This isn’t my demotivation story, but it is one that potentially demotivated many fellow undergraduates in my first year chemistry class. On the very first day, we filed into the 800 person auditorium. The place was packed, as those first one to three classes tended to be. One of the first things the instructors asked was “How many of you want to go to med school?” This university had a very large pre-med program, and was one of the best medical schools in the country. Most of the class raised their hand. The instructor then said, “Look to your left, then your right. One of you might make it. Most of you won’t.” I’m not sure as to whether she thought this might motivate the hard workers in the class, or just give students a sense of realism. Either way, that’s no way to approach the issue. Each student has his or her own way in which they are motivated, and using that method may have worked for some, but certainly not for many others. One strategy may have been to still induce a sense of realism- Medical school takes a lot of work, this is what is expected, etc., but not present a defeatist attitude to students who are still figuring out what it is they want to do with their lives. Why not approach it by showing students that there are other paths to take, for those who eventually realize medical school is not for them. Providing them with options, not taking them away, would be the strategy I would suggest.