Setting Goals

Setting tangible and realistic goals can help you throughout life and can be especially helpful as you embark on your academic career. Goal-setting can help you:

• Get the most out of your academic and personal development
• Focus your energy on the opportunities that are most productive and enjoyable for you
• Succeed academically
• Build self-confidence and personal satisfaction
• Improve job prospects and sense of purpose
• Improve mindset and attitude around engaging with others
• Improve health and desire for self-improvement

Without goals it’s easy to:

• Get lost in opportunities and possibilities
• Waste time and end up not accomplishing anything
• Lose focus and become overcommitted or completely overwhelmed
• Not reach your full academic potential

Questions to consider before setting goals:

• What do you want to achieve?
• Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
• Is this something that you truly want?
• Is your goal important enough to invest hours of time and effort into achieving?
• What matters the most to you right now? Academics? Healthy lifestyle? Relationships?
• Who is there to support you and hold you accountable to reach your goals?

To answer these questions, you need to think carefully about your own values, strengths, challenges and motivating factors. These can include learning challenges, prior experiences, family commitments and more.