Along with the new year comes a brand new semester. A new schedule, new classes, and new people mean brand new opportunities and a fresh slate. Here are some goals to aspire to this spring semester!
1. Take less naps in public places
Listen, I know this one is a stretch. Napping is a college student's best friend but instead of going to the library and crashing on the couches, utilize the time you have in the library so you can get back to your dorm and get to bed early! (I am completely aware this goal is highly unlikely but it's one I'm trying out this semester.)
2. Limit procrastination to at least once a week.
I could say don't procrastinate at all but we're focusing on plausible goals here. Even though staying on top of assignments is the key to success, if you ever feel the desire to procrastinate, you should try to limit it to one assignment a week and make sure the other ones are completely done early! This way, you get to fit in a few episodes of Netflix and instead of leaving an entire pile of homework for the night before, you might only have one assignment to do the night before.
3. Talk to someone new in each of your classes.
This is one people can find difficult in the spring semester. After fall semester you probably found a group of friends you spend time with regularly, but there's no reason not to add to your group of connections! Most of your classes will be full of new people and you're all bound to need study buddies for midterms and finals! So reach out to the new people in your classes, make new friends, and start up some study groups.
4. Write dates down from your syllabus in a planner and keep up with it.
Last semester, I wrote down all my due dates in my planner from my syllabi and never really looked at my planner again. Stay on top of all your assignments, extracurriculars, and social events by keeping up with your planner! Bonus points if you color code!
5. Start studying early.
If you start this semester off by taking notes on your readings and thoroughly understanding the information as you go, studying will be so much easier before midterms and finals. Try reviewing your notes from class at the conclusion of each day. You could even try teaching difficult concepts from your classes to your roommate, suitemate, or hallmates as a study method!
6. Stay organized.
It would be super helpful to establish how you need to study for each class during the first few weeks and set up your binder or notebook accordingly. This way you can keep all your materials organized and you can keep up more easily with all of your classes as the semester progresses. The more organized you stay throughout the semester, the less stressed you'll be during finals week!
7. Utilize on-campus resources.
Odds are, there are a plethora of on-campus resources to assist you with your classes. Utilize these resources early on so you don't fall behind! You'll feel a lot less stressed with the support of help from outside the classroom.
Although most of these might be pipe dreams hopefully we can achieve a few of them. Here's to a new (and hopefully very productive) semester!
