So I just finished the second week of my third year of college and to be honest, I’m already overwhelmed. Just like high school, Junior year of college has already proven itself to be the hardest of the four. Based on the past two weeks, I can already see that I won’t have time for slacking off. I’ve been trying to get most of my work done during the week so that I can use the weekends solely for rest. Okay, well mostly for rest. In addition to school, I also manage a student organization and have service hours to rack up. Hopefully, I’ll be able to keep my head above water though.

Classes I’m Taking:

1. Organic Chemistry I (w/ lab)
2. Physics II (w/ lab)
3. Social Research Methods
4. Community Engagement Seminar

All of my classes (with the exception of Community Engagement) are hard! I really don’t have to explain the challenge of taking Orgo and Physics at the same time, but research methods thrown into the mix is a whole other story. I’ve got weeks of extensive reading and writing in my future. I lucked out and ended up in the same Orgo section as my boyfriend (guaranteed study partner!), and as for everything else, I’m just taking it one day at a time.

Goals for this Semester:

1. >3.8 GPA!!!
   • I want to strengthen my GPA because 1) med school, 2) I apply to MPH programs next year– will share more about this soon, 3) this should be everyone’s goal
2. Find a healthy work-life balance
   • Ever since last school year, I’ve been intentional about calling home at least once a week. My boyfriend and I spend time in the library during the week, but most of the time we’re working; we’ve decided to dedicate Fridays to us. As far as friends, I live with one of them so I literally see her every day. As for my other friends, we check in on each other in the group chat and plan dates whenever we can. I mentioned above that I try to get most of my work done during the week so I can have free time on the weekends; I’d imagine that I’ll use this time to maintain relationships (and of course, sleep).
3. Get to the gym more often
   • I feel like I say this every semester, and I do end up going, but then I stop lol.
4. Read for fun
   • This is probably going to be a stretch due to all of the *required* readings I have, but we’ll see what happens
5. Lessen social media use
   • Before, I would just delete the apps at the beginning of the week, but I manage the social media for my org and now my job, so there’s just no way. I’m going to try to dedicate certain times during the day for me to check my feeds (I heard this on the Therapy For Black Girls Podcast).

After reading all of this, it’s pretty obvious that this girl is going to be busy for the next 16 weeks or so but I still want to make sure I’m posting content on the blog. I’m planning to post a round-up of all of my favorite podcasts and one on how I stepped outside of my comfort zone. I’m not gonna give a time frame for when they’ll be out because we never know, but keep your eyes peeled!