So far, studying abroad has been so much fun. I have met so many new people from all over the world, many of whom I hope to stay in contact with when we all return to our respective universities back home in the states.This past weekend, I got to visit one of my very best friends at Oxford University, where she is studying for the year. We explored London the first day that I arrived, then traveled to Oxford where I stayed with her and got to explore the town and campus. It was so much fun to see where she is studying and to walk around a campus that is hundreds of years old.Often, after traveling, it can feel like a let down to return home, where all of your responsibilities are there waiting for you. Although I was happy to return to Dublin after my time visiting my friend, I definitely felt this way, finding myself with a long list of things to accomplish and little motivation to get them done. At some point in the middle of the semester, most students at the 5C’s, and on campuses all across the globe (including Trinity!), feel a sort of slump, where a lack of motivation takes hold and is hard to reignite.

I have tried to reconcile this and have come up with a few reasons that I think the middle of the semester is particularly difficult. First, you are no longer excited by all the new opportunities that the new semester brings. You have settled into a routine on campus, you’ve seen your friends after being apart for three months, and you classes are in full swing. Second, you are still far enough away from the end of the semester that, if you do start looking towards that date in December, you might just make yourself feel more hopeless than before (see Michael Scott’s face below). 

I’ve come up with a list of a few things that may help get you motivated and push through this sluggish time in the semester. 

1. Get enough sleep. This is the most important, in my opinion, because sleep determines so much of how we feel and how well our day goes. I can almost always make a direct correlation between the amount of sleep I get and how productive, focused, and overall feeling of wellbeing during the day. If you don’t get enough sleep, you are likely to get less work done, in addition to it being of lesser quality, at least, that’s been my experience in many cases.
2. Engage with the texts and homework assigned to you! If you don’t understand something, ask! Try to find things that interest you in the text or note particular concepts that excite you. If you can actively engage with your work, you are more likely to stay motivated and finish your work. 
3. Know your study habits and know when to call it a day. There are often times when I find myself pushing to finish a chapter or a set of notes, when I should really just press pause and come back to it later. It these times when eyelids are heavy and focus is wavering that it often pays to just come back to it later, whether you decide to go to bed or simply take a break.

Hope everyone is enjoying the sunshine in Claremont and continuing to push through this sluggish time in the semester!