As we put 2016 behind us and enter 2017, millions of people around the world draft their New Year’s resolutions, a tradition that has been going on for thousands of years. However considering how many of us abandon our resolutions just a few days in, is there any point to this exercise?

Not according to senior Lucy Zheng.

“I don’t really think there’s a point, I feel like they all just kind of fail. I guess there’s the whole new year, new you thing, but nobody really sticks to them so I think they’re kind of pointless,” said Lucy, who had no resolutions this year.

Senior Josh Mosier also didn’t have any resolutions this year, but he took a slightly more optimistic view on the general idea of resolutions.

“I think the idea works for people, like if they can stick to it, but I think most people can’t stick to it. They would like to think they are better people than they are,” said Josh.

But despite the fact that so many of us are unable to succeed at our goals, many people will still set new year’s resolutions, knowing full well they have a low chance of success.

“The end of a year means closure for the majority of people and you feel more compelled to do something if you feel like you’re starting fresh,” said junior Rajshri Dakshi.

In fact, Rajshri was actually able to succeed at the resolution she set for herself last year, which was to stop biting her nails.

However, a University of Scranton study found that only 8% of Americans achieve their resolutions.

“People just get too busy, caught up in other things, life work school, whatever,” said junior Nick Campbell.

Thankfully the study finds that you can increase your chance of success by following 2 simple guidelines.

First you must make our list short, simple and to the point. If you have a long list filled with complex goals, you won’t be able to focus on them.

Second your resolutions should be achievable. Although you may be tempted to promise a complete turnaround of your habits, a small change is better than a large yet unattainable change.

However even using these methods, most people will never fulfill the goals they set for themselves, so many ask themselves if this tradition is still worthwhile.

Nick thinks it is.

“It sets a goal for you, and that makes you more likely to try and achieve something rather than just maybe I’ll do it maybe I won’t,” said Nick.

Sure, we might not actually achieve what we set out to, but that’s not where the benefit of New Year’s resolutions lies. It comes from reminding us that we always have to ability to change our lives, and creating hope for ourselves that this  year can be better than the last.