Starting your undergraduate studies is an exciting, challenging and nerve-racking experience all at once. While most people begin highly motivated to have the most fulfilling and rewarding undergraduate experience, when challenging assignments or difficult social situations emerge, self-motivation can easily falter. However, research shows that the content we consume day to day can highly impact our behaviour. Therefore, we have curated a list of different contents you can use to gain some motivation in those days when you cannot find any in yourself.
Motivational films to watch during your undergraduate studies:
Dead Poets Society
The cinematography, the boarding school setting and the cosy fall weather make it easy to immerse yourself in this film and wish you were studying with your favourite characters. Dead Poets Society’s mantra “Carpe Diem” or “Seize the day” will motivate you to slow down and enjoy the journey your undergraduate studies take you on. Furthermore, it will inspire you to find joy and fulfilment in all the new concepts you are exposed to and also appreciate your individual ideas, no matter how silly they might seem, just as the professor in the film advises.If you need a film to remind you of the joy of words, ideas and literature, this film is the one for you.
Legally Blonde
Legally Blonde is motivating in an entirely different way, as it focuses more on the empowering aspect of educating oneself, especially if it involves breaking through endless doubts from people around you. This film shows that even as an undergraduate, your knowledge is powerful, especially if it is used alongside values such as kindness and friendship. If you are studying a daunting subject and you feel like you don’t belong in your undergraduate university programme (despite being passionate about it), this is the perfect film to relight your spark.
Mona Lisa Smile
This film is similar to Legally Blonde in regard to their main characters breaking out of their expected role in society, but it is more serious and academic. This film is a good reminder that education can help us discover and understand ourselves better, as well as our friends, and ultimately the environment around us. It also illustrates how education and knowledge can be a bridge that brings people from different lifestyles together, and how challenging ourselves academically can be highly rewarding.
Mona Lisa Smile is the film to watch on a rainy day during your undergraduate degree when you need a reminder of how much education has helped numerous communities form and ultimately, leave their indelible mark on history.
Matilda
Another film that highlights how empowerment can happen through knowledge and education is Matilda. The classic story is bound to put any stressed undergraduate student in a good mood as seeing the brilliant main character outgrow her family’s shortcomings and discover the joy of reading and kinship with her supportive teacher, Miss Honey, is a warm and rewarding watching experience.
Matilda is a good film to watch during the spring or summer days of your undergraduate degree, as Miss Honey’s flowery garden can serve as the perfect cosy and motivational backdrop for you and Matilda to study together.
TV shows to watch during your undergraduate studies:
Lessons in Chemistry
While most of the media where studying plays the central role focus on humanities, Lessons in Chemistry illustrates how STEM students can be just as passionate about their subject, and use it to empower themselves and others. While most of the films mentioned explore the discovery of subjects the characters are passionate about, this TV show explores the step that comes after that initial exciting period: finding balance between the professional and personal aspects of one’s life. Most undergraduate students struggle to manage their studies and personal lives, and this TV show can be relatable and helpful at the same time regarding this aspect. Furthermore, it can be especially empowering for STEM female students, as the TV show portrays the additional obstacles women studying STEM subjects face, and also shows the main character overcoming them.
Lessons in Chemistry is the TV show to watch if you feel overwhelmed with managing school-life balance during your undergraduate studies, and if you feel discouraged by the challenges of studying a STEM degree as a woman.
Gilmore Girls
One of the most popular TV shows students use as study motivation is Gilmore Girls, as one of the main characters, Rory is a highly ambitious and hardworking student. The TV show also touches on balancing the challenges that come with growing up and academic commitments. Furthermore, it would be very encouraging for any undergraduate student to see a studious character being supported and praised for their hard work. This is especially important in the context of most media about young adults placing focus on the character's social life and portraying studying as a chore, rather than a fulfilling lifestyle. Gilmore Girls shows that education and studying are about the journey, and they offer you skills useful in all areas of life.
Gilmore Girls is therefore highly motivating and the perfect TV show to start in the fall, as you can begin your challenging but exciting undergraduate experience at the same time as Rory starts her own academic journey. This show is also realistic about how even the brightest students can have a difficult transition to university life, and how they can overcome it. If you want more tips about how to make your transition from school to undergraduate studies an easier process check out this blog.
Anne with an E
Anne with an E is another motivating TV show for undergraduates, especially perfect for the spring and summertime, as this is when most of the show is set. Anne’s resilience through hardships is highly inspiring for anyone but especially motivating for your undergraduate years, as she uses literature and creativity to remain hopeful and positive in dire circumstances. Anne with an E is a great example of how our past environment does not have to dictate our future and how hope in the face of adversity is powerful. Undergraduate students tend to feel anxious when they think about their future life chapters such as getting a graduate job or moving out of student accommodation, which often result in them avoiding taking action.
Anne with an E is an emotional, highly inspiring TV show that will motivate you during your undergraduate studies to look ahead with hope and excitement and be proactive in building your career.
The Queen’s Gambit
Another TV show that illustrates passionate learning, the Queen’s Gambit dives into darker themes such as unhealthy obsession with perfection, but its message can be highly inspiring for undergraduate students, even if they are far from being a chess prodigy. Unlike many other shows about brilliant characters, this show does not praise the main character’s unhealthy behaviours but rather shows how not only do they impact her mental health, but also her performance. It is refreshing to see the idea that genius or high performances do not come from these unhealthy behaviours and that creativity can be fostered during good times just as well, or even better than during highly emotional states.
This TV show is highly encouraging for undergraduate students who need more faith and compassion for themselves, and who want to achieve high results in more healthy ways than the commonly praised sleepless nights. Just as Beth, the main character, has realised, just because creativity and exceptional results happened when unhealthy ways of studying were used in the past, that does not mean that changing for the better will dim one’s creativity or performance, especially if we have faith in ourselves.
