They’re a big thing – New Years Resolutions… maybe a little overrated?

Personally, I don’t make New Years Resolutions, but when I was at university, I used to set myself goals to complete during my course.

Before I went to university, I set myself goals to complete by the time I went to university September that year.

New years resolutions are far too easy to give up, the term sort of lost all meaning to be completely honest with you. But when you set a goal – especially a long-term goal which will bring you the most happiness and a huge feeling of accomplishment – it’s much harder to fall off the bandwagon!

Let’s talk about some of the goals we suggest:

• Spend lots and lots of time with your family and friends – you will make loads of new friends at university and there are going to be so many fun and exciting things to take part in… but it will take up a lot of your time once you’ve started at university so make the most of being around your loved ones before you start this new adventure.

• Start a class or club over the summer to meet new people and step out your comfort zone – this can really help with those “first day jitters” every new university student has.

• Maybe you want to master a skill? (I’ve got the perfect blog for you! Read Mastering a Skill for some interesting facts on doing so)

• Plan a short holiday with your friends to help you adjust to being away from home for a little while – if you’re studying at a university that is a distance from home you can become a little homesick, it’s very common so practicing distance overtime from your family will help you come to terms with it.

• Learn something new? Maybe there’s a talent you wanted to start or a new hobby. Impress your new university friends with some weird facts or a cool trick you’ve mastered.

• Answer those burning questions you have about university – speak to your family, friends, teachers, mentors, anyone who you can open up to about any questions or queries you have about university, this can help calm any nerves or worries you may have before you go.

• Practice writing skills or your time management – university includes a lot of writing and time keeping so it’s good to practice and find ways to make it more enjoyable.

• Connect with your new uni-friends – you will have time before you go to join online groups on Facebook or university online forums to meet the other students you will be studying with. This is the perfect time to start introducing yourself so you won’t feel so overwhelmed when you go off to university as you will already be somewhat familiar with your new classmates.

All of the above can be worked on before you go to university and will make this transition much smoother. For some students, as exciting as studying at university is, find the transition challenging and all these goals are ways to help relax you before the big day.

Should you have any further queries about university applications or attending university in general you can book your first call here to make a head start.

We look forward to hearing from you in the new year!

Jasmine Rocks

Former university student,

Digital Marketing Apprentice for The Independent Education Consultants.