FOR MANY Koreans, March is the month of new beginnings. Spring starts working its magic in its mysterious ways, implicitly suggesting that it is never too late to renew un-kept New Year's resolutions. Forget the past two months; they were merely a warm up. The new beginning starts from March.

  This phenomenon is painstakingly clear in Korea for one simple reason - March is the beginning of the new school year. Proud mothers of aspiring seven-year-old future prodigies accompany their children to the first day of their academic lives. The same goes for the many students across the peninsula who start middle and high school for the first time. The tension and nervousness that students starting their final year of high school feel can only be imagined - or remembered.

  However, it can be said without ado that the biggest new step taken is by students starting their first days of university. In Korea, the distance in time between high school and university may only be a year, but socially it is equivalent to flying from Earth to the moon. Social statuses change drastically and upon entering university, everything is allowed. Many previously prohibited acts, such as drinking, smoking, clubbing and so on, are suddenly deemed "legal".

  Extreme changes can make one vulnerable to making regrettable choices. While true that one "learns from their own mistakes", life is also too short to simply gain from past errors. So what are some plans that newcomers to Yonsei can make? The Yonsei Annals suggests planning an extensive travel plan for the summer holidays. Though it may seem far too early, it is in fact always a good idea to start planning ahead. As Sir Francis Bacon once said: "Scientia est Potential"; that is, "Knowledge is Power." The more you know, the stronger you become. Innate knowledge from thorough research will lead to deeper insight, and that deeper insight will duly become one of the biggest treasures in life.

  Many students dream of backpacking over the continent with their best friends. And why wouldn't they? Why not make that romantic plan become a reality by jotting down some concrete ideas. After all, the Annals are here to help out.