Doing better while experiencing change

Once the clock strikes midnight and Dec. 31 becomes Jan. 1, it is often perceived as a fresh start. Although time goes on just as it had before and nothing has really changed, the beginning of a new year feels like an opportunity to look back on what you’ve done in the last year, learn from those experiences, and do better this year.
As a high school senior looking towards the future at what this year will bring is equally terrifying and exhilarating. In just one year, I will experience more change than I have in any of the other years of my life.
This year I’m going to get my driver’s license, be old enough to vote, go to my senior prom, perform in my last school concert, earn a high school diploma, start college, and so much more.
To help me through some of these changes, I’ve created a few New Year’s resolutions. One of my biggest resolutions is to not succumb to the infamous “senioritis.” While being a senior certainly has its perks and privileges, seniors aren’t exempt from keeping their grades up. Especially after application season, it feels as though there’s no more work to be done, but going from straight As to straight Cs is not an option. Not only will your colleges know, but it can put your chances at graduating on time at risk.
Another resolution I have is to stop procrastinating so much. Many senior class teachers try to enforce a sense of personal responsibility in students, which means less emphasis on reminding students of due dates or of doing their homework.

Some teachers hand out a syllabus and expect students to keep up, just as they will have to in college. While this approach certainly helps students to know what it will be like to have professors who don’t constantly give you reminders, far-off due dates and less frequent homework checking can make it easy to procrastinate. I would like to use tactics such as these as a lesson in responsibility and time management, instead of using it as an excuse to leave work until the last minute.
My last resolution is to be more motivated. All students have had an experience where they studied extensively for a test, but still failed it. Sometimes experiences like that can seem like a reason to not try at all. Honestly, there are even times where it feels like no matter what I do, I won’t end up successful. Instead of dwelling on my failures and fears, I want to work on moving past them and using them as motivation to do better in the future.
For myself and the rest of my class, this next year is going to bring several firsts and lasts. All we can do is look at what we’ve achieved to this point and give 2016 our best shot.