The month of December is a chaotic time on campus. Students are running around panickedly, getting a seat in the library is a constant struggle, and exams descend upon us like an ominous storm cloud about to rain down. This time of year is hard — there’s no way around it. But the bright side is that it’s coming to an end. With only a week and a half of exams left to go, I’m starting to think back to my term and look ahead to the new one.
Winter term is an exciting prospect for me. It’s a fresh start, a chance to reflect on what I wish went better last term and to think of new tactics to implement for the next one. With that in mind, I’ve been starting to create some winter term resolutions.
Before I start, I want to remind you that resolutions are just that—resolutions. They’re goals and aspirations, not guaranteed successes. I’m listing these now with absolutely no expectation that all of my plans will go off without a hitch. Think of New Year’s resolutions: everyone makes them, but almost no one can perfectly follow through. Despite this, I think we make them anyway because it’s nice to have something to work towards. Even if you don’t achieve everything you resolve to do for the year, you’ll achieve more in striving to do so than you would have if you didn’t have any goals at all.
A year is a lot of time to think about, so for now, I’m just sticking to the winter term. These are the things I hope to accomplish as I navigate the next block of classes, assignments, and exams. As you read, think about what you want to accomplish this term. Maybe we have similar goals, or maybe you’ve thought of something entirely unique. Either way, I hope you find my list thought-provoking.
My first resolution is to do my readings before coming to class. This, I know, is a resolution that many students make. One of the collective realities of university students is that a lot of the time, we come to class completely unprepared. I’m no exception to this rule. Last term, my commitments often got the better of me and I wasn’t always able to do my readings. I loved my classes and I wanted to participate in discussions, but if I hadn’t done the readings, I didn’t have anything to contribute, which left me with a bad feeling. Furthermore, my favourite thing about my English classes is that they introduce me to new texts. As someone who loves to read, I want to be taking advantage of this opportunity to always be reading something new. It’s also really helpful to read the texts before class rather than later on, especially as an English student, so you can get a completely fresh and unique personal perspective on the reading before you come to class and learn about its historical context. Overall, this is a goal I’m passionate about and something I hope I can achieve.
My second resolution is to spend more time on campus. I don’t know about you, but for me, working at home is hard. I struggle to get work done when I’m in my room, and being stressed out in that space means that it doesn’t really feel like somewhere I can relax. So, I want to resolve to spend more time on campus and get my work done there instead. There are tons of great study spots, from the libraries, to empty classrooms, to random chairs and tables you can find in most buildings. By taking advantage of the wide range of spaces available to me, I’m striving to create both a better study atmosphere and a better relaxing atmosphere for myself that I know will improve my quality of life during busy school seasons.
Third, I want to make a resolution to visit more of my professors during their office hours. This is something I’ve been starting to do already this term, and I’ve had a great experience so far. It helps me engage further with the course, connect with my instructors, and talk about my essay ideas before I start writing them. This has been super helpful to me as a student, and I want to do more of it next term! What I’ve learned so far is that engaging outside of the classroom is something that greatly benefits me as a student. Even though I sometimes feel vulnerable telling a professor about my idea for an assignment, I’ve realized that I would rather hear criticism before the due date when I still have time to implement it and improve my work.
My fourth resolution is personal rather than school related: I want to get back into writing creatively on my own time. When I was younger, I loved to write and I would do so all the time. At university, though, my time is rarely my own and when I have a break, I find myself not feeling very motivated. Everything I’ve been writing these past few years has been for courses. What I’m hoping to do next term is set aside specific time to write for myself. Though I might decide to look into writing challenges or contests, I don’t have any specific plans of that sort at the moment. For now, my only goal is to write — whatever it is, be it poetry, short stories, or nonsensical journal entries. I know that reconnecting with my creative side will make me happy, and that alone is enough motivation to try.
My final resolution is to spend more time outside. During the school year this is always hard for me. When I’m busy, it’s much easier to hole up in my room or the library and spend the entire day inside. But mental health is also something that’s important to me, and getting outside and breathing in the fresh air is an integral part of that. I’m hoping to find ways I can combine my busy schedule with my need to get outside more often. This might include leaving early enough in the mornings that I can walk to school rather than busing, inviting friends to go on walks with me during study breaks, and doing my readings in the park when the weather gets a bit warmer. I haven’t quite figured out exactly what this resolution will look like yet, but it’s definitely one I’m keeping in mind as I embark on the new semester.
Like I said earlier, these are just resolutions, and even though I know I won’t achieve all of them fully, I’m still excited to try! If I even accomplish one or two of them, I’ll have made my term more enjoyable and productive.
The other thing to keep in mind about resolutions is that they’re incredibly personal. These are the things I’m hoping to try, but they might not be what you would have thought of. When you make your list, the things you put on it will relate to your own specific wishes, goals, and areas of potential improvement or change. So, as the term comes to an end, rather than replaying your exams over and over in your head, focus on what’s coming next instead. What are your winter term resolutions?
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