Who doesn’t love the idea of “new year, new me”?
I love it because each new year represents new beginnings. So whenever a new calendar year rolled around, I would set various resolutions, including those specific to Polytechnic life in hopes of achieving a better version of my Poly self.
Here are 3 Poly specific new year resolutions I put into practice when I was in Poly.
1. To be more open-minded when making friends.
After facing multiple friendship setbacks in the past, my tendency was to stick with an exclusive group of friends for a sense of security.
However, after falling out with my clique–the group of friends I thought were the ones who would give me a sense of security—I decided to be more open minded in making friends by taking the time and initiative to get to know others.
This change wasn’t comfortable, but it made me form unexpected friendships and build a rapport with my classmates!
One of the unexpected friendships I made in Poly was when my coursemates organised a trip to Taiwan and opened up an invitation for all in my course to join.
Everyone was from the same class except me so I was not familiar with any of them before the trip. Nonetheless, I took the leap of faith and really enjoyed my time with them. I also became close friends with two of them!
Nearing graduation, my lecturers gathered the whole batch in a hall and encouraged us to thank our coursemates who have impacted our lives in one way or another.
I was pleasantly surprised to have so many people coming up to me, hugging me and thanking me for various reasons like being a supportive friend and even for more specific matters such as helping them on a particular occasion.
I have carried this mindset of being more open-minded to my University life and I often find myself forging unexpected friendships once again!
First impressions or what you hear from others is not always accurate, so I encourage you to head out and start getting to know others!
Making friends in large groups often intimidates me. If you feel the same, you can start small by getting to know others in a one-on-one setting. It is more manageable and can even boost your self-confidence when you experience small wins in friendships!
2. To enjoy myself and care less about GPA
I once visited a family doctor and he described me as a chiongster. My friends can all attest to my hustle and I was giving myself a lot of pressure to maintain my good grades and to get into a local University.
Stress is just like a double-edged sword. While a healthy level of stress can serve as a source of motivation, too much of it can affect our physical, emotional and mental health.
There were many occasions where I lost my appetite, became increasingly irritable and had many negative thoughts because I was so stressed out over school.
Learning to relax allowed me to process my learning and enjoy my time in Poly!
Of course I was still worried about my grades and future, but I learnt to stop fretting about it 24/7 and took a chill pill.
I did not want to let my GPA define me, nor did I want my three short years in Poly to be filled with constant anxiety.
A good support system, coupled with emotional self regulation helped me tide through my anxious moments.
Now that I’ve graduated, I can truly attest that more often than not, GPA is just a number that helps you enter a University course or land your first job.
I know GPA might mean the world to you now, but most of my friends are doing just fine in life even though they didn’t graduate with the best GPA.
My friends in University are pursuing a range of degrees from industrial design to speech therapy. Those working are also in various vocations like property and insurance agents, dancers, journalists and air stewardesses.
One of my coursemates who was just an average student then, has even recently bought a car!
This simply goes to show that opportunities are endless! Don’t be overly fixated on your GPA that you lose out on the myriad of possibilities.
The world is truly your oyster (not a cliche), and your grades should never define you, unless you give it the power to.
3. Create a memorable Poly experience.
When I first entered Poly, I wanted a vibrant Poly life. I joined CCAs, went on competitions and embarked on overseas school trips.
While this resolution might sound exciting and fun, there were times I struggled to step out of my comfort zone to try out new things. In those moments, I felt that my experiences were less enjoyable than they could have been.
An instance was a student exchange trip to Chiang Mai University that I embarked on in Year 2. It was a 5-week long exchange programme where Thai students from the University would come over to Singapore for 3 weeks, while we went over to Chiang Mai for 2 weeks.
One of the reasons I signed up for this exchange trip was to expand my network and meet Poly students from other courses. Sadly, I never really fit into any friend group despite my best efforts. I was really lonely and in low spirits throughout the trip, anxiously counting down to the day we would return back to Singapore.
While the trip was a sour experience for me, I got to try new things like visiting a paddy field inside a University and eating silkworms for the first time. I also made friends with the Thai students and enjoyed their hospitality!
The point is, all these experiences—both the good and the bad—made up my Poly journey and to a certain extent, made me who I am today!
Dare to try new things while you can and don’t let fear hold you back!
Don’t be fooled by how simple I made it all sound. It is always easier said than done.
These 3 resolutions were executed (not to perfection) with a fair share of challenges over a period of time.
While we are always hopeful to accomplish the new year resolutions we set, the ultimate victory comes through the process of change, growth and self discovery.
So don’t be too hard on yourselves, and trust me, life will turn out just fine!
