Back in July, I wrote an article to my upcoming sophomore year: An Open Letter to Sophomore Year. It was everything I expected the year to be, and everything that I wanted for the school year that was coming quickly. However, I quickly learned that the year was going to be much different than I ever expected.

Reflecting back on the past semester (the first semester of my sophomore year), I've realized many things. Not only is it going to be my responsibility to improve in all the ways I wanted to (socially, mentally, physically, academically, etc.), I'm going to have to actively work toward each and every one of those goals. It's not going to be one of those things where I just want it to happen and then everything just happens.

I have to work for these goals in the same way that I work on homework and study - actively and every single day. It's going to be tough because improving on these goals is going to be like having another class that I have to study for. I have to keep track of everything that goes along with improving on these goals, just like I would have to keep up with the material we are studying in a class.

At the end of this spring semester, I will be halfway finished with my college career. It's going to be a turning point in my college career, and I'll be working on classes for my major and beginning to look for a job. Right now is the time for me to focus on these types of goals before I need to start looking toward the "real-world" goals that come as I begin to approach graduation.