A ton of pressure surrounds the first week of the new semester. It has to be perfect, otherwise the new semester is doomed to be a failure.
A friend of mine said last month “the first week of the semester really does define the rest of the semester,” so they decided to take a week off of work to focus only on classes to have a ‘perfect’ week. While this is a great idea so start off on the right foot, this line of thinking can cause problems down the road. A difficult beginning does not determine whether or not a new year or new semester will be successful.
Many students face a difficult first week of classes. They have to adjust to the new class schedule, new sleep pattern and new classmates, so of course it might be an overwhelming experience. On top of that, they feel pressure to maintain the perfect routine to have the most success during the semester. Being on the grind in the beginning of the semester is great, don’t get me wrong, but most of the time, people will fall short of their goals this first week.
Take for example the case of new year resolutions. On average, people stick with new year’s resolutions for 3.74 months, according to Forbes. That average is not very promising, so I don’t see why as a society people still place so much pressure on having a strong start when it hardly does anything in the long run.
It is completely normal to have a hard adjustment period, so that’s why it’s necessary to remind people it’s very normal to find your rhythm as the weeks go by. Let go of the mindset that this week defines the semester and develop some resilience to grow and adapt.
The pressure to start off strong can lead to discouragement and burnout when life inevitably takes a turn for the worst. This mindset can also lead to a sense of victim mentality where a student feels they are stuck drowning in their own life instead of taking action to improve it.
If you’ve already set a goal and already failed or cheated, keep flexibility in mind and adapt. Progress isn’t linear. Reflect on what went wrong and strategize different ways you can go about succeeding the next time. Set a smaller, more sustainable goal if you’re feeling overwhelmed, and remember that failure is a part of growth.
The Campus Mental Health and Wellness Center offers individual counseling for students. It might be worth consideration for anyone experiencing a difficult adjustment to the new semester. There are also plenty of clubs and organizations still accepting new members for anyone looking for additional support or further involvement on campus.
It’s never about how you start the new year or the new semester, but how you keep going.
