Now that it's August, college is upon us. You all would have started making goals for the upcoming semester. Hence, I would love to share some of the small goals I've had in the past, how they actually turned out and advice on how you should work towards meeting them.
1. Taking an 8:30 a.m. class
Reality
I thought this would be a breeze. My high school started at 8 a.m. every day, and I usually get up at 6:30 to get ready for class, so naturally, I thought, "Yeah, this would be no hassle." I hadn’t realized that the summer before I started freshman year, I would ruin my sleep schedule. So come the beginning of September, I realized that I had become nocturnal. I would lay wide awake at night, leafing through assigned chapters for my classes and just chilling out. In the morning, I'd stumble around like a zombie from "The Walking Dead." This did not turn out well, and my poor roommate — God bless her heart — had to tolerate me switching the lights on, mid-slumber.
Advice
I did have a friend who voluntarily signed up for 8:30 classes — to her, it was a great start to her day. Her secret was having a bedtime and following it. I know it might sound silly, especially since we are in college, but having a strict bedtime is a discipline that not a lot of people master. She also explained that she had more time in the day to do all the things that she was interested in pursuing. So if you are a natural early riser, this will not be a problem.
2. Working out
Reality
This wouldn’t have been so bad had Wellesley not been built on top of hills. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until countless trips up and down the steep terrain to and from the my dorm that I realized I wasn’t built for this life. So for me, my workouts began and ended with my walks through campus. Well, I still participated in Zumba, Gumboot and classical Indian dance to fulfill my PE requirement, but that was it.
Advice
Pick an activity that you love and stick to it. I know that working out for a lot of people has been a source of self-care, so if you are on the same boat with these people, props to you.
3. Calling home often
Reality
This is sad because I really needed to do this, but I was also really bad at it. It came to the point where my dad had to call me to remind me to call my family the upcoming weekend.
Advice
Schedule a home call into your planner or calendar, This might seem silly, but by the time you become a part of clubs and organizations, you’ll realize that time is an expensive commodity.
4. Being smart with money
Reality
I don’t know how this ends up happening. One minute I am rolling in dough, the next I’m broke. It happens.
Advice
Have a budget and may the odds be in your favor.
5. Being a healthy eater
Reality
You would think that with the curse of the freshman 15, I would have been a little more conscientious with what I consumed. Nope. I blame the unlimited ice cream, cupcakes and cookies in almost every dining hall for the weight I gained.
Advice
Get a friend who makes you feel guilty for stacking on cookies. Again this might seem silly, but you won’t realize how dumb you look when you’re sitting across someone with a plate full of greens and yours is piled with sweets.
