Why does it take so so long for magic skills to level up?

Pick a premade class and download a mod so miscellaneous skills cannot ever be leveled

Are there any particularly good choices? I know they’re not particularly optimized, but some (like Monk) seem worse than others.

Honestly, to me?

Go heavy on one melee stat, to the point where you hit every attack and use console commands / boots of blinding speed to increase you speed to a level that's comfortable to you.

When you want to break the game, abuse alchemy potions to stack int and create fatigue potions that give you infinite fatigue.

Like I've tried to play Morrowind in so many different ways, but the most boring way has been the most tolerable.

It's Morrowind. It doesn't matter what class you are eventually you will become super powerful.

Hmm, a part of my meta-gaming has always been trying to get 100% magic resist for a second so I can equip those boots. Always makes me go out of my way trying to get the stats necessary to do it. Maybe just CC’ing my speed up is the solution there, thanks for the suggestion.

This but also use enchants

>tfw shield 100% reflect 100% armor

To me the base movement speed in Morrowind has always been too slow since DF, Arena, Oblivion, and Skyrim have always felt comfortable at the start. So I usually just CC my speed because working that stat up is boring and going with Breton for easy boots is an even more boring start.

Two handed Blunt weaponry master with Alteration/Restoration/Conjuration specialties.

Using the hopping or levitation spell while wearing boots of blinding speed and fortifying your stats to insane levels and conjuring daedra armies to back you up never gets old. And blunt weaponry is based in Morrowind. You have the Sixth House Bell Hammer and that Kagrenac hammer which are both OP