Goals for the next academic year

With the next university year swiftly approaching, new and returning students are beginning to think about their goals and plans for the year ahead, myself included. With so much of university life revolving around your choices and the effort you put in to gain the most from the experience, it can feel a bit daunting. So, this article aims to explore goals and plans I think are useful to put in place to get the most out of this academic year and have an enjoyable and relatively stress-free time, from a third-year student.

Make sure not to let your hobbies take a backseat and work them into your routine

First and foremost, it almost goes without saying but make a real effort to attend your lectures and seminars. Not only would you be wasting money, you’d also be wasting your time when you inevitably have to spend copious hours catching up on your lecture notes. My top tip for making sure you attend, because it certainly can be difficult when no one else is making you go and it’s a cold and miserable autumn morning, is to book your seminars as soon as they come out. I have fallen victim to this myself, thinking there will be spaces left when there simply aren’t and having to attend a 6pm. So, to have a more pleasant time, book your seminars when they come out at an achievable time that works for you. For example, I know I’m going to struggle to attend a 9am but a 10 or 11am would suit my lifestyle.

A big goal of mine this year is to prioritise self-care more. In previous years, this is something I let fall to the wayside and I got stuck in an endless loop of attending lectures, writing essays and forgetting to look after myself. One way I’m going to instil this in my daily routine is to start reading before I go to bed because although I was doing my readings for my course last year, I stopped reading for fun. So, make sure not to let your hobbies take a backseat and work them into your routine. I’m also going to try and use my weekends for fun activities and exercise more because it is true what they say: going outside does help your mental health!

How can you do your degree well if you’re not prioritising yourself and your body?

For freshers especially, coming to university can be really daunting, especially from the social side. Everyone worries about coming to uni and making friends. This is not exclusive to freshers, maybe you’re a postgrad looking to meet new people or maybe you’re in your second or third year simply looking to broaden your circle. A great way to do this is to get involved with societies and Warwick has so many great ones. Now, I definitely wouldn’t advise getting involved in copious amounts of them to the extent that your social calendar is chock-a-block until Christmas but getting involved in a few can certainly help. Not only does it mean you get out and socialise with people, but you might even find yourself getting involved in the exec which can be a really rewarding experience. A goal I’m setting myself this year is to get involved with a sports society because I’d like to keep more active and for me personally having other people to do this with would encourage me to keep it up.

Finally, a final goal I would really recommend making commonplace in your uni routine is to eat three meals a day. I know so many students who stop eating properly or fall into the trap of getting Deliveroo every day which not only is expensive but also is simply not good for you. How can you do your degree well if you’re not prioritising yourself and your body? It can be a great way to take a break from studying to cook yourself something and by ensuring you’re eating three meals you stay fuelled and ready for the day. I always try and make myself a nice dinner that I actually want to eat to end my day which is also a great way to hang out with your housemates if you eat together. This year I’m setting the goal of trying to bake something once a month because this is also a hobby I let myself forget and I am determined to prioritise a work life balance and you should too!