Although the dread and anxiety of new classes in the fall can be a downer, it also brings along the optimism of starting fresh. It doesn’t matter if your grades were cringe worthy last semester, or if your partying habits put Charlie Sheen’s to shame. What matters is that if you don’t like the person you were last semester, it’s never too late to change.

I think it’s healthy to sit down every once in a while and evaluate your life. A great time to do this is the night before your first day of class. Here are a few questions to ask yourself in order to help prepare for a successful school year:

•  What are a few of your goals for this semester? 
• What are you going to do to achieve those goals? 
• What could be potential obstacles to achieving your goals, and what can you do to avoid them? 
• Do you like the direction your life is headed? 
• We’ve all heard the saying, “Sleep, social life, and good grades: in college, you only get two of the three. What have you been choosing the most of? And how could you balance all three? 
• What is one thing you’re doing right so far, both socially and academically? 
• What is one thing you could improve upon, both socially and academically? 
• Is there something you want to get involved in but haven’t yet? And if you did choose to, would you have enough time to commit to it or would you be spreading yourself too thin? 
• If you could grade your life thus far, which grade would you give yourself?   

After going through this list of questions, did you notice a common theme of things you may be struggling with, or could improve upon? Of course there will always be various obstacles impeding upon our desires and dreams, but these are what make it feel so much sweeter once we’ve finally achieved what we set out to do. If you’re suddenly feeling empowered, write down your top three goals for the semester on a notecard and tape it somewhere that you will see it every day. It will serve as a constant reminder and motivator throughout the school year for you to keep your eyes on the prize and continue to strive for greatness.