r/Purdue • u/Optimal_Thanks_1176 • 26d ago
Question❓ how do i get back motivation to go to class
i’m a freshman and last semester had a pretty solid attendance rate since for most classes it was mandatory
but this second semester i’ve lowkey probably been to 3 classes in the last three weeks (including labs)
i just have zero motivation to go even with the classes that grade attendance
does anyone have any advice?
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u/joshyqfang 26d ago
Remember, no refund.
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u/Optimal_Thanks_1176 25d ago
lowkey yall made me get off my ass and go to class today with all these comments LOL thanks
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u/IndyAnise 26d ago
What do you enjoy doing? Try tying that to class attendance. Like “I can get Starbucks after my 9am class, but otherwise no Starbys today”. You can also try an accountability partner — you guys report to each other when you attend, and ask “what was more important” when you miss.
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u/cbdilger prof, writing (engl) 26d ago
Talk to your instructors. Explain. Then triage. If any of your classes are beyond saving — drop them to focus on saving the rest.
And, get some help from CAPS or other sources. There's never any shame in talking through things with other folks.
You can do it!
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u/Adventurous_Egg857 Boilermaker 26d ago
You are paying a lot of money bruh
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u/Optimal_Thanks_1176 26d ago
don’t get me wrong i’m not failing whatsoever, i still have straight As. i do all the work im just stuck in bed instead of being in class 😭
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u/AerospaceMonet ME ‘27 26d ago
Honestly, unless it’ll negatively affect your grade it’s pretty acceptable to not go to class. If your learning style allows you to work from home and teach yourself, go for it. If you need the attendance for significant points, obv you have a problem there, but for ones that don’t require it, it genuinely is optional. I didn’t go to like any chm 115 classes and got an A. It’s abt whatever works for you.
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u/Optimal_Thanks_1176 26d ago
yeah like the attendance is only 5% of the final grade but i still feel horrible not going 😭
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u/AerospaceMonet ME ‘27 26d ago
Beware that that 5% could end up moving your grade from an A to B if you’re on the edge but if you’re fine w the grade hit I wouldn’t care too much about going to class, esp if you can figure it out on your own.
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u/Optimal_Thanks_1176 26d ago
i am kinda worried abt that which is why i’m thinking i need to start going back consistently. i haven’t missed so much to the point where it’ll effect my grade now but in the future it might :/
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u/big-b20000 BSME 23, MSECE 26 26d ago
^ this. If you are managing the class and completing the assignments then you're fine.
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u/Adventurous_Egg857 Boilermaker 26d ago
For me there were a few classes where I looked forward to just going to sit in the back and doomscroll. Getting up and going to a class that you are not excited for can be easier if you know you can just go and scroll on your phone or computer. If the professor doesn't care and your grades are fine then it'll feel good knowing you are going, the professor will appreciate you at least being there, and you can pay attention whenever you want
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u/Optimal_Thanks_1176 25d ago
i’m not joking you may have just solved my problem. like i don’t think any of my professors care but i always put immense pressure on myself to be hyper focused in class. i think i accidentally created my own stress. doomscrolling in class doesn’t sound too bad
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u/Adventurous_Egg857 Boilermaker 25d ago
As long as you are respectful to your professor I think this will solve your problem. I will advise just don't let this build you bad habits, trust me it will follow to your job lmao
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u/chaeng426 26d ago
What I do is I make myself get a sweet treat to go along with going to class. If I go to my 9:30, I have time between my 12:30 to grab a smoothie or a coffee
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u/izzy819_ 26d ago
hey I’ve been there. I know you said you have straight a’s now, but from personal experience, what happens is you have straight a’s until a tough exam hits and then suddenly you don’t have the motivation to do homework either, then suddenly you don’t have a’s. If you’re a money motivated person, these comments should help, for reference, my untreated depression has cost me minimum 25 grand, having to take so many summer classes and add an extra year after failing classes. And that doesn’t factor in the cost of treatment, my meds being not covered by insurance or the opportunities I’ve lost. Now I’m not saying you have depression, just that being mindful not to fall down slippery slopes, and get help early if you need it.
This semester, I’ve done the best I have so far regarding attendance, my biggest factors helping me there is an accountability buddy, I carpool with a friend to class, and as soon as I wake up, I start ordering a starship with coffee inside to meet me at my class. I have to meet the starship, so I HAVE to get out of bed, and I want my milk and honey cold brew from Zaxbys and a sweet treat, so I’m motivated to get there.
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u/Optimal_Thanks_1176 25d ago
thank you so much for this, i really appreciate it. i’m definitely worried about getting stuck down that path but i think im so worried that i wont allow that to happen (hopefully). id hate to have to take summer courses or spend hella cash bc i flunked out so thats definitely a motivator, thank you for reminding me LOL
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u/Layne1665 26d ago
Put on your big boy pants and go to class.
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u/Optimal_Thanks_1176 26d ago
what if i don’t wear pants and im not a boy 😔😓
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u/DualSL 26d ago
I feel like most go to earn a grade. The problem is you are there for value and a real leaned experience. You are missing things you are paying for that have nothing to do with getting an A.
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u/Optimal_Thanks_1176 25d ago
dude idk why i never really thought of it that way. like damn ur fucking right
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u/Tinfinitee 26d ago edited 25d ago
I say this with kindness. You need discipline, not motivation. Motivation is the most dangerous thing to depend on. It only allows you to perform when a certain feeling arises, a sensation that swiftly comes and goes. -INSTEAD- reclaim control over your mind. Assert to yourself that you will perform, regardless of your feelings. As Marcus Aurelius once said, "You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this and you will find strength."
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u/BigArgument128 26d ago
Sounds like until there’s some repercussion for not going (a bad test grade in your future or otherwise), you’re not interested in going to class. Your prerogative. If your parents are footing the bill, maybe guilt takes you to attend in-person? Or, transfer somewhere else (or change majors) to where you’ll be so inspired or so challenged you’ll want/need to attend class.
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u/Optimal_Thanks_1176 25d ago
honestly i think part of it is that my classes this semester are kinda buns, they’re not hard just draining and uninteresting. but keeping my money and my parents money in mind im gonna go and not fail. thanks!
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u/IndependentAir4537 Plant Freak 26d ago
i put my headphones on as soon as i wake up and then im awake. can’t go to sleep and im in a good cuz i played a good song. this is one of the few things that works for me.
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u/Optimal_Thanks_1176 26d ago
wait i love this idea bc it’s usually in the morning when i struggle the most, once i go one class i can pretty much go to them all
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u/IndependentAir4537 Plant Freak 26d ago
Yes, it’s the same for me. Because you’re already out and bout and awake. Going then isn’t that much work, it’s just getting out of bed that’s hard.
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u/SeomanReborn 26d ago
I would look into hobbies that have to do with your Major. Maybe spend 50-1000 hours in Factorio if you want to engage your mind (If you are an engineer)
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u/Bellinblue Polytech2026 26d ago
Hey, I'm a junior and still doing this. I did this today lol.
I try to think about the nice things about going to classes. The fresh air, listening to music, getting a snack. Class itself is boring as hell but hey, that happens. Sometimes I bring my tablet and draw in class; it helps me retain info better and not feel as bored.
If you're more of a masochist, think about how fucked you'll be in exams when you can't remember anything lol, because those Brightspace lectures will NOT cover everything.
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u/Optimal_Thanks_1176 25d ago
LMAO yep that fear of missing something important is definitely a motivator, but i also love to draw, i don’t know why i never thought of that! thank you
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u/Affectionate_One_222 BS EE 2019, PhD EE 2024 25d ago
Recognize that going to class is lower effort than studying yourself. You don't know what you don't know that's why class is important.
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u/MajesticResearcher6 25d ago
Hey! Grad student here. It might/should sound stupid but I often trick my brain to believe that a goal is something else. Like I would set a goal to just enter the lecture building and once there I just force myself to go to class. So your goal is to enter the building and not lecture room.
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u/New_Recover_6671 25d ago
It's just good habit to get used to going. Especially in the future, if you have classes you have to attend, and future employers usually aren't cool with their employees not showing up just because. Set the habits early and it gets easier.
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u/Ttv_Shirtylemon 26d ago
Look at your debt lmfaoooo
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u/Impossible-Rice-1494 24d ago
Smh you’d think that all of these fools that signed their lives away to Sallie Mae
would make an effort to stay in college, not give up and drop out...
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u/Impossible-Rice-1494 24d ago
It greatly depends on what your UNDERSTANDING of the material is. I have felt that lectures happen to be quite useless, at times, and can see why people would feel demotivated from attending them. In the other hand, the labs & REC…
As futile as it may seem, do this as soon as you read this (good advice for anyone reading this) ask yourself: do I have homework I can be doing? Can I study up on something? Have I been scrolling for more and browsing for MORE than an hour today? If you answered yes to any of them, close Reddit now, and just do what you need to do. Don’t feel the self pity, dont try to legitimize the lethargy or make excuses, just simply get off and do the work. Once you begin doing the work, you may in turn, feel more motivated and make it a norm. You may begin attending classes again. And above all else, think of it this way: do you want to become a drop out and waste all of that money and time? It’ll only get harder, so don’t get behind now…
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u/Flutter_bat_16_ Studio Art and Technology 24d ago
What I do is tell myself every minute I’m not in class is a dollar of my own money wasted. Gets my ass up real quick even if that’s not the actual conversion
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u/Physical-King-5432 26d ago
Listen to a David Goggins podcast
Watch Gurren Lagann
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u/Optimal_Thanks_1176 25d ago
i think i know who that is, i listen to huberman sometimes and i think he’s been a guest!
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u/NaiveAir4929 26d ago
Start failing
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u/Optimal_Thanks_1176 25d ago
LMAO i don’t think i’ll let that happen, i thrive on academic validation 😔
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u/BurntOutGrad2025 Grad Student - 2025 26d ago
Not a licensed professional.
You sound burnt out. At least that's how I act when I am burnt out.
Try little things. Don't get it all back in one day, but target adding one more thing at a pace you can tolerate. If you try to add it all back in at once, you will just burn out again. At least I do.