What motivates you in your senior year of college?

Being a goal-oriented and practical person, I always work toward something to stay motivated. However, as a senior in college, I no longer have a concrete short term goal at the moment - have a full-time role lined up, not sure if I wanna do on-cycle PE recruiting , have nearly done all of my college-required courses. Would love to learn what motivates you in your senior year of college? What motivates you day in and day out?

 
Most Helpful

Junior here but felt similarly after receiving an SA offer for next summer. Here are some ideas that I learned from Kurt Vonnegut, a man who had spectacular insight into the human condition:

Pay it forward: 

I helped found a new finance club on campus and am involved with multiple groups as a mentor. Giving back is a big part of my school's culture, so I've been paying it forward double. Also, I'm regularly surprised by how wise my underclassmen peers are and what they can teach about business and life. I've struggled with nihilism and suicidal ideation, but helping my peers achieve their professional goals has been a big help. Here's a relevant Vonnegut quip:

We are here to help each other get through this thing, whatever it is.

Engage with new ideas: 

I have personal interests in philosophy, psychology, and leadership, so I've been spending a lot of time reading studies/biographies/literature and finding someone to share these ideas with. Seek out people who are intelligent, well-traveled, open-minded and willing to get drinks with you. This will look different for every individual, so explore your interests. Here's Vonnegut's advice to high school students:

What I had to say to you, moreover, would not take long, to wit: 

Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what's inside you, to make your soul grow.

Forget about goals:

Finance students (myself included) are often stuck on the hedonic treadmill seeking the next most prestigious goal. A good friend (and prestige addict) of mine spent his entire undergraduate with GS IBD in his sights, and now that he has it, he's set on MF PE. I find Vonnegut's conversation with fellow author Joseph Heller helpful: 

Joseph Heller... and I were at a party given by a billionaire... 
[Vonnegut] said, "Joe, how does it make you feel to know that our host only yesterday may have made more money than your novel 'Catch-22'...?"
And Joe said, "I've got something he can never have."
And I said, "What on earth could that be, Joe?"
And Joe said, "The knowledge that I've got enough."

I hope you find what you are looking for OP. Enjoy your senior year!

Kurt Vonnegut smoking a cigarette

 

Find a hobby. On the rowing team and that pretty much keeps me motivated every single day to constantly improve myself both mentally and physically. Also maybe take on a mentorship role at school? (Tutoring/TA) helping others at your university is always rewarding and tutoring can help you remember some concepts you forgot about

 

Consectetur quaerat doloremque voluptates quo. Quis dolor libero corrupti et harum nesciunt omnis. Sit ex explicabo quia deserunt blanditiis rerum suscipit dignissimos. Aut dolorem eos labore dolor consequatur.

Quia dolorem quae voluptatem consequatur sunt. Provident incidunt ipsa dolor est enim. Vero voluptate est nesciunt ut et.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 04 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (88) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (67) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”