It’s the new year, which means dozens of broken resolutions and promises of getting fit, saving more money, and getting good grades this year. Keeping a New Year’s Resolution can be difficult, that’s why I have no intention of making resolutions that I cannot keep. I think it is a little silly that people need the excuse of a new year to start fresh and make dramatic life changes. Devoloping your character and lifestyle should be an ongoing process throughout the year, not just something you think about at the end of it. However, sometimes I just need a little motivation to do certain things. Which is why I’m making a Notre Dame New Year’s Resolutions list. These are basically things I wish I had done in past semesters and plan to do before I graduate. Feel free to steal a few!
1. Take a hard class
I dropped Evolution and Society my freshman year because it was too hard, or I just didn’t really feel like working my first semester. I still have to make up a science class and have considered taking Intro to Physics just because I really loved high school physics and would love the challenge. As an Arts and Letters major, none of my classes are particularly difficult. Yes, there are a lot of challenging classes in the college, but none that I have actually taken. So, I’m resolving to take a class I would never take otherwise and hopefully do well in it.
2. Ask a boy to Crush (or any dance TBH)
Lewis Hall is somewhat famous for our Crush dance each year. Last year an upper classman told me dorm dances were lame, so I opted out of going, regretfully. But I realized with the right people high school-esque dorm dances can actually be kind of fun. So, no matter how embarrassingly I dance, I’m going to attempt to trick somebody into going to a dorm dance with me.
3. Join a club
In high school I was in literally every club. In college, it’s completely different. I’ve made every excuse not to get involved in clubs. Mostly I’m too lazy and still recovering from spreading myself too thin in high school. I’m worried my grades will slip or I won’t have time to study, or some terrible excuse. This year I’m going to join a club I’m really passionate about. Maybe I’ll actually go on one of those Outing Club trips that I get emails for every month.
4. Get another job
I work at the dining hall cleaning dishes and doing other fun stuff. But, sometimes getting sweaty all the time isn’t exactly my favorite thing to do on a tired Tuesday. Maybe this year I’ll get a desk job with one of my major departments and go on coffee runs for my boss or something Devil Wears Prada glamorous.
5. Study abroad
I regret not applying to study abroad next year. Part of me was too lazy to apply and the other part was worried about missing out on Notre Dame experiences as a junior. I also knew there were so many people far more qualified than I that I didn’t really bother.