🎀 Start by starting new. Think of this semester and school year as a fresh start - because that’s what it is! Let go of the past and turn over a new leaf. Really embrace the fact that this is a new school year! This can be mentally, psychically, and emotionally! I get more into it later on in this post!

🎀 Pick out your own school supplies!Having supplies you like really helps to keep you motivated. For example, most people forget to use their planners, but if you find a planner you really like, you’re more likely to keep up with using it! For my college girlies, I know many school supplies aren’t as necessary, but small things like cute notebooks, nice pens, and a laptop case can help with your entire vibe!

🎀 Before school starts, clean your room! This may be very obvious to some, but a clean room = clean mind. Make your space yours. Clean your room at home before moving into your dorm, too. You don’t want to come home over holiday breaks to a messy room! Keep up with cleaning your dorm to help make it a sacred space for yourself. Get organized! Make a system that works. Bring items with you that will make it a homey and comfortable space for you to be in! If you have roommates, I would recommend putting a cleaning schedule in place. For example, one week your roommate cleans the room, takes out the trash, etc. and the next week, you do the same. It becomes much easier to manage and you’ll come to find out that cleaning is very helpful and relaxing! I always found that my dorm rooms were such small spaces, there wasn’t much room for messes anyways. However my room did get quite dusty often and did require some vacuuming!

🎀 Don’t be afraid to romanticize your life. Your life is a tv show, and you are the main character! Confidence is key. Trust me, positivity and confidence are very attractive and more people will want to be around you if you radiate positivity! Sometimes it even helps to have a ‘Study like ____’ mindset. Think of a character that has passion and confidence in their studies, and kind of romanticize being like them (Hermione granger, Rory Gillmore, Elle Woods, Blair Waldorf). Looking these up on Pinterest really helps!

🎀 Put effort into your appearance & outfits! I always felt that if I look good, I feel good too. I know it’s very common to have motivation to dress nice in the start of a school year, but always seem to not be able to keep up with it past the first week. If you’re going to college, it helps to bring more options for nicer clothes and limit comfy clothes, which kind of forces you to wear more than sweats and a tshirt everyday. It helps to plan out your outfits the night before, or even the week before. If this feels like too much, you can start by picking one or two days out of the week to be a ‘dress-up’ day! I did this last year on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, which happened to be the days I had the most classes on. This really helped me to stay motivated and confident, and so I definitely recommend doing this! Along with that, this summer I’ve been really immersing myself in all types of makeup products, hair styles, and body care items, so I know which ones I should take back to school with me. Doing this makes me feel like I’m starting over brand new, on a clean slate as well. If you feel like you’re in need of a glow-up, this is definitely something to keep in mind! (Although you’re beautiful the way you are! Sometimes people just outgrow old habits!)

🎀 Make a vision board!!!! I really cannot stress this enough, but make a vision board! I made one at the beginning of the year, and mostly everything I put into it has come true! All of the things I had put on my vision board came true: I found a fun job, while it’s not going to be a life-long career for me, I’m still bringing money in for the time being. In 2023, I was in a really bad spot with friends, and now I have found amazing friends that I’m so grateful for! I got into a relationship, and even though it didn’t last and it wasn’t right for me, a relationship was something I had on my board that I had never done before. I get good grades at school, I have attended multiple concerts, and even went to the beach, which was all something I had on my board. I decided to make a new one for the fall semester of my school year, kind of so I could start fresh and just update it to where I’m at mentally now! Even if you did make one at the start of 2024, A lot has happened in the past eight months, so it’s always good to update it. Never stop visualizing things you want in life!

🎀 This one is definitely easier said than done, but really put yourself out there! !!!!GET INVOLVED!!!! Join clubs, volunteer, join sororities, join sports, make friends at the gym, go to parties, get involved with people from your major, make connections, get a campus job, reach out to professors (ask questions!), go to school organized events (even if they sound super boring!) even if it’s just leaving your dorm every night to go to the dining hall…be social!!!! I truly cannot stress this enough. I knew of people who never left their dorms, and they never made friends that way. They hated school and were miserable! College is supposed to be a time of self-discovery and finding your people, so go out and do just that! Go out of your comfort zone! If you’re entering your freshman year, nobody knows who you are, so you need to make that name for yourself! This might seem like a lot of pressure to handle, but it’s really not. Everyone is in the same boat, they’re all looking for friends. Making friends and connections really helps your year go by so much easier and quicker.

🎀 AVOID DRAMA AT ALL COSTS. Drama is so middle school! Ew! Really, in the long run of things, drama has no effect on you whatsoever. If you’re in college, it’s time for you to mature from the high school drama mindset. I learned this the hard way, and I surrounded myself with people who hadn’t grown from that yet. They incorporated drama into everything we did, and it was so draining. I eventually got away from them, and it was so worth it! You already have so much on your plate with your studies, no one really has time to deal with silly drama. It’s only going to give you unnecessary stress and distract you from what’s really important! No one has time or energy for that! Focus on yourself and what you need!

🎀 Create a routine and STICK TO IT!!! The first 1-2 weeks of a new year can always be difficult, but once you have that new schedule down, that’s when it gets easier. Create a routine for yourself that incorporates all your classes, study time, meals, self care time, and social time and anything else you want to accomplish, and you’re set! Don’t be afraid to hold yourself accountable! ♡

🎀 Make time for yourself. Don’t overextend yourself trying to do things for others. This is your life, so do things for you! Always set aside a specific amount of time each day for you to be alone with yourself and your thoughts. Try not to be on your phone either. Try to be completely unplugged. Maybe try journaling, doing some self care, crafting, or doing any hobby that you enjoy! Being okay with being alone is what one needs!