With 2022 almost here, many students are looking forward to their New Year’s Resolutions. As they look to put this past year behind them, students have mixed emotions about how 2021 went.
Anna Aman, a sophomore studying interior architecture, said she was both happy and sad to say goodbye to 2021. Even though the year had a rough start due to the pandemic, she said she was still able to make many fun memories.
Gianna Petrella, a sophomore studying communication sciences and disorders, said that she was relieved that 2021 is almost over.
“I think it was a big year of adjustments,” Petrella said. “Not only starting college for the first time in person, but also with all of the COVID craziness. I think it’s kind of relieving that it’s ending.”
In the past, Petrella has had a hard time sticking to her resolutions and keeping motivation. However, she said she will usually continue her goals some time throughout the year.
Aman also said she will lose motivation for resolutions throughout the year but will eventually resume them.
“It’s always easy to stick to them for about a month or two,” Aman said. “And then after that, I kind of just forget about them.”
Aman’s resolutions for the new year are to exercise more at the gym, eat healthier and to keep up motivation for schoolwork. She said her most important resolution is to work harder in school, and her goal is to get a 4.0 GPA for at least one semester in 2022.
“As soon as I start the school year, I’m working really hard and actually trying,” Aman said. “But midway through the semester, I’m like, ‘OK, I don’t need to read that homework assignment.’ I just do the bare minimum. I feel like as the semester goes on, I just learn less.”
Petrella’s resolutions are to read more books, spend more time outside and eat a cleaner diet, which she said is her most important resolution.
Georgia Read, a sophomore studying psychology, said this is her first year making New Year’s resolutions.
“One resolution I have for this year is to focus more on my self and self-love,” Read said in an email. “This past year was hard on me so I think I want to improve myself so I know how to overcome hardships in my life for the next year.”
While many students might find it hard to keep up motivation for resolutions, Petrella said it is also possible to try again for goals. Her advice is to not give up if you miss a day or lose motivation at one point.
“Just because you fail one day does not mean (your goal) is completely trashed,” Petrella said. “I think that was a mistake I made: if you mess up one day, then it’s completely done. You can always have a bad day and start over.”
