The beginning of a new school year has always resonated with me as a chance to start over. No matter what happened in the last semester, summer provides a barrier between your not so hot grades, whatever mistakes you made while you were in school, and a chance to improve yourself before returning to class. I'm not sure if it's the promise of back to school shopping and a whole new wardrobe, or the metaphor of a blank page the comes with the purchase of new school supplies, but the start of a new school year seems like the perfect time to make resolutions for a new and improved you.

I know that the big thing is New Year's resolutions. But in all honesty, I've never really jumped on that bandwagon. Sure, January first is the start of a whole new 12 months, but it's not really the beginning of anything else. You're still in the middle of a school year, still living in the same place, still hanging out with the same people and taking the same classes; if you wanted to change anything it would sure make a dent in your normal routine. And anyone who has tried to start a new habit before knows that the more it clashes with your day-to-day life, the harder it's going to be to get to stick.

However, a new school year resolution is a whole different story. Going back to school, whether you're in grade school or college, is the beginning of a whole new era. You get to completely start over in the grade department (which is great); if you feel the need to separate from any relationships, you've had the whole summer to start to bridge a gap; and you're starting a whole new class schedule, which makes it the perfect time to start a new routine. Are you wanting to workout more? Make it a daily occurence to go immediately after your last class. Want to start waking up earlier? Set your alarm on the first day of class and force yourself to get used to it. The opportunities are endless.

So, while you're online shopping for recruitment clothes (or just new sweats to wear to class), and walking through Target loading up on new gel pens and planners, think about what you want to change this school year. Who knows -- this resolution might be the start of your best year, yet.