Hah, turns out the ‘drip-feed of content’ is a bit less drippy than I originally imagined.
It’s hard to be motivated to do a single thing continuously for long periods of time. People have said that humans default to a cycle of ‘cramming and slacking’ for work, not unlike a farmer who only needs to perform intense labour for a few days each crop season. I rarely work on one project for more than a few weeks at a time, moving on to other things before I’m anywhere near proud of them. Things get neglected and never published, and I’m left with dozens of barely-started projects, not for want of free time or similar, but simply because I don’t care enough to continue.
Anyways, college! It’s been going great in the 2.5 months we’ve had so far. It’s been a great opportunity to meet new people who will remain in your life for a long time, possibly forever. I’m also enjoying myself in education for the first time in a while.
The last two years of coaching was a miserable time for me. I had zero interest in learning, and extracurricular activities (as in all I was ever interested in doing) were discouraged. The grind never stopped. All cramming, no slacking. Each day brought me closer to (insert exam here), but with ever-decreasing motivation to do my ‘duty’. I suffered academically, did poorly in entrance exams, and most of the friends I made would disappear entirely from my life once they ended. My interest in the things I enjoyed also started to drop.
Now, it feels as though some kind of weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I’m in a course I want at a decent-ish institution. Doing activities outside of studies (in my case, anyways) is a virtue that makes you more successful than your peers. Even though there was no real limitation before with how much I ignored studies, my motivation is a lot higher, and the projects I’m starting now are both greater in number and more complete before being abandoned.
Studies-wise, we have an incredibly relaxed course for now in the first semester. Most subjects are concepts revisited from 11th and 12th grade, and I find myself not hating the process of learning the new stuff. Even something like ‘foundations of Indian heritage’, never a course I’d imagine myself taking an interest in, has set me on numerous rabbit holes about the philosophy of ancient India. It’s crazy how far I’ve come.
I’m also starting to ask more people for help and I’m more willing to make requests that are out of the ordinary. This is advice that has been instilled in me throughout my life, and I’m only now starting to see the value in it. Regardless, I’ve realized (now through personal experience) that people are often more willing to help you than it may seem, and that doing that will give you things that truly set you apart from your peers.
I certainly hope it continues this way. Stay tuned for the full review, the long-term review, and the retrospective, coming soon eventually™