I am going to be straightforward in the way that I present myself at the beginning of the Fall Semester of freshman year of college. I came into the first semester thinking that I was going to conquer the world. I was going to be on top of my schoolwork and be able to handle the rigor of the classes I was taking as well as the social aspects of being in a new environment with new people. I am disappointed to say that I did not achieve this goal.

Don't get me wrong, the first month of the fall semester went great. I was doing my work ahead of schedule and I was hanging out with friends and I had a perfect balance. It became more difficult to do this when the classes I was taking began to pick up speed. The content I was learning was quickly becoming more difficult and I was not adjusting my study schedule to accommodate the changes that were occurring in class.

Let's just say that my grades for the semester were not what I expected. I disappointed myself because I knew I could have done a lot better than I did. I promised myself that I wouldn't let that happen to me again and I vowed that school would take precedence over hanging out and Netflix and all of the social aspects that going to college came with. I came into the Spring Semester with a new understanding of what I needed to do in terms of time management. I needed to understand that Netflix and hanging came after I was done with all of my work.

I think that my new outlook on college and my new outlook on my school work will help me in the long run. College is about opening your eyes to new experiences and people. However, it is most importantly about broadening your knowledge and taking classes that are interesting and thought-provoking in order to give yourself a better understanding of the world we live in today. If I did well in school, I could conquer the world.

With this idea, I developed the term "New Semester, Better Student." My roommates, friends and family are standing by me and supporting my new mantra and I am glad to say that I have faith in myself and faith in all that I am going to accomplish this semester.

I am going to kill my classes, I am going to volunteer, I am going to learn and broaden my horizons. I am going to hangout and get to know my friends too, but most importantly I am going to become proud of myself and all that I will have accomplished for the semester. If I can achieve the goals I have set for myself, then so can YOU.

Watch out, world. It's a new semester and a brand new Grace.