Everyone has been anticipating this day. Whether they have good, bad, or mixed feelings, starting something new is always exciting, yet very unpredictable. As a new semester of school approaches, are you planning to spend the year trying to change your lifestyle, study habits, or group of friends? Or are you going to go with the flow—expect the unexpected? The decision is all yours.

A new semester grants many opportunities to get involved and better yourself. There are new clubs, thousands of new people to meet, and best of all, a clean slate. This year, encourage yourself to try something new. Join an organization you’ve never heard of, make an unexpected friend, and enjoy the little things your campus has to offer. You won’t regret it.

The biggest fear with starting new, however, is the fear of the unknown. Will the classes be harder? Am I going to be thrown completely out of my comfort zone again? Relax. You will make it through. Use your previous semesters as steppingstones to make this semester a better one. Create new study habits while basing them off your old ones. Improve your daily routine in ways that will accommodate your life this semester. Take it one day at a time.

But with all the “new,” don’t forget to remember the “old.” Keep in touch with your regular friends. Keep thriving in your regular clubs. Exceed in your familiar areas of interest. Pursue your passion and don’t drop everything that makes you you, for a clean slate. Your expectations for yourself should be the highest and only you can hold yourself accountable to be the best.