New (School) Year Resolutions

A new semester means new beginnings: new classes, new friends, boundless opportunities and almost as many challenges.

With the dawn of every calendar year, many people set high-reaching goals for themselves, so why should the academic year be any different? This semester, try your hand at some of these new school year resolutions.

Get to class on time, all the time.

Sure, on paper an 8:30 A.M. class might not seem like a big deal, but once you get into the swing of the semester it could be hell trying to wake yourself up for it. It's tempting to skip a couple of those classes every now and again, or at the very least walk in a half hour late, but don't. Professors are wise to their students' struggle with early mornings; some of them will even plan pop quizzes as the first item of class to punish the late arrivals. This promptness resolution goes for all of those other classes too; don't head into the cafeteria five minutes before your 1:00 class, either. Set a schedule, get better at time management, and save those skip days for when you'll really need them.

Get involved.

Assignments and responsibilities get piled on you so high that it might seem easier to become a temporary hermit, hiding in your dorm room on the weekends and sleeping away your sorrows. Do this, and you'll be missing out on some surprisingly fun times. Go to a football or basketball game. Join a club. See the drama club's play. Student Activity groups plan some really amazing events, so even if it doesn't sound like your thing, grab a group of your friends and try it out. More often than not, at the very least you'll get some free food. You don't have to dedicate so much of your time to an extracurricular that it becomes taxing, of course, but getting involved with a few activities that genuinely interest you will definitely enhance your college experience.

Actually do the homework.

Especially with electives or required classes that hold zero percent of your interest, it's far too easy to skate by on the homework. Nowadays, instead of actually reading Chaucer's tales, you can just skim the Spark notes ten minutes before class. I'm very guilty of doing this. This might seem like a great idea, but taking the easy way out will only hurt you in the long run. If you don't put any effort into the material, you'll get nothing out of it--and you definitely won't remember any of the content come finals. Try to put actual thought into your assignments. You might surprise yourself what you can learn from a seemingly mundane class.

Eat healthier.

With a smorgasbord of daily desserts, fried foods, mac and cheese days, and ever-present ice cream options, it's hard to stick to a regular diet. This year, make an effort to swing by the salad bar, or get a wrap every once in a while. Maybe try the flavored water instead of going straight for the pop dispenser. Of course, you're entitled to splurge sometimes--like on holidays, or when they have "pastabilities" or those mini-cheesecakes.

Whatever resolutions or goals you set for yourself this academic year, aim high. This could be the year you finally make the President's List. This could be the year you get a solo in concert band, or land that super-competitive internship. Push yourself to be the best version of yourself that you can be.

This will be your year.