As ever in the sixthsensemag office we're concerned about changes in education, watching as it is shaped and reshaped, considering the effect of those alterations on students. The coming year will see more changes in the way education is viewed, used and funded. With financial restrictions and academic restructuring on the student's horizon, we see new changes and new pressures for you to take into account as you plan for the next academic year.

But also, as is traditional at this time of year, we turn our minds to you as individuals returning to the second term of your courses and it strikes us as strange and interesting, the way the New Year begins in the second term of the academic year.

Strange because the academic 'new year' is well under way; you've done your worrying about what the future might hold, whether it was the change in technique from GCSE to AS level, the change of pressure from AS to A2, the choices you have made for the future. Academically, it's not a new year, it's just another term.

But, of course, those worries continue to be with you as the second term starts, along with all the other concerns of student life. What made us stop and think, while browsing all the New Year Resolution pieces in the media, was the thought that in Education each new term is a 'new year', another chance to address the problems and worries, disappointments and challenges which we all face.

Interesting because these challenges aren't about resolutions, which we've all been making and breaking since age seven (not biting your nails/telling fibs/pinching your sister... ), but about the very serious subjects behind them; friends, family, your health, your future - Your Life.

There may not be another period of your life where so many apparently life-altering decisions and situations are thrust on you in such quick succession as the time between choosing your AS level subjects and sitting your A2s. In the midst of the decision-making, it can be hard to stay calm and focussed, and to find time to make adjustments and improvements.

But one term into this academic year with your choices set, your routines established, your grades predicted, are you where you want to be? If you look closely at life last term, in school/college, at home and elsewhere, might there be one change you could make which would make a difference? No exhaustive lists, just one point of focus - this could range from changing how you use a couple of hours a week to accepting that you can't deal with a challenge alone and asking for help .

There are nearly always second chances in life, and certainly in education, and the start of a new year is the perfect time to start making things go your way. Okay, so the whole world doesn't revolve around you, allegedly. But this is your life and maybe you do just get the one, so now would be a really good time to remind yourself of how much you've achieved so far, of what's good, and of what could be better ...

Then make that one small change, and enjoy the difference it brings. Have a Happy New Year.