Recap: First Week of Junior Year

Week one of junior year is in the books!

Although I've been wandering around campus throughout most of the pandemic, this was the first time since March 2020 that a majority of the student body is also living on campus and going to in-person classes. I completely forgot how many people go to my school, and it's strange seeing student centers and sidewalks populated again. The campus feels alive, and the excitement of the college experience has recommenced after a year-and-a-half pause!

In terms of academics, the first week isn't all that demanding. However, after the first few classes, I realized that I've finally reached the point in my academic career where my classes specifically cater to what I want to do in the future. I'm genuinely interested in the subjects I'm learning about, and I haven't been this excited about school in a long time!

The real test this week was time management. For me, the most challenging part of starting a new semester is adapting to a new schedule and getting into a routine. This semester I'm interning about fifteen hours a week and am tied up with class/work from 10-5 every day. Not having random breaks throughout the day or limitless time to study will be a big adjustment as I start getting deeper into the semester. So far, I've found the busyness to be very motivating and a distraction from stress.

After a summer of being idle, I decided that the first week of school would also be a good time to resume work on my personal goals. To make the most of my time and ensure that I don't completely drown myself in school work, I introduced a few new habits into my daily routine:

Staying Connected to the World: I don’t watch the news, and admittedly I'm often oblivious of current events outside of the little pieces of information I pick up from social media and conversations. This week I decided to replace my habit of watching videos while I eat breakfast with catching up on current events in the world, business, and fashion. To make it easier for me to get a quick rundown of the daily news, I subscribed to the daily newsletters from the Skimm, the Morning Brew, and the Business of Fashion.

Making Mornings a Time for Passion Projects: I've learned that the morning is when I'm most motivated, so I've been waking up early to capitalize on that ambition. Since learning a new language and blogging are both time commitments that require self-discipline, I decided to include them in my morning routine to ensure I'm consistently working on both. Starting the day with tasks I'm personally invested in helps me ease into the day and lays the foundation for a productive mindset.