New Year, Improved Me by Kathryn

New Year, Improved Me by Kathryn - January 2016 Scholarship Essay

As I scrolled through my Instagram feed on New Year’s Day, it felt like every photo was captioned “new year, new me!” This expression is so easy to say, but it’s so difficult to actually achieve. Many young adults say their resolution is to become a better student, yet have difficulty following through with their resolution because they do not actually change their behavior. Personally, instead of making a general, overarching resolution, I have reflected on what aspects of my academics I could improve on, choose the most important, and decided on what my New Year’s resolution should be. So what is my resolution? In 2016, I resolve to try to get to know my professors more, turn off all my electronics when doing homework or studying and take advantage of the resources the University of Maryland provides for students.

One of the first differences I noticed when classes began was how large my classes were compared to high school. This was one of my biggest challenges because, unlike high school, where I got to know and feel comfortable around my teachers, I felt like the professor did not even know who I was. As a result, I struggled to speak up when I was lost and did not go to office hours. In the spring semester, however, I plan on going to office hours. Office hours will help me not just get to know my professors, but it will also give me a chance to ask more questions about the material and get one-on-one help.

When reflecting on my study habits, I noticed I would often just be on my phone with my textbooks in front of me and call that studying. In 2016, I am going to try to be more diligent of just turning my phone off. I know this change will be hard for me at first because I like communicating with my friends; however, I’ll remember my priorities— I can talk to my friends anytime, but homework has deadlines. Without my phone by my side, I will be able to study more efficiently and effectively.

The last change I am going to make in the new year is to use all the resources my school provides. For instance, I struggle with math, but last semester I did not use the free math-tutoring center once. For some reason, I thought it would be easier to struggle through it on my own. I do not know why I did not get help from a tutor, but it would have been more helpful than trying to teach myself. I plan on using the tutoring center—and not just for math. The university offers a multitude of resources to help students with schoolwork, and I plan on taking advantage of that in the upcoming year.

Overall, by making following my three resolutions, I believe that I will better achieve the overarching goal of becoming a better student. Unlike others say they will do better, but do nothing to really change their behavior and still expect good results, I am confident that I will see improvements in my academics. So “new year, new me,” right? Not really. A better—yet slightly less catchy—way of saying it is “new year, improved me.”