Resolutions for the New Semester

So, as the turn of the year came around, many people I knew started making New Year’s resolutions. They ranged from maintaining one’s CAP to maintaining one’s exercise regime. In fact, some of you reading this might have well made your own various resolutions.

More often than not, however, things don’t quite work out the way you intend, and you seldom review and check the resolutions off the list. And as the years pass by, the list of unfulfilled resolutions lengthens and lengthens. Chances are, you’ll end up making the same resolution at the start of the next year. (Losing weight, anyone?)

Why is that so? Is it because of the length of time? Think of how long a semester drags – and that’s not even half a year. One year might just be too long, and you just procrastinate at the start of the year, and completely forgetting about it later on. Are the resolutions too ambitious? That’s possibly true, but in that case, why then do we still set those resolutions? Perhaps setting these resolutions is like a negotiation with oneself, where you aim high, but settle for something lower? Like, compromises.

Let’s be honest here, many of us have probably gone through the above issues, especially when we think back to why we fail to achieve our resolutions. Yet, we still continue to make the same errors, even after telling ourselves not to. Ain’t it a weird world?

When my family asked me what my goals for the year were, none sprung to mind. However, it did set me to thinking that I should get down to making some. Given the context I’m in, as a university student, it would make much more sense to set aims for the semester rather than the entire year, especially when the goals are more relevant to a semester length rather than a year. With a shorter timeframe, it might help me stick to the plan, and at least it’ll be less likely that I’d forget them.

On top of that, it is important to know the main challenges that might prevent you from achieving what you set out to do. So here are my resolutions, and some obstacles that I may face in completing them. I’m pretty sure that some of these issues may ring a bell.

  1. Don’t use any S/Us this semester.

I’m doing an IEM this semester, who am I kidding? I’m still aiming for First Class Highest Distinction Honours! (No, don’t judge me, surely some of you still harbour the hope, especially freshmen!)

  1. Lose Maintain my weight.

Probably the bane of many a Tembusian. Heck, anyone staying on campus, really. Ameens and Macs are just a call away, and an ice cream vending machine and Cheers are within walking distance. Add a perpetually full UTown Gym to the mix, and this might be the hardest thing on the list.

  1. Don’t leave assignments and homework to the last minute. Same goes for finals preparation.

Likely to be the most achievable one on the list. Foosball, Werewolf, Quizarium are quite tempting though. Then there’s the Premier League (GGMU!).  

  1. Take part Help out in an orientation camp.

Hang on, they’re probably not making it up to us, unlike what a certain minister said. I guess probably helping out in one of them is the next best thing I could do. Tembusu Orientation Camp seemed to have lots of promise, and it was clean as well…

  1. Take part in more activities in College.

Just stare at the module outlines on IVLE. Look at your timetable. Now, look back at this aim.

These resolutions here are rather pertinent to us Tembusu residents. Let’s be realistic here, I’ll probably not be able to complete everything I aimed for. But at least I know the pitfalls, and (hopefully) take notice of them along the way. And oh, why not go examine your own? Maybe semesterly goals might work better, or you might figure out why you haven’t been fulfilling your resolutions. Who knows?

Picture by Ryan Quek

About the Author

One of many Ryans in Treehouse, Ryan Quek is a Year 1 Business and Economics Double Degree (Double Die?) Student. He loves photography and food, and likes to delve into socio-political issues, tech and sport. Also has a passion for trivia quizzes.