New year new me...right?

It’s that time again when we gear up to start a new school year. I’m sure we’re all excited, ready and raring to go.

Backpack… Check

Laptop…. Check

Textbooks… Check

Pens …. Ummm …. *takes pen from younger sibling* Check

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Okay, just need to get that motivation, get my brain focused, stop waking up at noon, forget my Netflix password, get rid of this anxiety, this habit of procrastinating and I should be fine.

...Easier said than done.

If most of us are honest, every year, we go in front of the mirror and give the same pep talk to ourselves. “I’m gonna do better this year. I’m gonna do my assignments as soon as I get them. I’m gonna stop binge-watching Riverdale and I’m gonna stop spending all my money on fast food”. But somehow, by mid-semester, our motivation seems to drop with the temperature and everything’s negative and we’re back to square one.

It’s fine. I’m not judging you. I’ve been there. We’ve all been there.

It’s said that motivation doesn’t last. And neither does cleanliness and that’s why they’re recommended to shower daily. So here goes. It’s okay to be anxious - to not have it all figured out. It’s okay to wonder just how you’ll be able to handle the pressures of assignments and your part-time job. And to wonder what spell you can cast on yourself to keep your money in your wallet instead of handing it over every time to the lady at Starbucks who by now knows that you come in at 8 every morning and you like your coffee with 2 creams, one sugar and your name is Kimberley with an ‘e’ before the ‘y’.

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I’m here to tell you that you can. You must. Let this be the year you actually set goals and smash them.

I was once told that goals are targets set with such precision that you can know if and when you achieve them. So be specific. Don’t just say “well I want to pass the course”. Honey, you can pass with a C and I know you don’t want that. Write down the specific letter grade or percentage you’d like to end with. Don’t forget it. Keep the goal in mind and work towards it.

For your sake and the sake of that money that you spent to get it, read your textbook. Do the assigned readings. I guarantee what your prof says will start to sound like English and not Greek when you read it. (Unless you’re Greek, then I hope it sounds like Greek because then English might not be the best thing for you to hear)

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Actually, this should be number one but... Get up and go to class. Stop snoozing the alarm until it’s 1 in the afternoon and you’ve missed your 8 a.m. class. You’re paying tuition for it anyway. That voice telling you to skip class is the Devil. You will regret skipping class when you go into the final and the options are 100, 46, 35 and 15 but your brain keeps telling you the answer is Antarctica.

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Ask questions. Ask your TA. Ask your prof. Get help. There are peer tutors. There are resources if you find you’re struggling. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

Study. Don’t cram. Review your notes after classes. Study with friends if you learn better that way.

These are just a few things you can do to be better. A new you, better grades, a great semester will not happen overnight. It takes some work. Some sacrifice. Loads of discipline. But hey! There are others who have done it. So why not you?

Think about the end. That feeling you’ll get when you check your grades at the end of the year will be super satisfying. More satisfying than that episode of Stranger Things or that party or that extra 2 minutes of sleep that turned into 6 hours that you skipped class for.

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All the best wishes to you in this new semester. In this new academic year. Go kick ass. Go be great! I believe in ya! Believe in you too and make it happen.

Say it with me:

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