It’s a new year, which means that it’s a new semester. You will go back on that first day and attend new classes with new faces and experience new opportunities. The beginning of the year is a great time to get back on track, make good grades and meet new people! Follow these 4 steps to ensure that this semester is the best one yet!

1. Drop old habits.

I, probably more than anyone else, understand that dropping old habits is WAY easier said than done. This doesn’t mean dropping all old habits -- just the bad ones. If you procrastinated last semester, make the effort to get assignments and readings done on time. If you watched too much Netflix last semester, it might be time to drop a show and spend that time hanging out with friends. Making these changes in your routine will be difficult, but you have to at least try and see what happens.

2. Set new goals.

This is the counterpart to step 1. As you drop old habits, try to make new goals. These goals don’t always have to be incredibly significant (although those can be best type), but they should be something that you strive to achieve. They can be as simple as drinking more water or trying to get more sleep, or they can be as complex as getting a 4.0 while remaining active in almost every organization on campus. Make goals that will help YOU.

3. Get sleep.

This one sounds obvious, but sleep is something that most college kids can’t seem to get enough of. It’s pretty easy to get a decent amount of sleep the first few weeks (mainly because there isn’t a ton of work), but once the tests start and the projects are due (most of the time it’s all within a few days of each other, if not the same day), sleep can seem nearly impossible. There are simply too many things to do and not enough time to do them. Even though it’s hard, sometimes the best thing to do is put down whatever you are doing and get at least a few hours of sleep.

4. Don't take more classes than you can handle.

I speak from experience on this one. Although it may be great to load up on credit hours to try and graduate early, it’s not entirely worth it. If you're taking more classes than you need to, it is easy to become overwhelmed and stressed with the course load. Also, by doing this, you'll be spending more time doing homework, studying for tests and going to labs than you will hanging out with friends, going to campus activities and making memories that will last a lifetime.

5. Remember to enjoy yourself and the college experience.

Even though one of the main purposes of college is to graduate and get a degree, don’t forget to have some fun along the way. It’s easy to get caught up in work, but it’s also easy (and way more fun) to go out to eat with friends or to have a movie night with your roommate. Remember to take a break!