Becoming Unsure about Future Plans

PhilipL
Tue, 05 Feb 2019 04:13:26 +0000

Hi everyone,

It’s been a minute. I haven’t been on this site since 2016 when I graduated high school, I believe! Now, I am a third-year honors student at UGA studying sociology/women’s studies. I am doing well so far, but I don’t really do anything besides school. I’ve been wanting to get my PhD in Gender Studies, but things are not going well. Last semester, I took a few master’s sociology courses and realized I would rather do a PhD in women’s studies than sociology, and I found it very difficult to do my work. I pulled through because I wanted to keep my GPA up for when I applied for PhD programs in the fall. Now, I am taking classes I do not like (no women’s studies classes this semester, unfortunately), and I am finding it hard to do any work at all. I have started off the semester poorly and refuse to do my assignments. I cannot find the motivation to complete readings or essays, which is very unlike me. I have a 3.95 GPA, but I feel like giving it up completely. I’m feeling really down and like I cannot do a PhD if I can’t even get myself to do 12 credit hours’ worth of work. I still want to pursue the PhD, but I don’t really have anything impressive for my application either. I haven’t published any articles, presented work anywhere, been involved in any clubs, or anything. I feel like all I am is a good GPA, which won’t be enough to get me into a PhD program. Additionally, I have to apply next semester. With this doubt looming over me, it makes it even harder for me to complete my work. I feel like everything I am doing is for naught and I am just kind of panicking. I know I sound all over the place and dramatic, but it is so unlike me to be sitting here with class tomorrow unsure of what I am going to write my paper on, which is due in a few hours. I have never procrastinated like this and really cannot find the motivation to do my work since I feel like I’m not gonna get into a PhD program anyway. Has anyone else felt like this–like completely burned out or unmotivated? I don’t know how to fix my attitude, and I feel like I am not coping healthily. If anyone can send some encouragement my way or something, I would appreciate it. Though I have not visited this forum in almost three years, I really do not know where else to turn.

Thanks in advance. <3