9 New Year’s Resolutions for Graduating Seniors

By: Jillian Rinehimer (USA TODAY) Unless you plan on attending grad school, this is the last time you can make a New Year’s resolution as a student. Which means this is the semester to finish all of the things you started, but never had time finish.

Whether or not you believe in New Years resolutions, add these nine goals to your senior bucket list and make this last semester count.

TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF ANY ORGANIZATION YOU ARE PART OF.

I wouldn’t say it is the time to sign up for a new position, but if you currently hold one then do something fun with it. Leaving a positive impression on your teammates and peers is a way to leave college with a bang.

STAY LOYAL TO THOSE FRIENDS YOU’VE HAD SINCE FRESHMAN YEAR.

The last few months are going to fly by and the stress of exams and graduation are going to build quickly. Don’t let that get in the way of your friendships, these are the friends you have made entering your adult life so treat them right!

MAINTAINING FRIENDSHIPS IS IMPORTANT, BUT YOU SHOULD ALSO TAKE TIME TO FOCUS ON YOURSELF.

Make sure you are where you want to be or are at least on the correct path to getting there. Starting with self-love and self-pride will set you on your way.

MAKE A PLAN FOR SUMMER.

If you know you aren’t going to work right away, lay out some goals for what you can achieve during that time off to make you feel accomplished. If you are banking on a job upon graduation, have a plan B incase it falls through. You don’t want to get discouraged so having a plan to travel or volunteer while still searching for jobs is a great back up.

MAKE A LIST OF THINGS YOU CAN’T LET GO OF.

Regrets aren’t healthy to hold on to. And when it comes to letting them go, it’s much easier said than done. But start off by recognizing something you have been dwelling on. Maybe write it down or say it out loud. Either way is a form of subconsciously accepting that a mistake has happened and you can hopefully leave it in your past once and for all. As with most things, I found that the more you do it, the easier it gets.

UNDERSTAND – AND ACCEPT – YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS A GROWN ADULT.

If you haven’t started saving or paying for some of your own bills and are a little lost on the responsibility front, then ask questions. Even though you will never be too old to ask questions, there is a certain grasp on reality that most people expect you to have by the end of college.

And then there are the fun resolutions, after all these next few months are your last chances of freedom and time to explore as a twenty-something without full commitment to anything.

PLAN AN ADVENTURE.

It could be to the next town over or a last minute spring break trip but take advantage of your time off! The long weekends for holidays we don’t fully understand and days with no set classes are just waiting for you to use them as spontaneous getaways.

MAKE A TO-DO LIST.

You know those places you’ve always wanted to go and things you’ve always wanted to do, but didn’t manage to fit in to your four undergraduate years because something else always proved more pressing? Now is the time to do them and cross them off your list. You can’t keep putting activities off until next weekend anymore because there are only a few of those left.

HAVE FUN!

Making a social goal is easily attainable when you start holding yourself to that list of yours. Don’t stay in on a rainy night because you don’t want to get wet – it is your last time to be a carefree student. With that said, don’t overwhelm yourself with parties to the point where it looks like you fell into a desperate senior crisis, trying to fit in all the parties you can before graduating. Just make sure you get out on the weekends, if not to a party, then to a new restaurant with a friend.

As relatively slight tweaks to your routine, these nine changes will help you make the most of your senior spring and to welcome graduation with a little less anxiety. It is going to be an immense change no matter what. But the best part is, you aren’t alone. So embrace the change and look forward to creating a path that makes you truly excited for your future.

Jillian Rinehimer is a senior at Emerson College.