New Year’s is overrated. We put on our most festive holiday ensembles, slide on our tallest heels, and go balls to the wall because when we wake up the next morning, none of it will have mattered. As the clock strikes midnight, last year’s bad decisions are permanently left behind in the wake of a new year. You flip your planner to a crisp, sticker-devoid page that symbolizes a sparkly, new life. All of a sudden you have twelve fresh months just brimming with possibility.
But if we’re all being honest, it’s hard to attempt a complete 180 halfway through the school year. Maybe you hit the gym for a couple weeks before tapering off and discontinuing altogether mid-February. Maybe you resolve to do better in school, but after awhile the coffee dates just sound so much more appealing than Astronomy 332. Instead of making New Year’s resolutions in January, why not make them when they have a chance of actually working out? For most of the collegiate population in America, school has just begun. You’re back on your beloved campus, parent-free once again, and you have the perfect opportunity to make some changes and stick to them.
Do Better in School.
If you have anything less than a cumulative 4.0, this applies to you. No matter how good your test scores and your GPA are, there is always room for improvement. The academic chair in your chapter was elected to her current position for good reason. She’s probably got some dope suggestions for how you can improve your study habits. Make sure you invest in a good planner and actually spend time writing in it. Once you get used to writing down everything from quizzes to potential little dates, it will be impossible to imagine life without it. College isn’t stressful. But the balance between staying on top of your workload and doing tequila shots every night of the week is.
Stop Texting Him.
You know exactly who I’m talking about. Be he an ex-boyfriend who still pulls on your heart strings or a fuckboy who didn’t deserve that cooler, it’s time to get over him. Holding onto past history just because it’s comfortable isn’t going to get you where you want to be. There’s a reason why relations with this particular man-friend went sour, and you’re just kidding yourself if you expect anything to change. In the end, it’s a waste of time to spend yet another year thinking about him when you could be thinking about more important things. Like what flavor Jell-O shots you want to make for the football game this weekend, or which internship you want to apply for next week.
Get that Bangin’ Bod on Lock.
Let me preface this by saying that if you’ve never struggled with weight gain in college, I hate you. First and foremost, you need to figure out the workout style that works for you. Is it classes with instructors who literally scare the sweat out of you? Is it finding a gym buddy and holding each other accountable? Is it waking up at the crack of dawn and going at it solo? Now that you’re in your late teens to early twenties, your metabolism is only going to get slower. Yeah, it totally sucks, but if you figure out the ways you like to get active now, you’ll save yourself a lifetime of trouble. Also, try to eat a few less Crunch wraps and a few more carrot sticks. Your vision and your body will thank you.
Push Yourself.
Not to get totally preachy, but I am about to get totally preachy. College is a time as much for personal growth, development, and expansion as it is for earning a diploma. Challenge yourself to get out of your comfort zone in some way or another every couple months. If you’re super introverted, text a sister you don’t know very well and ask if she wants to get coffee or pregame with you sometime. If you’re super involved with your sorority, find a way to become involved in something outside of the house. Schools offer tons of different facets of student government, and student council positions look awesome on resumes. If school is a breeze for you, consider adding another minor to your major. Whatever you do, do more and do something different. Now isn’t the time to sit on your ass, especially if you want to rake in those Insta likes.
Get ready, because I have a feeling that this is about to be your best year yet. Or drunkest. It can go either way, really..