Goal Setting
Every year around this time, we start seeing these "New year, New Me" posts. The most common new years resolutions for people are to lose weight, exercising more or eat better.
Many times, by February or March, these goals are thrown to the wayside in favor of habit or familiarity. One of the main reasons these don’t work out is that our goals aren’t set with specific actions in mind.
This is why SMART goals are so important. For those not familiar with SMART goals, they follow this format:
S-Specific
M-Measurable
A-Achievable
R-Relevant
T-Time-Bound
This is a good guideline for achieving your goals, because it helps you to really think through not just WHAT you want to accomplish, but HOW and WHEN. This model is actually a perfect fit for school-related goals because most schools operate as semesters, so you already have the T checked off. So take a look at your schedule, see what classes you have, internships, or even your extracurricular activities. Sit down and think about, 4 months from now, what do you want to get out of each activities? How will you go about doing that? How will you measure your progress (again school is a great example because you get a grade), and also how will you overcome setbacks (like a dreaded C on a midterm).
This is also a good chance to look forward to your summer and begin preparing. You know your ultimate goal is to graduate, so think about what experiences you can do to make sure you get into the college you want to. What internships or fellowships are out there that can contribute to your skills? Are there summer programs that help to prepare high school students for college? What are the requirements, and what are you missing? What can you do this semester to ensure you get a spot in that program? These are just a few questions you can ask yourself to get started.
Try setting a SMART goal for something that is important to you, whether that’s getting all As, becoming class president, or landing that dream internship. If you need help with this, don't hesitate to schedule a consult with us so we can help you determine your future.
https://www.aiuniv.edu/degrees/business/articles/smart-goals-for-college-students
Share on our FB page what your goals are for this semester or year!
Share it with us on the Facebook page!