(Photo Courtesy of UMass Lowell) Spring semester started January 18th for students at UMass Lowell.

Sabrina Monteiro
Connector Contributor

Everyone is going to experience the new year differently. Whether you chose to take the difficult classes your first semester or saved them for the current one because you did not want to deal with it at the time, there is really no telling how it will go. I would like to believe that I am good at knowing the turnout based on the first week of classes, but the truth is we really do not know, do we? You cannot always expect the unexpected however, I do believe that there are certain strategies you can partake in to help you in the process.

Although I have not been living on campus for very long, I feel that as a sophomore, I have still learned a thing or two about how to make the semester less stressful and overall the college experience more enjoyable.

For starters, how you set up your schedule for classes is vital. Personally I have felt that by prioritizing required courses that do not particularly interest me first, followed by one or two classes for my major and minor, creates a great balance. To give you a better idea, I am a journalism major, so I have to fulfill a language requirement. Since I have chosen to take two years of a language, I will have fulfilled that requirement by the end of this semester. In addition, I have a science-based class requirement. I only have one class left to fulfill it since I started taking these classes early on my freshmen year. All of this is to say that this method worked in my favor because even if I had to deal with classes I did not like, I had the other classes to look forward to at the same time. It also gives me a free head space to focus solely on the classes I care about for the next upcoming semesters.

Aside from schoolwork, self-care is just as important, if not more. I take much needed time for myself whenever possible, and many people may see this as a selfish act when it really is not. There is nothing wrong with putting your own needs before others. The way I see it, how are you going to help someone else if you cannot manage to help yourself? In the long run, it does not benefit you or the other person.

Although I have always prioritized myself, this semester I have learned to do so even more. Last semester, I may have exercised and ate healthy but never consistently. I also did not sleep very much because I would have rather stayed up doing homework late and talking to my friends then getting a good night sleep. This semester however, I decided to improve in all of these areas. I now have a consistent healthy diet and exercising routine, in addition to sleeping at least eight hours a day, completing all of my assignments, working, and maintaining a social life. As a result I have found myself feeling happier from the moment I wake up, to the end of the day, not to mention my clearer skin too.

I am a planner. From setting off at least five alarms a day, to having constant reminders on my phone, and occasionally writing down a to-do list for each day, it impacts my life tremendously. It may sound really extra, but it works for me. Again, everyone is different, but I highly suggest you try it before you assume I have control issues.

The main takeaway though is not that you need to have a gym or dietary regime. Having a routine is the focus, so the point is to make that schedule. Try it out for a few days and see how it goes. You may be surprised by the results. But then again what do I know, I am only a sophomore.