September—dreaded by some, loved by others and inevitable for all college students. It marks the beginning of the school year and all of the excitement and worries that accompany it.

September also symbolizes a fresh start for first-year college students who are beginning a new part of their lives and another try for veteran Tommies who want to make changes to their habits over the next year. Psychology Today’s 2014 Awareness Calendar calls September self-awareness and self-improvement month. Thus, this is the best time to identify what aspects you want to adjust this year and to set realistic goals to accomplish these changes.

Thinking about college as a whole and who you want to become can be a daunting task, so let’s break it down. Instead of sitting for hours and trying to answer questions like, “Who am I?” “What do I want to accomplish in my four years of college?” or “What kind of person do I want to become?,” a simpler method is to become more self-aware and create small steps to approach your intended goals. The easiest part about it is that you have already been developing self-awareness since you were about 18 months old.

Remember that one time in high school when “your friend” fell over in the middle of a crowd of people trying to do the jerk at a party? That moment, along with all of those awkward encounters at middle school dances and the peer pressure you felt to act or look a certain way in high school, actually helped you develop public self-awareness. You started to become aware of how others see you. The good news is that those embarrassing moments are all in the past … hopefully.

Now that you are a legal adult, you can focus on private self-awareness and figuring out how you feel about yourself and the things that you are involved in. Becoming more aware of maintaining self-confidence — rather than self-consciousness — can help you pinpoint what you want to improve about yourself during this school year.

But how can you improve yourself without altering everything about you?

Your college self should be like constructing a remodel; you may fix necessary things here and there or spruce things up once in a while, but this isn’t an episode of “Flip This House.”

You can work on both self-awareness and self-improvement by getting involved in things that interest you. Try something new or different — you may learn more about yourself. Identifying with other people who have similar interests will spark your passion.

Figuring out what you want to get involved in can be tricky at first because it’s hard to be aware of everything that’s out there. During my freshman year, I decided to join the scuba club. Without having any prior knowledge about scuba diving or even the strongest swimming skills, I attended a few meetings. Even though I decided not to continue with the certification program, it was still interesting for me to learn more about the club. Setting tangible goals like taking an interesting class or joining a new club can be a good way to become more well-rounded this year.

The first step I would take to further self-awareness and self-improvement is checking out the clubs St. Thomas has to offer at the Fall Activity Fair on Tuesday in the John P. Monahan Plaza.

Claire Noack can be reached at noac8702@stthomas.edu.