Happy New Year, Illini!

Happy New Year, Illini! Happy New Year! I feel rejuvenated after spending the holidays with family  and friends, and of course surrounded by fluffy pets wearing cute holiday sweaters. Its great to have that time to be with loved ones and to get that mental break from all sorts of work. While some of you might not be fans of resolutions, it can serve as great motivation to  reinvent yourself on a clean  slate. Personally, Im a huge fan of them. So, this next semester will be my last semester as an  undergrad, but before I can join the full-time work space or attend grad school, I need to rethink some of my  bad habits in  2015. I thought Id outline a few of my resolutions to be a better Illinois college student in 2016. Avoid the snooze button. Expectations: Photobucket Reality:   The Odyssey Online In 2015, I remained a morning person (weird, I know), but I am also guilty of rolling over to hit the snooze button in the afternoons or even well into the evening for a whopping four-hour nap. A nap shouldnt last four hours. You should be getting your sleep at night, and perhaps take a 30 min to an hour nap during the day. This compromises time spent with friends and  on  homework, which only leads to stress crying and all-nighters (1 star, would not recommend). In 2016, Ill go to bed early. Ive always been a work hard, play later type of person, but Ive lost touch of that by napping during my free time. Sure, its nice to take a nap after a long day, but I went too far and made that a routine  that only  guaranteed  insomnia and solitude during the week days. Create a daily and weekly checklist. Expectations: Tumblr Reality: Tumblr In 2015, I made vague checklists and totally forgot about them. I wrote them on my iPad between classes or during lecture. They were quite bold, and it was clear I was in a good mood that day for radical change. Eat more greens. Stop drinking coffee. Go to the gym. Either way, these were lists that were created with the sole intent of running in the other direction. They were too big for me to turn  into routine. I lost sight of these goals and spent even more money coping with caffeine withdrawal, and eventually, I resorted back to my caffeine addiction through afternoon  coffee runs. In 2016, Ill be a bit more specific on how Ill tackle  these goals. You need a game plan to make things happen. Ill be more specific on what eat more greens will entail in my packed lunches. Ill be open to compromise with myself, understanding  that there will be productive days and slip up days. Its inevitable with a tight college student budget, time constraints, and other student obligations, but its worth a try! Set aside time for your side projects. Expectations: Tumblr Reality: Giphy In 2015, I opened a word document and played Spotify on the background as I wrote my stories, essays, business papers, etc. for all my classes. Sure, I got all my work done days before the deadline, but I didnt really feel engaged with what I was doing half the time. I was multitasking and distracted. I didnt seem to make time for revisions, either. In 2016, I plan on writing 250+ words every day. That doesnt quite consider time as much, but its flexible enough for me to make it work  during a busy semester schedule.  Finding time to write has always been the internal struggle for most of my creative writing friends and for myself.  If youre a structured person, maybe you set aside time to read or time to get your side projects done. For me, time has always been an issue. So, now Im strictly breaking my side project apart by focusing on  the word count. Start on job applications and be confident about your accomplishments.   Expectations: Tumblr Reality: Tumblr Second semester is when students typically rush to the Career Center to practice their interview spiel on others. As a senior now, this is when I need to pluck up  enough courage and begin those job applications. In 2015, I wasnt confident to share my work with others just yet. As a perfectionist, this can be a let down. There were days I didnt want to submit my completed application to grad schools because I was feeling anxious. While I had experience in business technical writing, I convinced myself I wasnt pursuing anything worthwhile and that I wasnt  marketable at all. This is all pretty ridiculous, but it happens. In 2016, Ill be ready to share my work with professors and colleagues. Im going to embrace the feedback and revision process further by actually taking time to look back at the written feedback on my work. Im also going to outline my successes in the Creative Writing field. I  have received  a few undergraduate awards and publications during  my time here, and I should include them on my resume and cover letters with pride! Have any resolutions for this upcoming semester? Feel free to share them with me, too! ?? Jenny Class of 2016 I'm majoring in Creative Writing in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. I'm from the north side of Chicago, an artsy neighborhood along the lakefront called Andersonville. I plan to pursue a low-residency MFA program in Fiction Writing with the hope of becoming a published author.