Come on freshmen—we can do this!

First semester has come and gone. If you completed the semester with a GPA that edged you closer to your future goals and made you and your parents proud, then it’s time to time to wash, rinse, and repeat. In other words—do the same this second semester.

Staying motivated and working towards keeping that admirable GPA or perhaps bumping it up a notch can be challenging, depending on your course load and activities. Here are a few tips to keep that motivation in gear:

Stay Organized-Set Goals

Visualization is key so grab your calendar or planner. Use your syllabus to record things that need to get done and jot down goals. Try to prioritize what you need by specific dates. Doing this helps alleviate tension and seeing it all laid out results in a sigh of relief. See you’ve accomplished something!

Regroup and Reflect

It’s a good idea to sit down at the end of every two weeks and assess how you did at accomplishing your goals. Did you slack on an assignment? Could you have been a bit more diligent in researching? Once you identify where you may have slipped, don’t dwell on it; make up for it the following week.

Remember Your Support System

This may be family members, friends, or one of your professors. Staying motivated is even harder once that first tease of a spring day hits. Finding like-minded study buddies and scheduling on-going study sessions helps everyone accountable for getting things done. Remember, don’t discount reaching out to your professor or advisor—that’s what they are there for and sometimes they end up being your number one fan.

Have Some “Me” Time

Consider it a reward for staying motivated. Having time for you is important, whether it’s laying around and social media surfing or going out to a party with friends. It’s always less burdensome having “me” time knowing that you completed a paper or project.

Eat and Sleep

Staying healthy is part of the process of staying motivating and accomplishing things. By eating right and getting enough sleep, you’ll feel better and will have more energy. Feeling better will allow you to get things done and usually leaves you feeling less stressed out.

Consider the End Result

Have you forgotten why you decided to go to college? Thinking about what and where you want to be is an easy way to stay motivated. Talk it up. Visit websites of where you want to end up and what it’s going to take to get there and then forge ahead.

One last important tip that sums up being motivated and accomplishing goals is Believe in YOU!

Unless you are confident and believe in yourself, reaching those goals may be unattainable. Has anyone ever told you that you can do anything you put your mind to and that it’s just a matter of doing it? Don’t shrug it off. There’s something to be said about the power of confidence and motivation, so come on freshmen—we got this!