. Now I realize what I was missing and want the rewards of excellent grades! My business is now on the back burner instead of school because making money is nothing compared to the purose of helping other people. I am hoping I will see the signs of it sooner next time!

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About the Blogger

Jamie Lauren Zimmerman is a current senior at UCLA, majoring in Anthropology and pre-medicine.  Her goal is to serve as a physician and public health official in developing countries, while continuing to utilize the medium of film as a catalyst for social change.

During the summer after her freshman year, Jamie spent two months living and working in the Amazon Basin of Peru, where she collaborated with a health education non-profit organization.  It was that experience that helped her discover her passion for international work, and sparked her interest in pursuing a medical education. Last December, she received early acceptance to the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, where she plans to begin her medical studies upon graduating from UCLA in June.

During Summer 2007, Jamie spent several months in a refugee camp in Zambia, where she collaborated with an operating partner of the United Nations to create a documentary film about refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo.  Jamie later served on the U.S. Campaign for Burma’s delegation to the Thailand-Myanmar border and collaborated with Pulitzer Prize winner and Professor Jared Diamond (Guns, Germs, and Steel) to develop a course entitled, “Multimedia Exploration of the World’s Refugees." 

Jamie will graduate Magna Cum Laude from UCLA, where she has received the Charles E. and Sue K. Young Award, the UCLA Distinguished Senior Award, and was elected into Phi Beta Kappa.

Before entering college, Jamie worked as an actress, performing on such shows at 7th Heaven, Family Law, The Practice, and Boston Public.  Nominated twice for Young Artist Awards, Jamie served as spokesperson for Recording Artists, Actors, and Athletes Against Drunk Driving and was the first teenage producer for Voices in Harmony, an organization that utilizes the arts to empower at-risk youth to share their stories.