losing my motivation to finish

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by philosophicalme, Jan 27, 2006.

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  1. philosophicalme

    philosophicalme New Member

    Hi everyone,

    I just passed two more CLEPs today, American Lit and British Lit, and I failed my first exam ever, Marketing. I took the Marketing last and I think at that point I was tired and I needed to get back to work, so I was preoccupied. Anyway, I have 13 more tests left in order to complete my BS degree but I feel like I have lost my uumph to keep studying on my own like this. Courses are out of the question right now....

    This is what I have left....

    Human / Cultural Geography
    MIS UL
    Fundamentals of Counseling
    Drug and Alcohol Abuse- UL
    Abnormal Psych- UL
    Research Methods in Psychology-UL
    Psychology of Adulthood and Aging- UL
    Gerontology- UL
    Social Psychology-UL
    Cultural Diversity UL
    World Population
    HR Management- UL Spring
    Labor Relations- UL Spring

    Does anyone have any tips for these exams? Has anyone taken CLEP Business Law or DANTES Introduction to Education?

    Thanks

    Rhonda
     
  2. beholdweb

    beholdweb New Member

    Oh my God Rhonda,

    You are SO close to finishing. Please don't stop now!

    My advice (for what it's worth) would be to take one exam at a time for a little while, to avoid further burnout. I would also encourage you to go ahead and order/schedule one of the DANTES exams (even if you haven't started studying for it yet). This may be the incentive you need to put one foot in front of the other again.

    If your testing center is anything like mine, it will take a week or two for the DANTES exam to be mailed to them. At that point you have 45 days to take the exam. This is ample time for you to pull yourself together, and the fact that the exam is there ready and waiting might encourage you to study for it. Hopefully!

    Before Christmas, I earned a gazillion credits between October and December. However, the Christmas break took all the wind out of my sails and I didn't feel like studying for any more exams (burnout..just like you).

    So I did what I am encouraging you to do: I ordered three more DANTES exams. If I could have paid for them in advance to increase the incentive, I would have done. I don't plan on taking all three exams at once. But the fact that I have actually ordered them will force me to get off my lazy ass and start studying again.

    I've already come too far to turn back now....and so have you Rhonda!

    Seriously, just take the next step, all the other steps will take care of themselves in time. The important thing is to do SOMETHING! How does the saying go? "The longest journey begins with a single step."

    Perhaps you could pretend that each of the remaining exams is the VERY last exam you need to take. "Just ONE more exam!". Maybe that will help you not feel so overwhelmed.

    I do hope you will take my advice because, if not, the next step in my "Rhonda Encouragement Plan (REP)" is to come over there and smack you up the side of your head! :p

    You'll be fine Rhonda. Just take a few deep breaths and re-focus!

    We are all rooting for you.

    Good luck,
    Beholdweb
     
  3. TCord1964

    TCord1964 New Member

    Don't lose focus now, Rhonda. I am just starting the whole process and am sending in my application to Exelsior, so you're already much further along than me. I've also been lagging in my studies with Penn Foster (math is kicking my butt!) .

    Maybe you should just concentrate on doing one test at a time? That way, it won't seem so overwhelming, and you only have to concern yourself with one exam, rather than 13. Before you know it, you'll be done! Just keep plugging away. You're almost there!
     
  4. beholdweb

    beholdweb New Member

    Re: Re: losing my motivation to finish

    Ha ha! EXACTLY RIGHT!

    Great minds think alike. :p
     
  5. 3$bill

    3$bill New Member

    Climbing back on the saddle right away sounds like good advice to me.

    Get some sleep and take the DSST Fundamentals of Counseling. (You could probaby do both at once.)
     
  6. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Do not ever lose your motivation to finish your degree because I promise you that if you do wash out you will be condemned to live on forever on internet-based distance learning discussion boards with a signature line proclaiming you to be an educated derelict.
     
  7. japhy4529

    japhy4529 House Bassist

    Rhonda!

    You know if you stop now I will be second in line (behind beholdweb) to smack you upside your head! :)

    You just earned yourself 12 credits (the equivalent of FOUR COURSES) in ONE day! Chin up girl. - I can't believe I just typed that phrase, but it seemed appropriate. Even at National Univ., that would take me 4 months to accomplish.

    Now go out there and get 'em! :)

    - Tom
     
  8. philosophicalme

    philosophicalme New Member

    Thanks Ted...I needed a laugh :)

    Thanks TCord and Beholdweb, you two are very inspiring to me, and since we're all in the same boat, it's good that we have each others support. I think it's sound advice to focus on one exam at a time, maybe one a month, and really concentrate on that one exam. We'll see how it goes :)

    Rhonda
     
  9. philosophicalme

    philosophicalme New Member

    Re: Re: losing my motivation to finish

    Wow, I'd better get my act together or I'm going to get a serious butt whooping! :D
     
  10. beholdweb

    beholdweb New Member

    Re: Re: Re: losing my motivation to finish

    That's right!

    Fear of physical pain is as good a reason as any to go ahead and complete your degree!

    Why bother with artsy-fartsy psychobabble types of encouragement when we can just threaten to kick your ass?

    :p
     
  11. dis.funk.sh.null

    dis.funk.sh.null New Member

    Rhonda! Excellent work! If you were a saleswoman closing two deals and losing one in one day, you'd be a superstar in my organization!

    As everyone has mentioned, don't get down because of one failure. There's a darn good chance you'll pass the test with flying colours when you take it next time! Perhaps as early as tomorrow (or earliest time you've set for your second try).

    Best of luck and do keep us informed of your progress!
     
  12. friendorfoe

    friendorfoe Active Member

    Awsome thread....I actually laughed out loud..not "LOL" which I hate BTW. :D

    Seriously though....I've been feeling the burnout monster attacking me as well. I'm completing 6 hours every 6 weeks and I'm starting to get tired and it's starting to affect my marriage. Do you know how hard it is to have sex while studying deviant behavior? :p

    Anyhow....I'll be done by November if I keep the pace, so I'm keeping the pace, because in December I'm taking a break.
     
  13. Pugman

    Pugman New Member

    For what it's worth Rhonda, consider exam s as a "Numbers Game". That is, failure is OK - provided you progress to your goal (and it sounds like your current pass rate is very, very good).

    Remember, 6 months from now - no one will care that you failed a few exams...especially if you have a degree in hand.

    And that lasts a lifetime...

    :)

    Greg
     
  14. LiveFromHouston

    LiveFromHouston New Member

    Re: Re: losing my motivation to finish

    Sitting 11 DSST tests in 3 days was the best move in my own journey. I prepaid so that I would have no excuses and scheduled a week off of work. Once I was in the testing center I was on a roll and just kept cracking. I wasn't concerned about GPA and honestly didn't think I'd pass them all. What surprise it was to receive 11 A's, and my what a motivation!

    Same thing for my next two batches: bulk ordered 3 DSSTs (BLII, Finance, Stats, oh my!) and 3 TECEPs. It is easy to put things off -- especially CLEP, which I can schedule on a whim -- and the only way to keep making progress is to set a rigid schedule that requires some serious stretch.

    And with that, after Tuesday, I have just one more!

    Good luck, Rhonda! Y'all make yourselves a schedule, post them here, and the rest of us can try to keep you accountable!
     
  15. TCord1964

    TCord1964 New Member


    By the way, BTW is annoying too. LOL!

    :D
     
  16. learnaswego

    learnaswego New Member

    Hi Rhonda,

    Don't feel bad; I think many of us can relate to how you are feeling right now.

    I have nine more CLEP/DANTES exams and five courses left to finish before I am done with my bachelor's degree. Since I am only taking one course this semester, I was planning to take all nine exams during this semester, too. It feels like a daunting task to me right now, but I think it is normal to feel overwhelmed at the idea of studying for and taking several tests in such a short timespan.

    If you don't mind my asking . . . could you please tell me what I need to study in order to pass the CLEP for English Literature (British Literature)? I already took, and barely passed, the American Lit. CLEP, but I am having difficulty finding someone who knows exactly what I should focus my attention on regarding the English Lit. exam.

    Thanks!

    learnaswego
     
  17. friendorfoe

    friendorfoe Active Member

    I was wondering if anyone would pick up on that.:D
     
  18. sisterc

    sisterc New Member

    Philosophicalme, I know exactly how you feel. I’ve been working full time, going to college, raising a child till near adulthood, then having more children, and educating those children—all of the above in some combination of two or more--for almost as long as I’ve been wearing a brasserie. And the fact that I even used the word “brasserie” either tells you something about my age or how much wine I had after dinner tonight—or maybe both.

    My original plan (original as far as Excelsior goes) was to add all of the college courses I had accumulated over the last couple of decades to a few exams and about eight online courses to complete a double major in psychology and history. Then on to state college for my MAT. But, ya know, I’m just tired. Really, really, tired. I want to finally reach some sort of milestone. And I don’t want to spend another couple of years driving 1½ hours to proctored exams and writing essays and research papers to get there. So I decided to finish up with a few DSST and ECE exams. I’ve scheduled one a week for the next couple of months, and I’ll be finished with a major in psychology. I’ll worry about the history post BS. (My goal is to teach secondary history).

    My advice is to focus on your successes. You’ve had one teeny, tiny setback. So what! Be realistic about what you can accomplish in a given timeframe and go for that. As long as you are moving forward, you will reach your goal. Maybe you just need a week or two of not thinking about it. At all. Put it out of your mind and just relax.

    Having said all that, I do understand how you feel. That sense of urgency to get it done and that sense that it will never end. But have faith. You’ll get there. Most of us have been where you are, and we’re all rooting for you.
     
  19. 4Q

    4Q New Member

    You did not start to quit; you started to finish. Remember that. :cool:
     
  20. Longwaytogo

    Longwaytogo New Member

    Well, I have to agree with sisterc and all the others - it's sometimes a challenge to keep the motivation up, but look how fast you are really accumulating credits. Try sitting in a classroom like I'm doing for a Statistics course I can't get online for my B.S. Psychology degree....it's 90 minutes each way to the campus and 2 hours of stress three times a week for 16 weeks...for four credits! I remember why we are all doing this DL thing, to begin with!

    ALso, Rhonda, I am willing to bet that you didn't miss a passing score on the Marketing exam by much! So, just wait the six months on that one, knowing that you will do better on it when you see it again; you know what to expect from that test, now!

    We're pullin' for you!
     

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