While going into my senior year at the University of Hartford, I find myself trying to give those younger than me advice about how to live life.

I’ve seen great years at college and I’ve also seen some pretty lousy ones as well.

The one line I always find myself saying out loud is: “I wish I would have stayed on track like I was on the start of the semester.”

There is nothing worse than starting the semester on top and finishing on the bottom.

When you start to feel yourself getting lazy and a paper where you should have gotten an ‘A’ came back as a ‘C,’ then it’s time to reevaluate where your semester is headed.

There are some easy ways to insure that each semester you gave your absolute best.

The No. 1 rule is don’t ruin your routine midway through the semester.

If you are the type of person who needs to lay everything out for the week, then don’t stop doing it until finals week.

If you are more of a messy person, but know how to keep your life in order, just keep doing it.

Changing halfway through the semester will only confuse your brain on the responsibilities you have ahead.

If you’ve already been at the University of Hartford, then hopefully you know what works best for you to keep everything intact for the semester.

If you’re an incoming freshman, this will be the make-it or break-it of insuring you have a successful year.

Jump into your routine even during syllabus week. Wasting time is very visible and teachers can see it and I can promise your grades will show it.

Don’t be worried if the first attempt of making a plan doesn’t work.

It takes time to figure out what works best for an individual, but don’t give up.

I’ve seen it happen to my peers and even myself. Giving up in the semester is so common and so much easier than you would think.

The worst part is that slacking in and out class effects your other classes, it’s the worst case of a domino effect.

Even if it is the easiest class, don’t think you can just skip assignments, treat it as if it’s your hardest class and give it all you’ve got.

The final piece of advice that I’ve got for you is to have fun while you are on top of your studies. It’s very easy to give up when you haven’t had any time for yourself.

Give yourself time to goof around and get away from responsibilities, make time for yourself when making your schedule.

It’ll make everything easier and take the pressure off of your exams and paper and maybe help motivate you a little more.

My mom tells me it’s important to “work hard and play hard.” I thought it was weird coming from my mom’s mouth, but as I got older it’s one of the best pieces of advice I’ve received.

Balance is everything in college, and don’t be afraid to search for what works best for you. Good luck in the up and coming year everyone.