College students' goals for the new year are not just goals. These goals reflect aspirations that will determine the fate of our entire future. Everything we do NOW, determines everything we do later. 

It’s a new year, a new semester, and we all have new goals. These goals are in the back of our heads throughout the entire year, slowly but not surely, being put into action. We think constantly, “Oh, I’ll get this done on Monday," as another week flies by with the same phrase happening over again. Wrongly thinking that a new week creates a new mind-set, it seems that these goals are never accomplished. But when January comes around, we see this as an opportunity to actually accomplish these goals. Not only are we starting with a new month, but we’re also starting an entirely new year, with a new determination to make a change. As a college student, these goals differ from the average New Year's resolutions. And in a real context, the difference is that these goals reflect aspirations that will determine our future. Scary, right?  

Being away this holiday season and finally having a break from the realities of school, I’ve been thinking a lot about my own goals. Yes, I want to exercise more, eat right, get good grades and go to church more. With a new year, I know that I can accomplish those simple goals. But what about my aspirations?  What do I desire and hope to do this year that will not only benefit the person I am, but the person I will become? With our age, the decisions we make in the year of 2015 can greatly effect what we do in 2016, 17, 18, 19 and 20. As a college student, we face great pressure to do something and to do something NOW, because everything we do now determines everything we do later. 

Having free time to think while being away from school, my future goals and aspirations are becoming a bit stressful. Along with the personal goals we all have with a new year, my aspirations are piling on top. I’ve completed five semesters of college with only three more to go. It’s stressing me out just writing this right now. In summary, we’re simply running out of time. Our college experience is coming to an end quicker than  we realize. Below are some of the thoughts and goals I have for the year of 2015.

1)   What am I going to do this semester that will impact what I do in the future? I’m running out of time. Yes, I’ve been involved in a few clubs in the past 2 and a 1/2 years, but do I need more? What do I need to get on my resume to get the job that I want? How much more involved do I need to be?     

Here’s how it works: Freshman year — we’re just getting a feel for everything and in all honesty, we're scared. Knowing we have four years left of the college experience makes us think we can just join later down the road, so we don’t feel the pressure to be involved. Sophomore year — crap, we need to join every club we see. At least, that’s how I felt. Freshman year was a breeze and once I got the hang of everything, I thought that I could join five clubs at a time, while also keeping good grades. I even thought I could handle having a job my sophomore year. Nope. I felt extremely stressed with everything I said “yes” to, with everything I signed up for, and with all the positions I held, that when junior year came around, I couldn’t muster the courage to sign up for any more. And more than anything, my grades suffered greatly because of how busy I was outside the classroom. Then, junior year —  first semester of junior year came and with the stress I faced the year before, I didn’t want to do anymore than what I was already doing. And because of that, I felt that I might have missed out on some opportunities.   

So with a new semester, I want to take advantage of the opportunities that pass in front of me. If an organization seems interesting to me, I don’t want to back away in fear of being stressed. This is my third year in college, there’s no reason why I can’t balance my grades and the clubs I want to join, especially because the clubs I want to join will most likely play a role in the future I will someday have. I need to add another club to my list, I need to find a way to make money, and I need to look into possible internships I can do while on campus this spring. Truth is, we are running out of time. Graduation will come before we know it. And for that reason, I need to use the opportunities I have here to make the best out of the time I have left in college.  

2)   Going off of that, I have goals bigger than just the new semester ahead. What about my summer plans? Ever since my freshmen year, I’ve done something productive with my summer. I’ve planned since the beginning of college to study abroad in the summer of 2015. And I can happily say that I plan to spend a month in Spain this summer.   

The summer after freshmen year — I had an internship in Indianapolis, worked as a waitress in a restaurant, and took a class at the community college. That was the busiest summer of my entire life. The summer after sophomore year — my previous internship offered me a part-time job, while I still worked part-time as a waitress in a restaurant. Now that it’s my third year, what will I do with my summer now?  It’s great that I’m studying abroad, but shouldn’t I be trying to get experience with another job or internship? Shouldn’t I be looking into getting experience with a public relations firm of some kind? Once again, I’m feeling the pressure. And once again, we’re running out of time. I’m so excited to go to Spain, and fortunately, I will be able to continue working both of my previous part-time jobs, but unfortunately, I most likely won’t have time to gain any new work experience.  

So once again, with a new semester, I not only feel the pressure to be more involved with new things on campus the next 4 or 5 months, but I also feel the pressure to make plans for the summer ahead.     

3)   Maintaining good grades. This is a whole other world of stress that goes a long with everything I’ve already listed. Our grades are everything.  I wouldn’t be able to study abroad if it weren't for my GPA, and there’s not a chance we can get a job unless our grades are somewhat impressive. And lastly, we’re getting into our major classes and finally studying what we came here for. That all means 300 and 400 level classes, all with higher difficulty. How are we supposed to focus on maintaining our cumulative GPA while worrying about the previous goals I listed above?  

4)   Senior year, graduation, the real world … As second semester of my junior year begins, I’m another step closer to the end. The pressure to finalize resumes, find a company, nail an interview, and start a real career is terrifying. I even remember when I thought I had forever to think about that. School is almost over and we won’t have to think about classes ever again. But instead, we’re being pushed into the real world, wondering if we’re even ready.   

My dad asked me the other day, “Meg, you know you’re about to start your sixth semester, right? Does that make you sad?” I respond with, “I don’t know," even though I did know. Of course it makes me sad. College should be never-ending. Then he says, “Then, you’re going to be in the real world.”  To which I said, “I don’t want to be in the real world.” And to conclude the conversation he said, “I know, the real world sucks, doesn’t it.”  

It’s becoming reality. College is coming to an end, and we’re running out of time ,and being at home has let that fact hit me. Like everyone, I definitely have goals for the New Year. I want to exercise more, eat right, get good grades, go to church more, etc. 

With the year of 2015, specifically, I have aspirations. The goals of a third year college student are a tad different than the average person. These goals turn to aspirations that determine our future ahead. What’s important NOW, is that we are thinking about these goals. I know what clubs and organizations I want to look into, I have my summer plans almost set, and I feel like I have the determination to do what I need to in order to graduate, then eventually find that dream job I’m looking for.    

As long as we’re thinking, we naturally end up doing, also. I believe that my fellow students, having the same concerns and worries that I do, can accomplish these goals just like I plan to. I encourage you to be involved. I encourage you to have a productive summer, because we're almost out of here. But I know we can do it. With the new year and a new determination for change, we can accomplish our personal goals.