Dear Me,

Another semester come and gone. Christmas and New Year's are over already, and it's time to go back to school with another semester on the horizon.

It's time to reconnect with college friends that you haven't gotten to see in a month, move back into your dorm room, see your roommate again, go to all new classes with some new professors, wear that cute new sweater you got for Christmas and kiss the luxury of a home-cooked meal goodbye.

A new semester brings something amazing: a clean slate. Get what you got last semester for grades out of your head. Your professors don't know what kind of student you are unless you had them for a class before, so take initiative and show them that you care. It's a great time to become a better student; the student you want to be.

Get to class on time, take great notes, participate, ask questions, actually do the readings for class and don't just take it as a "no homework" night, complete all assignments on time, go to office hours and study hard for exams. These are all things that students say they will do each time a semester starts, but it slips away within the first week of being back. Now is the semester to actually do them and become that student you have always wanted to be.

Your professors are there to help you, so go to office hours if you don't understand something, want to review for a quiz or test, or just go to say hello. Email is also a wonderful, easy tool that you can utilize to ask questions or just check to make sure that you're on the right track. It's easier than face-to-face, one-on-one confrontation in office hours.

Fall semester is in the past, so focus entirely on making your spring semester the best one yet. If you truly try to make the semester the best, then everything will fall into place and you will be so satisfied and proud of yourself come May.

Focus on making yourself the best you that you can be this semester. Branch out, try something new, join a club on campus that you never thought you would join, make new friends, find some study buddies in class, and most importantly, stay true to yourself. Also, try to find some time to spend caring for yourself, such as taking a nap or just relaxing and maybe watching an episode or two of a TV series or just spending time on your phone.

It may help to relieve stress and get focused on the things that need to get done in the long-run.

Remember that there are so many people that are there for you. Your friends are all going through the same "college thing" like you, so don't be afraid to talk about it with them and work through it together because college is truly tough for everyone.

Your parents and friends back home are only a call away if you need to talk to someone other than your college pals, and love you endlessly and are always there for you.

Remember to pray and talk to God, too. He is someone who will always listen and knows what you want to say before you say it. He knows you inside and out, and talking to God is something that can be therapeutic and stress-relieving.

It can be done in a form of meditation and reflection, which can help you relax and focus on what is really important in your life at the moment and what you need to do to feel your best.

Here's to making this semester the best one yet.

All my love,

Me