For many, New Year’s Day is a time to look ahead and plan for the future. As the next year approaches, many of your fellow students are starting to finalize their New Year’s resolutions. If you have not finished your list of resolutions, check out the top five resolutions for college students and see if any are right for you:

Live Healthier

Eating better, exercising more, and cutting out bad habits, such as smoking, are common ways many college students planning a healthier lifestyle for the upcoming year. Students who have healthy habits will not only improve their health later in life, but they will also reap immediate benefits. Some of the immediate benefits for you might include feeling better about yourself, becoming ill less often, feeling stressed less frequently, earning better grades, and having an easier time concentrating. Therefore, if your lifestyle could stand some healthy improvements, consider this resolution.

Become Organized

It can be difficult to stay organized when you are living in small spaces and have schedules that change each term. However, being organized with both your time and your living space has many benefits. Being organized can help you feel more in control, reduce your stress level, and can potentially save you money by not having to spend money replacing lost items. If you could be better organized, consider organizing your time or space in the upcoming year.

End Procrastination

It is easy to put off college work in favor of immediate fun. However, when a deadline approaches, choosing fun over work can quickly turn into regret. Working ahead of schedule and setting earlier deadlines for yourself can actually help your retention of facts, reduce stress, and give you the time you need to make improvements to your school work. If you are a procrastinator, consider making a change in this area for the upcoming year.

Clean Up Your Online Profile

Employers frequently research potential employees online to find out more about them. Any foul language, references to drinking, sexy pictures, negative messages about employers, or any other unprofessional behavior might hurt your chances of being hired. Don’t wait until you are in the job market to start thinking about the image you want to project to future employers. As a project for the next year, it may be helpful to search your own name on the Internet and begin to clear up any information that you would not want a potential employer to see.

Be Proactive With Your Future

Whether you plan to attend graduate school or to enter the work force after you graduate college, it is important to plan for the future. It is never too early to learn what skills, grade point averages, and experience you will need to be successful in a competitive job market or in competitive graduate school admissions. In the upcoming year, consider making a plan for the future and research how to be successful.


The beginning of a year is an opportunity for you to reflect on the past and to set new goals for your future. New Year’s resolutions help you define your goals and create a plan to achieve them.