story and photos by Mackenzie O'Bannon

For the past two and a half years at UC F, I have found myself, along with others, often reluctant to attend classes and study more than 10 minutes before an exam.

How could this be?

While attending high school, I felt extremely motivated to study, excel and progress. Now, at my college of choice, I find myself slumping into classes and dreading yet another power point lecture.

While I trust myself to avoid missing classes, I know from the experiences of family members, peers and friends that flunking out or deciding to leave college is a regular occurrence.

However, for many students, including me, the outlook of a better career and more opportunities often prevails over the urge to sleep and party.

Ludwig said, "..a lot of time I enjoy going to class because it's stuff I like."

Tracy Ludwig , a sophomore majoring in psychology said: "Basic classes are boring. I go to those so I can pass. But a lot of the time I enjoy going to class because it's stuff I like. I think that's what keeps me motivated."

Psychology major Stephanie Bumm said she is motivated to attend her classes because she wants to succeed in life.

Bumm said: "I'm the type of person who has trouble teaching myself a concept. I need the interaction and discussion with my classmates to help me learn. Also, college is different from high school because you have much more freedom. These are the years that you figure out who you are."

Lewis said: "I need good money. To get it, I need college."

Money is the key factor encouraging senior journalism student Angie Lewis to attend her classes. Lewis said: "I need good money. To get it, I need college. I goofed off too much in high school, and now I'm having to make up for it."

Other students at UCF are motivated to excel in similar ways. Many hope to obtain a well-paying job. Others simply attend college to please their parents.

While some students remind themselves of a promising future after graduation, others take a different journey to get where they are going.

Kathryn Podolsky was a freshman when she failed out of Indiana University in 1982. Podolsky said: "It was a real party college and I was out of the house for the first time. I took full advantage of the party atmosphere."

Podolsky eventually returned to school and currently attends UCF. She said: "After 18 years in the hospitality industry, it was time for a change. However, I don't regret failing out of school. I've had some great years in the school of life and now going to college is really meaningful to me."

Kathryn Podolsky and Ken Carpenter returned to college to gain new opportunities in different fields of work.

Not all students believe you need to attend college to succeed in the job market. Graduate student Ken Carpenter said: "You should follow your instincts. I left school and still got a job in the field I was studying. Don't stay in school if you don't want to. You can always go back; it's just harder."

Podolsky agrees that it is hard to go back to school after acquiring adult responsibilities. She said: "I now have a husband, a house to take care of, an active social life, and many other distractions I did not have at 18. Students don't realize until it is too late how important an education is. There are worse things in life than having to go to class and keep up with homework."