It’s not only a new year but also a new school semester. Move aside those New Year’s resolutions and start thinking about this semester’s goals. Ask yourself then what is it you want to achieve this semester. What is that you want out of this semester? Do you want to reach for a 4.0? Or do you want to get more involved on campus? Those are the kind of questions that run through my head when setting goals for this semester.
When starting to come up with your goals, make sure they are reachable. Meaning, they are realistic goals. Anything can be reached with determination and hard work but it is not always good to overwork yourself to reach an unrealistic goal. Now some of these goals might depend on what and how you did last semester. What do YOU want to do differently this semester?
For example, I did okay last semester but I know I can do better. So starting from there, I plan to reach a 3.0 GPA by the end of this semester. That is realistic for me because I know I can do that. Setting the bar too high on reaching a 4.0 is something I know I may not achieve, not because I cannot do it, but maybe I have other things that need my attention.
Get a piece of paper and pen and really think about these goals. Try to play it out in your mind if that is realistic enough for you. Do as many as you want or focus on one main goal. If you are unsure if they are good enough, just ask yourself if they are relevant and be specific. What is it you really want to achieve this semester? Is it getting everything done so you can graduate on time? Or how about actually graduating?
Then, once you have some down, set a date for when you want them completed by. Say, for my goal, I want it completed by the time I finish my last final. That way the goal will be done before semester grades come out. If you’re graduating this semester, depending on what your goals are, one date could be for the day you graduate. Or it also could be by stop date or even finals week. Just give yourself enough time to actually be able to complete the goal. You won’t get good grades by tomorrow or even next week so just figure out what works for you.
It doesn’t matter what your goals will end up being because they are what you want to strive for. They are what you are aspiring to get out of this semester. Good luck and have an amazing semester!