After the warmth, bustle and joy of the festive season, coming back to university in January can feel especially hard. And in an attempt to boost the ever-dwindling serotonin levels during winter, society constructed the ‘new years resolution’: a set of goals designed to transform us into a superhuman bundle of gym sessions, green smoothies and ‘75 hard’ challenges. Thus, in the world of the student, new year’s resolutions become new semester resolutions, targeted at an academic comeback that Hermione Grainger herself could scarcely fathom. But how realistic is the notion that we can transform ourselves in the wake of a new semester?
"'A partridge in a pear tree' turned into 'give me another G and T'"
It comes as no surprise that student life is not one that is consistently centered around productivity, especially leading up to Christmas. One of my favourite December activities was the 12 pubs bar crawl, which essentially consisted of walking from pub to pub in a vodka-fuelled twist on a Christmas classic - ‘a partridge in a pear tree’ turned into ‘give me another G and T’. Around about the 9th pub, a few red pints deep and feeling sentimental, I decided that next semester would be different. No more would there be weekday pub meets and dodging pre-lecture reading, but instead I would be spending my evenings in the library with my Google calendar neatly organised into a pastel coloured cacophony of deadlines and to-dos.
"But trying to change yourself entirely to fit the unrealistic standards perpetuated by ‘new semester resolutions’ is not the way to go about making change."
A month later, fuelled by the bubbling motivation which can only be found at the beginning of the year, I set out to change my ways. But something wasn’t sitting right with me. And I realised that aiming to change my whole approach to uni life this semester might not be the most beneficial thing. If anything, there needs to be balance. Not socialising in the name of ‘productivity’ is counterintuitive, as the memories and relationships built over a night out in Newcastle can never be replaced by reading a scholarly journal article. Just to be clear, I’m not condoning lecture skipping, or putting off work. But trying to change yourself entirely to fit the unrealistic standards perpetuated by ‘new semester resolutions’ is not the way to go about making change.
"...making small, actionable changes to your routine might not lead to a ‘new’ you this semester, but perhaps a happier one."
Instead, small, achievable goals that will help you to get the most out of your degree and uni experience is what I would recommend. Start by waking up 20 minutes earlier on a Wednesday to prepare yourself for your 9 am, but don’t skip your friend’s birthday that Friday to meet your ‘new semester’ goals. Maybe swapping one night of going out for a yoga class with friends could be fun, but if you’re dying to try the new karaoke bar, then just go! Trust me, this is easier said than done. Balancing uni work and a social life can often lead to burn out in one way or another. But, making small, actionable changes to your routine might not lead to a ‘new’ you this semester, but perhaps a happier one.