By: Genevieve F. ‘28

As 2nd semester is now in full swing, motivation is a key factor to unlock a student's success. At times, however, keeping the momentum going throughout the year can be challenging. Bryn Mawr’s head of the Upper School, Ms Fetting, and seniors Bunni Mclean and Cami Miller provide helpful advice on how to stay motivated come the 2nd semester. 

Ms. Fetting, Bryn Mawr’s head of upper school and Bryn Mawr alum, has tons of tips for Bryn Mawr students struggling with motivation. Firstly, she believes one of the best things to do when feeling unmotivated is to change your space. Making sure to have a new environment and implementing a timer system can help students have a fresh and organized start in the second semester. The timer system consists of carving out blocks of studying time with short breaks in between to increase focus and time management. Ms. Fetting also understands the difficulties of burnout, so she advises students to make sure they take time to recharge. She believes that it's very important for students to take care of themselves. A couple of ways to combat burnout include setting goals for yourself, creating vision boards, and taking breaks. Ms. Fetting’s advice to her students is, “It's important to compare yourself to where you've been then the finish line you are imagining for yourself.” 

Senior Bunni Mclean believes that if students stop placing their self-worth on their grades, they will have an easier time finding motivation. For Bunni, junior year required the most focus to stay motivated due to all the pressure that comes with your grades. Personally,  she felt her most challenging classes were taken in her junior year, and struggled with burnout. She believes that if you define yourself based on your grades you can easily become burned out. To combat a student's burn out she recommends taking breaks to remember that “everything is fundamentally okay”. She believes that if your mind isn't rested you won’t be capable of your most productive work, so students must take time for themselves if they want to stay motivated. Bunni’s words of advice to Bryn Mawr students is, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. 

Senior Cami Miller believes that taking care of yourself is the key to staying motivated. So far, Cami believes that the first semester of senior year is the most difficult semester because of college applications and an increase in work. Her motivation throughout the year has increased combating the common senioritis since she gets her motivation from knowing her senior year is coming to a close. She now more than ever wants to prove to herself that she can do hard things instead of having to prove that to everyone else. She believes that treating yourself after finishing an assignment or doing difficult work can help maintain motivation all throughout the year. Though she believes that it’s important to give yourself time to relax, she also states that it's equally as important to set blocks of time to make sure your work is complete. She believes it’s important to stay busy while still taking care of yourself. It’s easy though, to get caught up in procrastination and slumps. Cami’s final piece of advice to Bryn Mawr students is to “Put one foot in front of the other, keep going”. 

With only a few months left in school, staying organized and positive will help students to stay motivated as they cross the end of the academic year's finish line.