MBA Senioritis? How to Stay Motivated in 2023

If you are coming towards the end of your MBA program, you might find it hard to stay as motivated to study as you once did. You might be thinking more about what you are going to wear for your interviews or for your first job, rather than reading MBA case studies. Maybe you have blown off some of your group projects or even slept through a class? If you have done any of these things, you could be suffering from a bit of ‘senioritis.’

While senioritis usually is a term that applies to high schoolers, even online MBA students and full time, campus MBA students can fall victim to this malady from time to time. It is rather normal to let down your guard a bit at the end of a two or three year educational endeavor.

Also, you may have already found a full time job with the stronger job market, and you do not feel as much pressure to get As in your classes now. However, you should really try to keep your motivation high in your MBA program. There are very good reasons for you to keep giving your all in your university program. Even if your current employer is not interested in your grades, you might have an employer in the future that looks at them.

To keep your motivation high and to ward off senioritis, try following some of these easy tips:

#1 Think about your boss

If your motivation is lagging in your MBA classes, imagine that your boss is on your shoulder and watching to see what kind of worker you are. You probably would not want to come off as a lazy slacker. If you think of your MBA classes as an extension of what you will be doing after you graduate, you will not be as likely to get lazy.

#2 Tap into your motivations

Do not fight your senioritis as much as you actually embrace it. You should focus on the unique aspects of a second year MBA student who is about to earn her degree. Think about the unique interests that you have at this point in your life. You want to be successful in your job and establish a strong career. To make that happen, you should take challenging classes that will help you to hit the ground running when you get to your office at your first job. If you want to make a good impression, and surely you do, you will be highly motivated to do your best in classes that will help you to develop skills that you will need in your job.

#3 Enroll in interesting courses

If you already have taken most of your required classes, try a class or two that you just find interesting. You might think about taking a class in negotiations, or a class that will take you overseas on spring break. The idea is to fight the boredom, which tends to make you lazy. An interesting class that is taught by a good teacher can really help to maintain your interest.

#4 Think about ROI

If you cannot shake your senioritis, remember one of the most important parts of your MBA experience: You have paid for it. The expenses and the opportunity costs of a two or three year college experience at the graduate level are high. You want to make sure that your major time and financial investment is repaid in a big way. So, you want to put forth strong effort at all times in your MBA program. One way to do this is to calculate how much one hour of your MBA program costs. If you are attending Wharton or another expensive program, it could cost $100 an hour or more. That can really help to motivate you again.

#5 Listen to Motivational Talks

There’s nothing more inspiring then listening to other inspirational, successful people. The world is full of these motivated individuals. Tune into sites like Ted.com under their Motivation channel and see what looks good! Some of their top selections include such talks as How to be a Great Leader, Talks to help you Find your Purpose or Why We Do The Things We Do.