As the new semester rings in with the new year, many Boston University students are likely to make school-related resolutions: more gym time, hitting the library before exams and running the job circuit. While the New Year means more goals, it may also mean more stress.
“Start by delineating what the goal is and how you plan to get there,” Office of Residence Life health and wellness educator Beth Grampetro said in an email. “If it’s something you might need help with, ask for it.”
For College of Communication sophomore Matthew Harrington, the new year means the end of old addictions.
“I’m trying to quit tobacco completely,” Harrington said. “My motivation is just the fact that it’s unhealthy. I’m not in great shape, or any shape at all basically, so this is one thing I can do to make myself better and save money.”
Grampetro said whether a goal was realistic depends upon the goal itself.
“We’re told from an early age that we can be or do anything we want,” Grampetro said. “If you struggle with something, don’t let it stop you from trying again.
“With fitness, for example, it is unrealistic to expect to see results after only a week,” she continued. “In academics, the goal of achieving an A in a class could be very reachable at the beginning of a semester, but if by midterms you’ve got a C average, it may not be within your power to raise the grade that much.”
Harrington said he thought New Year’s resolutions were generally unrealistic, but said that he would at least put in some effort. The point, he said, was not to accomplish a goal, but to try.
“If I try and it works, great,” he said. “If not, then I know I have to work on it.”
Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences junior Steve Simon said he may have already reached his goal.
“我将尽我所能去得到我的名字n The Daily Free Press,” Simon said. “If I have to lie, swindle, cheat and steal, I will.”
