8th Grade Now. No BSing around and Help.

[~Phoenix Death~]

So I'm in Eighth grade. Yipee. This is when the real thing starts and you have to crack down, sit down, and study. But I need help.
As cubing has become my hobby, it's strived me away from studying hard. No, it doesn't help me with math or whatever BS some say.
My problem is that I don't have a lot of motivation. Sure, one of my motives is to do better to get to a good high school or college, but for some reason, and I know it's stupid, it's not enough.
Does anyone have any tips on motivation?

Yes, I put this in the Off-Topic Discussion.

 

[BigSams]

Get involved in math competitions. You're in the US, so do AMC 8, then, if possible, AIME and USA(J)MO. School's kinda boring for me so this stuff keeps me ahead in math. That way I'm both entertained and getting 90s.

 

[Forte]

high school was all about bs for me

 

[Mitch15]

I've always been self-motivated since I was really young. I think maybe I just saw my parents working hard and thought I should do the same? Idk, I just expect a lot from myself.

The fact that you made a thread about this shows that you care... as I feel as though caring and motivation are about the same thing. Just channel the fact that you care into studying. If you don't actually care, then you won't be motivated... but then again, if you don't care, why does it matter?

Also realize that the economy sucks, the government keeps spending money, which you'll have to pay back in taxes. So get good grades so your life doesn't suck, that too.

 

[Anthony]

Also realize that the economy sucks, the government keeps spending money, which you'll have to pay back in taxes.

So what you're saying is that we should all move to Canada to be with Forte? :3

 

[FatBoyXPC]

Honestly in my opinion, school is too much about appearance of motivation of doing a lot of bs work. They don't teach you what you truly need to know in the real world, and over exaggerate everything. The one thing this does is make it easier for you when you need to know something menial and you won't have to reference things later when you would if you stayed completely unmotivated and didn't educate yourself at all.

There will not be any motivation that could come from us. Do you want to go to a good college? You know what needs to be done. Do you care at all what sort of job you have after you graduate or do you only care about getting a job that you do your time and go home? There are many factors with what you want in the future, but the question is, what do you want? Do what you need to do (not the minimum requirements, but exceed the goals. Businesses have ample applicants who meet the bone stock minimum requirements, but not a lot who can far exceed them) to get there. That should be your motivation.

You'll notice in school that you do a lot of leg work for very little reward. That's how most of life is, unfortunately. Most line level jobs will be that way (factories, fast food, etc). If you want a good job where you are paid closer to your actual value, you need to do something to make an employer recognize that. Unfortunately the easiest way to do that is to just have a contact. Fortunately the next easiest way is to have something on paper showing what you can do for that company. Just remember this: no business will ever let you have a chance to prove yourself. You have to more than earn that chance (and even then it's hard to come by). So again, find out what you need to do whatever it is you want to do with your life, exceed those requirements, and you should be set.

 

[Forte]

Also realize that the economy sucks, the government keeps spending money, which you'll have to pay back in taxes.

So what you're saying is that we should all move to Canada to be with Forte? :3

:3

 

[Raifyehd]

Well Join As many clubs as you can, but 1 thing for sure is that eighth grade was my easiest year of middle school

 

[Logan]

lol, 8th grade was ALL about BSing for me. I'm going into 9th now and am in 4 honors classes. Don't worry, you'll do fine.

 

[nck]

I'm currently around 6 weeks away from sitting the HSC (university entrance exam..sort of) and I have absolutely no motivation whatsoever
I was aiming for top of state for Ext 1 and 2 maths but I've decided not to do actuarial science at university, so I began to slack off again.

Have a look at what you want to do later on in the future, it worked for me before. Right after I realized that being an actuary is the sort of job that both suits me and pays a lot, I was really motivated to study. I just somehow lost interest.

 

[gon]

Don't worry about 8th grade. That doesn't mean don't do your work, but 8th grade isn't something you should be worrying about. For high school, just make sure you focus on your SATs/ACTs.

 

[dabmasta]

Don't worry about 8th grade. That doesn't mean don't do your work, but 8th grade isn't something you should be worrying about. For high school, just make sure you focus on your SATs/ACTs.

This.

Junior high was a waste of time for me.

 

[imaghost]

I am in my first year of college now. Pretty much everyone that posted is right for the most part. Just do what you need to do to get by. If you do the work, you will get good grades. All you need to do is tell yourself that you are going to do the homework/study. Tell yourself you are going to do it and do not think that you won't do it. I did this my senior year and I made straight A's. too bad it was senior year that I started doing it, and now my GPA is like a 2.75. Apparently I am really smart, IQ of 137, mostly honors math courses, etc, you get the point.

 

[ThatGuy]

Actually, most (when I say most, I say those who strive for top spots at their high schools, those who want to get into Harvard and etc) people start their SAT/ACT stuff in 8th grade or earlier. If you want to you could work on that stuff seeing as how JH is extremely easy. Even if you don't want to get into one of those big schools, it is sooo much better to start SATs early.

 

[SpUtnikCub3r]

I'm currently around 6 weeks away from sitting the HSC (university entrance exam..sort of) and I have absolutely no motivation whatsoever
I was aiming for top of state for Ext 1 and 2 maths but I've decided not to do actuarial science at university, so I began to slack off again.

Have a look at what you want to do later on in the future, it worked for me before. Right after I realized that being an actuary is the sort of job that both suits me and pays a lot, I was really motivated to study. I just somehow lost interest.

Are you nick graham

 

[lilkdub503]

lolwut middle school has nothing to do with life. It's just an awkward phase I went through in middle school, the girls are ugly, the guys are awkward and have horrible acne (except me luckily), everyone is chastised. Don't buckle down, savor this year before ish starts to matter. Have fun!

 

[hawkmp4]

So I'm in Eighth grade. Yipee. This is when the real thing starts and you have to crack down, sit down, and study. But I need help.
As cubing has become my hobby, it's strived me away from studying hard. No, it doesn't help me with math or whatever BS some say.
My problem is that I don't have a lot of motivation. Sure, one of my motives is to do better to get to a good high school or college, but for some reason, and I know it's stupid, it's not enough.
Does anyone have any tips on motivation?

Yes, I put this in the Off-Topic Discussion.

You'll say the same thing once you get to high school, probably again in your junior year of high school, and then again when you get to uni.

Cubing doesn't help you with math, I agree.

External motivation (wanting to get good grades, get into college X, etc.) will only get you so far. For some people, that gets them through all of their undergrad work. For me, it got me through elementary school. For you, it has run out just now, it would seem.

I don't really know what to tell you in this case, other than you're not alone. I struggled through middle and high school only because I had no motivation. I had A test grades all through school but got plenty of Ds and Cs because I did the minimum amount of homework to pass. I know the feeling, I know that it's extremely difficult for you to force yourself to do the work.

I was extremely lucky and had a fantastic math teacher two years in a row, junior and senior year. That was the first time I ever had any real amount of motivation in school. A big part of why I was motivated then was that he encouraged me to explore more on my own. He would tell me to go look up a problem that was somewhat related to what we were doing in class but not what we were covering. So I started poking around a little more with mathematics and then I started looking things up on my own and coming to him after school with questions. I learned so much more from that process than I did in class.

What can you take from that? Well, your teachers know a lot more than what they teach in any one class. If a class is boring you, ask your teacher for some further topics to investigate. If they're willing, talk about the topics with the teacher after you've researched them. Even if you don't have a teacher that's willing to do this (though I can't imagine any teacher being anything but thrilled if a student did this) you can look up what you're talking about in class online and branch out from there.

It doesn't make the homework less boring. But it makes it a lot easier to do when you feel like you've actually been learning something, even if the homework is unrelated.

 

[Andreaillest]

Ew, middle school. The most awkward phase in life.
Honestly, just keep doing your work. Middle school meant nothing to me, nut I did the work. HS is where it's really at. Really, to get through school in general is to focus and remember what's important. Also to have fun, life and college is going to hit you like a 100 ton brick. Enjoy what you can. I can't tell you how stressfull it is trying to get in a college, let alone actually go to one. So, don't stress out to much right now, you're going to need that later.

 

[Lorken]

High school was too easy here, now, cubings getting in the way of my study at uni as well. I wish there was a way I would get motivated to study

 

[mcciff2112]

Are you kidding me? If you're going into 8th grade looking for something other than a load of BS, then you're in for a big surprise. There's no such thing as motivation for high school, it's just one big drama-filled joke. No need to stress, no need to worry about anything. Just put in a little bit of effort and everything will be a breeze. I'm taking all college classes in my senior year. I never study, I've never felt the need to, and I doubt I will at all this coming year. It's all just hype. In 20 years it won't matter in the slightest how well you did in high school. Stop worrying about school and worry about the things that actually matter in life.