With this post, I experienced my first major blogging fail, and I need to rant for a second. I spent over an hour writing this post and editing it. I was doing a final read-through before posting and wanted to make sure a link I added was working. I clicked on the link, and instead of opening in a new tab, it opened in the tab I was writing in. When I clicked the back arrow to return to my post, ALL of my work was gone. Sigh. I searched my browser history, Google, and even asked ChatGPT how to recover my work. Sadly, it is gone forever. Lesson learned: always always always draft posts in an external application that automatically saves. Time to write this blog post again…here we go…take 2!

Thoughts on my Final Semester

A lot of people have asked me recently, “How do you feel about it being your last semester?!” It is difficult to sum up how I feel, as there are so many feelings all at once and it changes from day to day. However, an accurate way to describe this time is bittersweet. Simultaneously, I feel excited, nervous, sad, grateful, joyful, content, hopeful, and more. I am excited to complete my final semester of undergraduate studies. I am nervous about the uncertainty of my plans following graduation. I am sad to be wrapping up this chapter of my life. I am grateful for all of the amazing friends and professors I have met who have made my undergrad years worthwhile. I am joyful about the little mundane moments I experience each day. I am content with where I am at and the progress I have made in college, both academically and personally. I am hopeful for the future.

My (almost) four years at Vanderbilt have gone by so quickly. I know that this semester will also fly by, especially if I am not living presently and intentionally. In the past, there have been times when it felt like I was simply going through the motions of school. There have also been times when I was caught up in the past or so focused on the future that I forgot about the present. With this being my last semester at Vanderbilt, I do not want to live passively. Rather, I want to be intentional about how I spend my remaining time at Vanderbilt and in Nashville.

Here are 10 ways I am going to make this semester my best semester yet!

How I’m Making Spring ‘24 My Best Semester

1. Get to Know My New Professors (and Check In with Past Professors)

One of my regrets from freshman and sophomore year was not putting in the extra effort to get to know my professors. Though I would occasionally attend office hours, that was not enough to get to know them well. Professors have a lot going on and often have many students. Showing up to class isn’t always enough to stand out. I’ve found that making an effort to go to office hours, ask questions, and be curious about their academic journeys is key to forming stronger relationships with professors. The professors at Vanderbilt are all very inspiring and there is so much to learn from them. I have loved getting to hear about their experiences, their research, and what they enjoy outside of school. This final semester, I am going to make the effort to get to know all of my professors. Additionally, I would like to check in with professors from past semesters who have had a significant impact on me. I would love to chat with them or write notes of appreciation before I graduate this spring.

2. Focus on Research

This semester, I have a lot of exciting research-related things on deck! I am (hopefully) publishing a first-author paper, and I am also completing an honors thesis on urbanization’s impact on birdsong. Both of these will require a lot of time and energy, but I am super excited to see them through. I plan to finish my undergraduate research career strong by doing my absolute best on these projects. Since my course load is a bit lighter this semester, I am optimistic that I will be able to dedicate the time needed for high quality work.

3. Stay Ahead of Work to Reduce Stress

I have definitely been on both sides of the time management spectrum: being ahead of my work by several days OR scrambling to get work done right before it’s due. I know some people thrive under pressure, but I definitely prefer having my work done early. I want to minimize stress from schoolwork this semester so that I can fully enjoy other areas of my life. The way to do this (in my opinion) is to stay ahead of work by a day or two using time management strategies and staying organized.

4. Take Advantage of Vanderbilt’s Resources and Facilities

One of the biggest perks of being a college student is having access to the wealth of resources and facilities at your university. During my time at Vanderbilt, I’ve been able to receive “free” tutoring, receive additional instruction from professors through office hours, attend fun programming events, get Vanderbilt merch, and work out at the rec center. Through taking some extra initiative, I’ve been able to take music lessons, study abroad for a month, enroll in courses that travel abroad for spring break, get student discounts at various places, go to therapy, and more. These resources are there, it just takes some extra searching and effort. I plan to continue using these resources in my final semester because why not?! It’s a no-brainer. These resources are usually built in to the university’s cost of attendance, so you should take advantage of them. Definitely look into the resources available at your university if you’re a student reading this!

5. Make Plans with Friends

As someone who is more introverted, I thrive off of chill nights at home. I am very content spending time with myself (e.g. cozying up with an enticing book or a good show). However, I realize that time with friends is limited. After we graduate, we will rarely all be in the same place at the same time. While that makes me sad, it also motivates me to be extra intentional about making plans. This semester, I am challenging myself to reach out to friends more often about meeting up for lunch, doing fun activities around Nashville, planning small weekend getaways, trying out new restaurants, and more.

6. Say “Yes” More Often

This goes along with my last point of spending more time with friends. In the past, there have been times when I declined social plans if I felt especially drained. Alternatively, if my schedule was busy, I would occasionally turn down plans to ensure I had “me” time. While I do believe in resting and recharging, I want to be more spontaneous and say “yes” to plans. If my friends randomly want to go to Cook Out at midnight, let’s do it! If they want to take a small weekend getaway somewhere, let’s go! The schoolwork can wait and will get done eventually. Time with community and friends, however, can’t always be delayed. Therefore, it is going to be more of a priority this semester.

7. Capture Moments

Historically, I have been terrible at remembering to take pictures, videos, and other mementos. When I look at my camera roll, there aren’t as many pictures of good times with friends, campus, Nashville, or day-to-day life as I would like. While I am relatively good at documenting my life through daily journaling, having the visual pictures and videos would be an excellent addition. One way I have done this is through a TikTok vlog I made that highlights the first day of this semester. Years from now, I anticipate that I’ll be very grateful to my past self for capturing this special time of my life. In order to have that content, I simply need to take more photos and videos :p

8. Prioritize Physical and Mental Health

I have noticed that I am at my best when I am taking care of my physical and mental health. Woah, what a crazy concept! Though these two areas of health are unarguably important, there have been times in college when I neglected them. Freshman and sophomore year especially, I put my academic, extracurricular, and social commitments first. However, this sometimes led to exhaustion, both physically and mentally. Beginning junior year, I started to prioritize physical and mental health more, and my quality of life noticeably improved! I started strength training last year to get stronger, and it has been rewarding to see the progress I have made. As far as mental health goes, I give myself time to relax and unwind. Additionally, I journal, read self-improvement books, and work with professionals to improve my mental and emotional well-being. I have learned a lot about myself through these types of reflection. I would recommend!

9. Continue Working on Self-Growth

Engaging with self-growth is extremely fulfilling for me, so focusing on it will make this semester even better. More specifically, I am working toward being more confident, more independent, and building my relationships with others. This connects to something I read about recently in the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. Covey argues that highly effective people are interdependent with others. This means that they are independent but also are connected to others and are able to rely on others in a healthy way. Many people mistake independence as the ultimate goal, when in reality, humans are social beings that need a community to thrive. Interdependent individuals are strong on their own but they can become even stronger by working with others and playing to the strengths of those in their circle (while still maintaining their sense of self). Interdependence is something I am working toward; however, I have to continue solidifying my independence. This involves having more self-confidence, knowing what I want and going for it, and taking initiative.

10. Create a Bucket List

Coming from a relatively small town, I have really enjoyed being in Nashville for college. While I have been able to visit many places during my time here, there are still a few spots I am wanting to check out before I graduate. In order to check these off, I thought it would be fun to create a bucket list of things to do and places to visit before graduation. This includes restaurants, coffee shops, nature trails, fun activities, sporting events, etc. Right now, my bucket list is stored in my head, but I may write it out to get a concrete list. Stay tuned on my blog - I may share my bucket list once I finalize it!

Closing Thoughts

There you have it, 10 ways I am going to make this my best semester yet! I was going to post this toward the start of the semester, but as I mentioned at the beginning, my writing got erased right before I was about to post :( Since then, school picked up, so I have slowly been rewriting the post. Alas, it is now mid-February, but it is finally complete! If you are a student or in academia, how are you going to make Spring 2024 your best semester?