“New Year, new me?” Some Aggies remain unconvinced.

When asked about their New Year’s resolutions, Aggies had different reactions. Some cited anytime as an opportunity for change. Others felt driven by the turning of the calendar, coinciding as it does with the new semester. Yet another camp, those regular gym-goers who feel some type of way about a crowded gym, might even call those resolutions futile.

At the School of Law in Fort Worth, law students displayed varying perspectives. 2L Faris Babineaux does not particularly believe in the efficacy of such endeavors.

“Expect nothing. You’ll never be disappointed that way,” Babineaux said. “I’m more of a dabbler. I get kind of bored of things and move on.”

Babineaux said that this is a matter of personal temperament, citing a friend as an example.

“One of my roommates, if he commits to something at that point, he’ll stick with it forever,” Babineaux said. “I usually just kind of go with the flow. I mean, if it happens to work out then great. If not, then I just do my own thing and make it work.”

3L Hayley Polk said she echoes Babineaux’s statements. Polk believes change can happen at any time, whereas resolutions usually recede as the year wears on.

“If you want to see real results, you’re going to have to change your lifestyle, not just for the month of January,” Polk said.

Polk said one lifestyle change was executed when she entered law school, rather than with the start of the new year.

“Law school really taught me how to think differently, how to schedule my priorities and prioritize in order to be successful,” Polk said. “In order to be successful, I had to pick up traits of a successful law student.”

Polk said she does not discount the symbolic significance of the new year for others, however.

“If I want to change, I just have to pull up my bootstraps and make a change,” Polk said. “And that can happen at any time, but for others, the New Year can be a symbol of starting fresh, a new beginning, closing doors on old habits.”

A believer among nonbelievers, 2L Mallory McPherson said she had high hopes for the new year. She was recently named a note & comment editor on The Texas A&M Law Review. McPherson said her resolution is to discover herself beyond being a student.

“I feel like in law school, I’ve lost a little bit of who I was before, because of how much work I put into school, and how much time I’ve put into it,” McPherson said. “I feel like I don’t know as much about myself outside of being a law student, getting good grades and working hard.”

This year, McPherson said she wants to focus on her mental and physical health through exercise, diet, practicing mindfulness and reading for leisure. She even started a book club with old friends.

“Currently, we’re reading ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo,’” McPherson said. “Even though I’m not thinking about myself, I’m talking with people who aren’t associated with law school, nothing about law school and being able to dive deep into something that is interesting and think about topics that are novel and unique.”

Even though she may not always achieve her resolutions, McPherson still believes in their efficacy.

“It sets me on the right path and helps me to adopt more healthy habits,” McPherson said.

In this regard, Babineaux and McPherson are in congruence. Though a nonbeliever, Babineaux said he did have one resolution for 2023.

“I just want to be better than I was last year,” Babineaux said. “So far, I’ve kept that one for the past few years.”