Freshman year of college was great, but as a sophomore I feel that I'm onto bigger and better things. Last year for me was the year of new beginnings, getting acquainted, and figuring out where I want my life to go. While I'll still have plenty of that left to do second year, it isn't going to be my main focus. I want to get everything I can out of sophomore year, so when I come out on the other side I am the best version of myself yet! Here are 10 ways I plan to make sophomore year better than freshman year.

1. I'm going to work better, not harder.

First year I adjusted to college level courses. This year, I plan to optimize my work habits. I know I'm going to have to put in a lot of effort, but I don't need to work myself to death over my classes. Now that I know what methods work best for me, I plan to get my work done in a way that's smarter and more efficient.

2. I'm going to expand my mind.

I wanna learn stuff! I wanna learn about stuff in my major, I wanna learn about new people, I wanna learn about different parts of the world, and I wanna learn about things I didn't know I wanted to learn about. The brain is a big, beautiful organ, and I wanna use mine to its fullest capacity!

3. I'm going to better my friendships.

I made some amazing friendships freshman year, and I intend to make them even stronger. Bring on the card games, the inside jokes, and the adventures!

4. I'm going to get out more.

For a while I lived a bit of a sheltered life (partially by my own antisocial choice, partially because I had to drive at least 30 minutes to do anything different or exciting). Now that I'm starting to get used to the freedom that comes with college and adulthood, I want to explore the world around me! I want to get my antisocial self out of bed and drive that extra 30 minutes to do something cool because, well, I can!

5. I'm going to be healthier physically.

Last year I developed more of an appreciation for working out. I realized how nice it is to feel strong and healthy. This year I'm going to continue working to better myself in the gym and hopefully start trying to eat healthier (emphasis on hopefully).

6. I'm going to be healthier mentally.

I have worked through most of the anxiety and self esteem issues I had in previous years, and I am very happy with where I'm at mentally. I want to maintain my peace of mind, and work on not letting a person or situation get under my skin and break what I have worked to build up.

7. I'm going to face my fears.

Once again, I lived a bit of a sheltered life, and a lot of the time trying new things can be scary for me. I prefer being able to expect what I'm going to experience, and that's something I want to work to get over. I'm going to miss out on so much if I just stick to what I already know, so I'm going to take those leaps of faith and do things that might scare me. If I don't, I'll never know what awesome memories I could be making!

8. I'm going to craft more.

I mean come on, you can never really go wrong with crafting. It's such a great mental break and you feel so accomplished when you finish a project. Even if you don't want it, you could always give it to someone as a gift. People love homemade gifts, especially your mom!!

9. I'm going to fall more in love with my campus.

For those of you who have never been, Ohio Northern University has a stunning campus. Since I'm only going to be here 3 more years, I want to take in as much of this beautiful place as I can!

10. I'm going to better myself.

Maturing for me has meant becoming more aware of my problem areas and trying to find ways to fix them. I've got to let go of some of the behaviors and notions I held in high school, and really start making myself into someone who can take on this big ole world with grace and dignity. I know I won't ever be perfect, I just want to be someone who's actions I can be proud of.