January is over and so are some of New Year’s resolutions made by hopeful people around the world, including many college students.
According to a 2024 study by Pew Research, resolutions are most often made by young adults, with 49% of adults aged 18 to 29 making at least one resolution.
However, most give up on these goals as unrealistic resolutions prove too hard to accomplish, with 28% of people saying they have kept some of their resolutions and 13% keeping none, according to Pew.
That’s also true for students at the University of Arizona.
“I find it easy to create these goals, you know, I got a big vision for myself, but there’s only so much I can do with my time and my energy,” said Leila Miller, a junior studying mathematics.
Miller said her goals often come naturally, rather than being a list she sets in the new year, and her academic goals often become first priority.
She also said her goals need to be realistic and also work in harmony with the other obligations within her life, something she struggled with last semester with her goal of getting all As.
“It took me some time to be okay with not meeting that goal, because I really had to recognize that I had a lot going on, and it is not the end of the world,” she said.
The Thrive Center offers a variety of free resources, including peer mentoring, financial wellness, and events geared towards specific underrepresented groups.
UA programs with goal setting
The university offers programs and resources to help students avoid common pitfalls when it comes to goal-making.
The Thrive Center’s peer mentoring program is meant to assist students in a variety of areas, from financial wellness to academic success.
Stella Blumer, a junior, is a peer mentor, meeting with first-year students on a biweekly basis.
Students’ goals range widely depending on personal needs and often change as their first year goes on.
Many students start the spring semester, just after the new year, striving to take on more responsibilities or join more clubs, which might not be as realistic depending on their schedule or work ethic, Blumer said.
“Their success is defined by them, right? So whatever they want to achieve is what we’re gonna try to help them get to reasonably,” she said.
The Thrive Center is located within the first floor of the Bartlett Academic Success Center.
Students both need to get involved but also find their limitations, she said. Making these goals only for themselves, not by comparison to or for somebody else, is important.
The university’s LifeLab can also help with career advancement and general academic wellness, including goal-setting.
Kiara Pineda, a LifeLab guide, said she encounters many students who need help breaking down big goals into smaller, more achievable steps. They often come in overwhelmed, using classmates as comparisons.
“I really see that most students feel like being in college means that they have to have it all figured out, and that’s just not how it works,” Pineda said.
Student’s goals should be as easy as possible, she said. She works with the student to uncover what they want to do and develop plans and goals from those desires.
“I really encourage students to just jump in. Sometimes it is really hard to like, search for help, but we really try to make it as comfortable and as lowkey as possible,” she said.
The LifeLab center is open every weekday from 12pm-5pm for drop-in appointments.
Although the new year has passed and many resolutions have been left behind, it’s never too late for students to come in and work on goals, she said. And the university has many options to help students along the way.
Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.
