Over the summer, I prepared to enter this Fall semester with a few goals in mind. I feel that a lot of my goals are similar to the goals of others, and I hope that me being able to achieve and manage them serves as an inspiration for others.
I feel that the best way I’m able to manage everything is by writing it down. Before the semester started, I made sure to write out my goals to create a visual reminder of specific things I wanted to accomplish. I also found that creating attainable smaller goals also helped everything seem more possible to accomplish.
My planner also became my best friend, along with the calendars inside. With this, I am able to see everything that I need to do and when I have the time to do them.
Starting this semester, I hoped to be more involved on campus. I felt that I was a member of various organizations, but I didn’t know how to become more involved. Since I was able to schedule my time and manage it properly, I knew what I had time for and was able to dedicate time to do everything I wanted.
I also tried to get myself to take risks. When it came to clubs, I normally would have brushed aside opportunities to become a member of the e-board or help run bigger projects out of fear. Instead, I decided that this semester would be different. When an opportunity arose, I made sure to jump on it, ending up receiving various positions and being very happy with the outcome.
While managing extracurriculars, I also wanted to try to make more time for my friends. I try to get together with them when everyone’s schedule has an opening, even though it’s hard, but I also realized just how important keeping in touch is. With everyone so busy, it’s easy to accidentally neglect those you care about. However, if you make time to reach out to your friends, you’re continuing to build the connection and making sure the friendship stays strong even if you can’t physically meet up.
This semester, I also hoped to become a bit more sociable by staying on campus more and increasing my presence. I can be bad with socializing, but by becoming a recurring face on campus and a member of different clubs, I made myself a constant figure that people can talk to.
Pushing away the fear was also a game-changer. Instead of focusing so much on what I thought people thought about me, I decided to just be myself and be confident in who I was. I found that once I stopped focusing so much on my fears, I was able to build good connections with people.
Another common goal is keeping my grades high. This can be a challenge depending on your classes, but I found that staying on top of my assignments and making plenty of time to study was a game changer. Time management was probably one of the biggest skills I was able to gain a better mastery of so far this semester. To continue keeping my grades high, I also learned that it’s okay to ask for help. If I was struggling with something, I made sure to reach out to my professors and attend office hours. I feel that this is something most people try to avoid and might even feel a bit awkward doing, but it’s truly a game changer.
Overall, I feel like I’m having a very successful semester and I’m happy I’m able to keep up with my goals and master different skills. I’m planning to do the same in the spring as well, and I hope that my story about my goals is able to inspire someone else to achieve their own.