This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at App State chapter.
New year, new semester. I always love a fresh start! A lot of people are really into New Year’s resolutions. I make them too, but as a college student, the new year isn’t our only opportunity to start fresh and set goals. Here are my top goals for this semester.
- Read one book a month. Preferably not a textbook for once, since it seems that homework consumes me. Reading a quality fiction novel has always been the best way to distract myself from the real world so I can relax.
- Insert typical lose weight/eat healthier/exercise more resolution. I think we all understand this one, and most of us say it all the time. But this semester will be different! (I always say that too). Let’s just hope I’ll be more successful this year.
- Find a way to stay out of the “winter blues” and the “mid-semester slump.” Once I get into these funks I can never seem to break out of them. So I’m trying not to keep myself locked up in the library or my apartment all day. Even though we all like to complain, Boone provides us with a beautiful winter!
- Make all A’s. Maybe if I keep putting this on my goals lists it will actually happen one day.
- Find a summer internship. I’m a journalism major and employers in my field are all about experience. Plus, an internship in any field has the potential to set you up for a job when you graduate. Today, you really should take advantage of that.
- Figure out what to do after graduation. I’m hoping that my internship might help me out with that. Journalism opens up a lot of opportunities by teaching you skills you can use in any career. I’m pretty sure I don’t want to work for a small town newspaper, but there are so many other options that I can’t even narrow them down. And not only do I have no idea what career I want to pursue, I don’t even know if I want to go to grad school or not. I should probably figure that out soon since it’s getting close to time to plan for that!
- Keep a journal. I love sitting down with a pen and paper and just writing out whatever thoughts come to me. You can write whatever you want: short stories, to-do lists, things you want to try, laments about a bad day. A journal is the one place that your writing doesn’t have to make sense to anyone but you. There’s a feeling of freedom in knowing that.
- Make time for myself. So many people, myself included, get so wrapped up in school and work and friends that they don’t leave a second to take care of themselves. I’ve been feeling like homework takes over my life. Even if I get a break from school work, I feel the need to get ahead so I’m not wasting time or too overloaded the next week. That’s not really a bad thing, but sometimes you just need to take a break and relax. If I gave myself time to catch up on my favorite shows, or read that book that’s collecting dust on the shelf, or try the workouts I’ve found on Pinterest, I could accomplish more of my goals and just be a happier person.
There. Now my goals are on the internet for everyone to see, holding me accountable for them! I hope everyone is setting goals for themselves too!