Whether it\u2019s a new workout routine, a commitment to spending more time spent on hobbies or a vow against procrastination, the beginning of 2026 marks an opportunity to start fresh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As the spring semester begins, students are planning how they want to refresh their lifestyles with New Year\u2019s resolutions.<\/p>\n
Eyad Alhammad, a first-year neuroscience student, decided to make a resolution for the first time this year thanks to the encouragement of his friends and family. Alhammad believes his resolution to start journaling will help him organize his study habits to achieve his academic goals.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to try and study at least 10 hours every week, block out distractions and [not] skip class,\u201d Alhammad said.<\/p>\n
Many students see the new year as an opportunity to improve study habits. Owen Woodworth, a first-year exercise science student, plans to focus more on schoolwork by reevaluating his time management and organizational skills.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to try and decrease my screen time and actually make a schedule for myself every day,\u201d Woodworth said. \u201cIt\u2019s important to stick to your goals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emma Hsu, a first-year pre-med student, is also focused on her academic goals in 2026. She wants to pass chemistry by increasing her use of Pitt\u2019s academic resources<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s my only goal. If I pass, all is well,\u201d Hsu said. \u201cI\u2019m going to watch TikTok videos, go to office hours and get tutors.\u201d<\/p>\n Hsu believes the best way to maintain resolutions is to \u201ccommit to the bit\u201d with the help of friends.<\/p>\n \u201cTell other people what you\u2019re going to do, so you have accountability,\u201d Hsu said.<\/p>\n Sophie Larson, a first-year neuroscience and psychology student, also wants to take full advantage of student resources this year. She plans to seek internship advice at the Career Center<\/a> and take free fitness classes at the new Recreation and Wellness Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to preemptively plan and stay on top of my goals during the semester instead of waiting until the end,\u201d Larson said. \u201cNow is the hardest time, but it\u2019s the most important to set goals.\u201d<\/p>\n The beginning of the year also marks a popular time to start a new hobby or dedicate more time to revisiting old ones. Adrina Smith, a first-year neuroscience student, plans to focus on her artistic goals.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to draw more, and I want to post my art [online] more frequently,\u201d Smith said. \u201cIn 2025, I told myself I would draw more. I kind of did, but I didn\u2019t do it as much as I wanted to.\u201d<\/p>\n Maintaining a New Year\u2019s resolution for 12 months can seem overwhelming to some, but students like Smith believe progress is not always linear.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can always restart,\u201d Smith said.\n<\/p>\n Lilia Wonders, a first-year public policy student, wants to dedicate time to making new friends in 2026. However, she believes the goals students make in January may not serve them throughout the entire year.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t think your goals [have] to be for the entire year \u2014 split it into sections,\u201d Wonders said. \u201cYou can always switch your goals up.\u201d<\/p>\n Other students like Owen Boring, a first-year accounting student, want to reprioritize their fitness. Boring aims to improve his golfing skills this year through consistent planning and practice.<\/p>\n \u201cLast semester, I was getting my footing, so I know the drill now,\u201d Boring said.<\/p>\n Students are also seeking ways to balance the stress of schoolwork with improved mental health practices in the new year. Summer Lucks, a sophomore biochemistry student, wants to stop procrastinating and be mindful of where she spends her energy.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to waste energy on things I can\u2019t control,\u201d Lucks said. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to be consistent, but just focus on the first two weeks [of practicing a healthy behavior], and then it becomes a habit.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Natalie Cimochowski, a first-year marketing major, believes that it is important for students to find self-motivation to keep up with their goals as the year progresses. Cimochowski is finding inspiration in the new year to improve her screen time, reading habits and financial awareness.<\/p>\n \u201cIn 2025, I was stuck in the same habits,\u201d Cimochowski said. \u201cThe new year makes me want to rebrand.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Whether it\u2019s a new workout routine, a commitment to spending more time spent on hobbies or a vow…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":84601,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[2358,42341,18221,42342,73,75,74],"class_list":{"0":"post-84600","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pittsburgh","8":"tag-2358","9":"tag-goals","10":"tag-new-year","11":"tag-new-years-resolutions","12":"tag-pittsburgh","13":"tag-pittsburgh-headlines","14":"tag-pittsburgh-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84600\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}