A while ago,
there was a trend on social media where people were talking about their 2024 ins and outs. I found them all so interesting, so I thought I’d write about mine as a student at Texas A&M University.
Ins
Studying at coffee shops.
I don’t think I’ve ever dreaded going to a coffee shop in my life. Whether it’s a drive through Dutch Bros before a busy day or a trip to Sweet Eugene’s for a bad first date, coffee shops have always been an enjoyable place for me. I actually used to study in them a lot, but over the past few semesters, I’ve convinced myself that I’m too busy… which is a lie. I mean, there are coffee shops everywhere on campus. From the Starbucks in Evans Library to The Junction Market Cafe right across the street from Kyle Field, there is no shortage of coffee at Texas A&M. And let’s face it… coffee shops increase focus and productivity, and they make studying fun. So for that reason, studying at coffee shops is in for 2024.
Handwriting notes.
We’ve all heard about the science behind handwriting and memory and why it’s better to handwrite your notes and blah blah blah. Although this is intriguing, I simply think that handwriting my notes is more fun. Now, I’m an English major, and my courses are more discussion based, making handwriting my notes a lot easier than if I were a Biomedical Science major or something super smart like that. So if your classes are lecture based, disregard what I’m saying. But if your courses don’t require copious amounts of notes, hear me out. Handwriting gives you the opportunity to make your notes look super cute, so you might have a better chance of reviewing them later. And if they look awful, you’ll have something to laugh about. With all of that being said, handwriting notes is in for 2024.
Attending the career fair.
The career fair is scary… I get it. I actually went to my first one yesterday, and I would love to say that it went well, but it did not. I confused one company, the first one that I talked to, for another because I was so nervous. After that, I walked right out. Even though I wanted to crawl into a hole after that experience, I learned so much and will definitely be attending more this semester to get some practice. It’s important to learn how to sell yourself to companies and to work on your elevator pitch, so attending the 2024 career fairs is in.
Outs
Perfectionism.
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of trying to be the perfect student with the perfect test scores. I find that I learn less when I’m only focusing on the grades that I get. And before you say, “Sydney… grades are important in college” or “Sydney… I can’t simply stop being a perfectionist,” keep reading. During the 2023 spring semester, I told myself that I would simply focus on absorbing as much information as I could. My only goal was to understand what I was learning instead of trying to memorize it like a robot. I was terrified that my grades would drop, but they didn’t. In fact, they were better than before. I don’t know why, but switching from obsessing over my grades to obsessing over my level of understanding helped relieve stress and improve my performance in class. So, that’s it. Perfectionism is out for 2024.
Buying books before searching the TAMU library website.
As an English major, I have to buy a lot of novels for my classes. Half way through last semester, I thought to myself, “There has to be another way.” And there was. I began searching for my books on A&M’s library website and found almost every other book that I needed for the rest of the semester. It was a miracle. And because saving money is in for 2024, buying books without searching A&M’s library website is out.
Being afraid to talk in class.
I’m not talking about speaking over your professor or to the person sitting next to you. I’m talking about not being afraid to answer questions or to ask questions. So what if you get the answer wrong? At least the awkward silence ended. During the spring semester of my sophomore year, I was lab partners with this girl who would attempt to answer every question in class. Her reasoning was that class is more fun when you participate, so I started answering more questions. She was right. So for the sake of making class more fun, being afraid to talk in class is out for 2024.
in summary
2024 is our year to better ourselves and our college lives. I hope you enjoyed this article and are having a great spring semester!