As I enter my second semester of my third year in school, I decided to have a conversation with friends and peers and out of sheer curiosity, I asked them all the same question:

"What are some of the mistakes you made last semester that you learned from so that you won't make them again?"

I asked a pretty large group of people who all varied in years, ages, majors, and personal experiences; yet I got similar responses from almost everyone I talked to. So what mistakes and regrets did we make last semester that we ended up learning from?

1. Having a bad case of procrastination.

College students and procrastination go so hand and hand with each other that they should go next to salt and pepper and peanut butter and jelly for famous pairs. Pretty much every person (myself included) admitted to putting off assignments, projects, and studying in favor of having fun.

The problem with this? We all end up stressed, lacking sleep, over-worked, and turning in things that are not our best. We can easily change this by sticking to a schedule and actually doing our work before the night before.

Solution: Actually set aside time to do our work, no matter how tempting the distraction.

2. Getting caught up in other people's drama.

For the most part, everyone will tell you the same thing: "I hate drama!" Yet if someone comes up to you with some juicy gossip, chances are you're going to listen! What people really mean when they say they hate drama, is that they hate being involved in drama. But as fun as it is to listen to all the secrets and scandals, chances are you will inevitably end up in some drama of your own for knowing them.

At that point, you're risking friendships and relationships. Still worth it? Ditch the drama and focus on yourself this semester.

Solution: Mind ya dang business!

3. Overspending or underspending on meal plans.

Last semester, I had a 19 meal a week meal plan. What they don't tell you when you sign up is that that particular meal plan is only usable in the cafeteria. Due to my abundance of three-hour classes and scheduling conflicts, I was left only using around half my meals a week and paying out of pocket for the other dining options that were actually open when I did get a chance to eat.

Similarly, I had friends that went hog wild at the beginning of the semester, using their flexible meal plans that could be used anywhere on campus, up relatively fast. By the end of the semester, they had to rely on the kindness of friends with leftover swipes to pay for their food, an act in which I dubbed the friends "swipe angels."

This semester, I have the flexible meal plan which is excepted everywhere on campus and I also know not to overspend my money.

Solution: Evaluate which meal plan is actually right for you and don't go crazy because it has to last you all semester.

4. Ignoring the things that make you happy.

Last semester, I lugged my sketchbook and pencils around in my backpack for a solid two months. At the end of those two months, I had exactly zero new sketches to show for it. The same thing goes for reading. I have a John Green book I begged my mom to get me sitting on the shelf that I've had since Thanksgiving break, still unread.

I love both reading and drawing, both at which I'm really good at (I'm a very fast reader), yet I neglected to do either last semester because I was so caught up in school and a social life. This semester I plan on actually taking the time to do stuff I love that makes me happy.

Solution: Find the time to do stuff you enjoy, or you'll wish you had.

5. Spreading yourself too thin.

This again was a very common response to my question. A lot of people felt like they simply had too much on their plate to actually enjoy themselves. Instead of doing a few things they really enjoyed, they did a bunch of stuff they tolerated, either because they were trying to appease someone or because they took too much on all at once.

This makes less time to do the activities they really liked. Instead of trying to please everyone, pick activities and clubs that you actually enjoy. It's better to do a few things you're passionate about than to do things because you felt obligated to.

Solution: Pick activities wisely, they take up your time and energy too.

6. Not using the academic resources.

At our school, we have a lot of free student academic resources. We have a tutoring center in which you can get free tutoring in just about any subject as well as a team of people who will review and peer-edit your papers before you turn them in.

We also have online resources like academic journal access, online editing and tutoring resources, and guides on how to write papers in different academic formatting.

At my previous schools, we wrote in only MLA. Here, all of my professors require APA. If I had just done a little research on all of my school's free resources, I could have taken the guesswork out of figuring out what goes where when I wrote my papers.

Solution: Do some research to find all of the amazing resources that help you succeed. Your school pays for it so you don't have to.

7. Not taking advantage of all of the activities.

Our school offers loads of activities pretty much every single day. There are movies, crafts, get-togethers with snacks, trips, and free things being offered all around campus. But I haven't gone to a single one and neither had anyone I talked to. The student activities are abundant and almost always free, so why not take advantage of them?

Solution: Check out the fun and free things being offered around campus, you'll find something you will enjoy.

8. Actually taking mental health days.

Last semester, my dog died very suddenly. I am not someone who skips class...ever. The only time I ever miss class is if it's something incredibly important or I am very sick. I went to class after I had heard the bad news and not shockingly, I was a wreck. I couldn't focus, my notes were in shambles, and I started crying at random times. I even had a professor pull me aside to ask if I was okay.

In most classes, you're given around two or three excused absences. While I didn't use any of mine to skip class and have fun, I should have used them to actually mentally recover from what happened. Even if you show up to class, if you're not in the right place to learn, you won't.

Solution: Use your excused absences for when you really need them, because sometimes you will really need them.

9. Not using all of the gym's features.

Our student health center not only offers a place for students to exercise and do intermural sports, but they also offer free exercise classes taught by trained staff. From weightlifting to yoga to cycling, there are so many classes being offered every day of the week. Judging that any of these classes would cost around the $20-40 range out of pocket anywhere else, this is an incredible thing to have!

Even my friend Makenzi, who is a yoga teacher for our group exercise program admits that "it's easy to not take full advantage of the wide variety", and she works there! This semester I plan on trying new classes and pushing myself to mix it up a little bit. I might even find a new favorite way to exercise!

Solution: Take advantage of free exercise classes if they're offered, they won't be free anywhere else!

10. Not doing your laundry often.

Last semester, I used the mentality "If I still have clean underwear, I don't need to do my laundry." I get it, doing your laundry means paying around three bucks which no one ever actually wants to give the school. But by neglecting to do it often, my laundry loads ended up costing more than that because of my clothes:

a) didn't get all clean in the over-stuffed washing machine the first time

b) had to be dried twice because the dryer was so full it couldn't move

c) had to be split into two batches anyway

or

d) a combination of any of the above.

Doing laundry means spending time and money doing something no one actually wants to do, but you'll feel (and look) so much better if you do it.

Solution: Suck it up and do your laundry before it gets to be too much.

11. Surrounding yourself with negative people.

Many of the people I talked to told me that they had issues with the way their friends and peers viewed our school. A lot of these friends had negative opinions on not only our school but the people who attended it. By doing this, it taints your personal experience with college.

Sure, no school is perfect, and it's okay to complain every once in a while. But if you are constantly hearing negative things about other students, the way your school is being run, the faculty, or your surroundings, you will start to not notice all the amazing things your school has to offer too.

Solution: Find people who love your school as much as you do!

12. Neglecting the smaller assignments.

Sure, some assignments are worth way more points than others. So it would only seem logical to put more effort into the ones that would impact your grade the most, right? Wrong! Many times professors will lump the small, less grade-hefty, and seemingly meaningless assignments together into one larger grade.

That larger grade can totally make or break your final grade.Turning in a daily schedule, making flash cards, or doing weekly in-class quizzes can seem boring or stupid at the time, but if you do them correctly, you can reap the benefits!

I got a B in my hardest class last semester instead of a C because I turned in all of the weekly homework, did all of the in-class assignments, and showed up to class every time which gave me a good amount of extra credit. All of those points bumped my average test grades which were worth more points into a B.

Solution: Do all of your work, no matter how many points you'll earn on it.

13. Not exploring the area more.

I go to school in Southwest Virginia which is full of amazing geographical features like mountains and the New River which is only like a mere mile away from our school. But the only places I went last semester were to the mall, movie theater, a few restaurants, and Walmart. If you are given the gift of going to school in an area that's full of natural beauty, you should take advantage of it!

This semester I plan on going on a few hikes, having a few picnics by the river, and really appreciating all of my surroundings.

Solution: If you have the time and ability to explore your area, do it. You'll only be here for a little bit.

In the immortal words of Hannah Montana, "Everybody makes mistakes, everybody has those days." Unless you're Marty McFly and Doc just drove up with the DeLorean, none of us can go back and fix the ones we've already made. But, we can take a page from Merida from "Brave" and be given the chance to change our fate if we learn from not only our mistakes but our friends and peers too.

We all make mistakes, so we might as well learn from them!