Many students resolve to improve physical fitness during the new year, but others plan to shape up on financial and academic fitness too.
Klint Hobbs, staff psychologist and outreach coordinator at Texas Tech's Student Counseling Center, said people make resolutions to improve the quality of their lives.
"Usually it comes from some aspect of their lives they feel like they need to change," he said. "College itself is a goal-oriented place. There's always an assignment to do or test to take. I think resolutions are normally effort related. (Students) are not resolving to be smarter, but to work harder."
Hobbs said the most successful resolutions are those involving specific goals, such as studying three hours per day or bringing a lunch from home.
Jared Herrera, a personal financial planning doctoral candidate from Las Vegas, Nev., who advises students through Tech's Red to Black program, said many students view financial resolutions as a one-time event instead of an ongoing process.
"It's more than creating a budget," he said. "Taking baby steps along the way can help get students organized."
Herrera said students who want to improve their spending habits should look at the "extras" that can be cut from their daily routine.
"Look at needs versus wants," he said. "What are your necessities? Do you need to go to Starbucks four times a week? Can you brew coffee at home?"
Creating a budget and sticking to it can be difficult, Herrera said, but not every person who struggles seeks professional advice.
"There's a good amount of people who need help," he said, "and it's nothing to be embarrassed about."
Sean Kelley, coordinator for The Learning Center at Tech, said much stress could be avoided if students sought help with problems early.
"Do the tutoring early in the semester and talk to someone about time management early," he said. "Going after the fact is almost too late. Cramming doesn't work well."
He said last minute studying often means eating poorly and sleeping less, which increases stress.
The Learning Center, which is part of Tech's Programs for Academic Support Services, provides students with a wide variety of services designed to increase students' academic effectiveness, Kelley said. Learning to leave enough time to study and learning how to study during the allotted time allows for more free time to pursue other extracurricular activities.
"Some students don't realize how much they should be studying and allowing time for that," he said.
Kelley said most academic advisers recommend studying for two hours for every hour spent in class.
"If (students) are not good planners," he said, "they need to go talk to someone who is - whether it's a fellow student or someone at the PASS center."
The Learning Center provides academic skill advisement - which includes help with studying, note-taking and time management - to any student who seeks its services. He said free peer tutoring also is available, and a list of classes for which the center offers tutoring can be found on the center's Web site.
The center also offers online tutoring. Kelley said students could log in using their eRaider account name and password and receive help via chat, which includes a whiteboard tool to allow for problems that require more than text.
The benefit of talking with an academic or peer adviser includes one-on-one discussions about balancing schedules and study habits, he said. Placing limits on activities such as browsing Facebook or MySpace can increase the amount of time available for assignments and studying.
"Getting started early helps reduce the stress," Kelley said. "You don't have to freak out about it later."
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