2017 New Years Resolutions for Students

2017 New Year’s Resolutions for Students The New Year is the perfect time for a fresh startand, you guessed it, that means it's time for New Year's resolutions! There are plenty of ways students can take advantage of New Year's resolutions, regardless of age or schooling level, to make them more successful this school year. If you are unsure about the types of resolutionsyou should set for yourself, see below for a few ideas of where to start. New Years resolutions are incredibly personal, so simply use this as a guide to create resolutions that make sense for you. New Years Resolution #1: Join new activities Staying active, meeting new people, and discovering new things about yourself are just a few of the perks of joining extracurricular activities. Remember, however, that what speaks to one person may not necessarily be what speaks to you, so choose activities based on your own interests and goals, not just what your best friend is doing. The best way to stick with this resolution is to identify the hobbies and skills you enjoy, and then find activities that foster them. Here are a few examples: Enjoy soccer? Consider joining an intramural league. Love playing music? Join your schools band or orchestra. Interested in cooking? Theres likely a culinary arts group or elective cooking class you could check out. Challenge yourself to join at least one new activity and really commit to ityou might be surprised at how much it can change your life! New Years Resolution #2: Get organized Being organized is an essential part of success in school (and life, in general). If you have not been the best with this in past years, 2017 is a great time to set some new standards for yourself. Think about what organization means to you and specifically which habits would help you become a more organized student. Do you want to keep better track of your commitments? Is physically organizing your spaces like your dorm room or desk very important? Or perhaps you would just like to start working toward a future goal and it requires some much needed planning to get there. Consider what is important to organize and work from there. It'll feel great to get everything in order so you can be successful in the coming year. New Years Resolution #3: Eat healthier This may not be the most fun resolution on your list, but eating healthy is a goal that will simply make you feel better overall. Getting the proper amounts of nutrition can improve your brain functionality, helping you to focus better on studying, achieve better grades on tests, and so on. The adjustment of eating healthier can encompass quite a number of changes, so focus on one aspect at a time. Even just swapping out your after-school snack with some fruits or veggies is an easy way to implement healthy eating into your daily routine. New Years Resolution #4: Improve your grades The key with improving grades is to be realistic and set goals over a logical timeframe. It could be nearly impossible to jump from a 2.5 to a 3.9 GPA in just one semester, for instance. However, setting reachable benchmarks throughout the year to work toward better grades can be highly beneficial. Maybe your GPA isnt a concern to you right now, but you simply wish to improve your grade in a specific class. Perhaps you have struggled in your Spanish class the last few semestersyou could set a resolution for 2017 to improve your grade in that class by one letter. Putting in extra time during homework sessions, planning your study sessions ahead of time, and improving your note-taking skills are all strategies that could help you achieve better grades. Moreover, dont forget about SAT and ACT scores! If you plan to take one of those exams this year, why not take actionable steps, like downloading free test prep books or mobile apps, to reach a target score? Area for Improvement Goal Example GPA Move from a 3.2 to a 3.5 ACT score Increase from a 24 to a 27 Class grade Raise from a B- to an A- Remember that New Years resolutions should be feasible, but also ones that push you to be the best version of yourself. Think hard about what you want to achieve in your future, and set resolutions now to help you be successful. Happy New Year! Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors Blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us at blog@varsitytutors.com.