My thoughts on self

So in my world religions class we've been learning about Buddhaism. From what I understand, they believe that the only way to exit the karmic cycle that forces one to continually be reborn is to realize that there is no self. There is no God, no self, and everything you know is only there because you mistakenly believe that it is there. Almost sounds like the Matrix, right? That's besides the point. How pointless does the life you live seem if you have no self or no soul. I've left that class depressed everytime we've talked about it. However, religion isn't my reason for writing this. Lately I've been thinking, what constitutes what I would call my self? I'd have to say that it is, in essence, a combination of my personality, my thoughts, my wishes, my desires, and my faith. And I guess that's all well and good, but what am I without all that? Am I, are we, just empty blank human beings? Or would we be more like robots, with no independent thoughts or aspirations? And if there really is no self, than what is the point in living at all? In order to feel like I matter, I need to believe that I have a purpose here, and that no one else is exactly like me. Whether or not my belief is true, I have faith that I do matter, and that I do have a self. Believe whatever you want, this is what makes me happy, and I won't compromise that.