Although it is believed that managing your academic career is the most challenging phase in your life, if we look at it from a different perspective, being a student is the most complex challenge an individual has to go through to achieve desired objectives and, for that matter, to make dreams come true!
Why so? Well, let’s see, because as a student you are:
- Still growing and learning in the prime of your life
- Vulnerable to the inevitable changes that come your way
- Indecisive and uncertain about your interests
- Surrounded by several distractions
- Tremendous competition in every professional arena
- Dealing with constant societal expectations and pressures
The list doesn’t end here. Problems faced by students are a topic for a whole new blog!
But for now, as far as the life of a student is concerned, one way to sail through it is to set goals for yourself. It keeps you in the groove, keeps you moving, and motivated.
Again, setting goals is not an easy task in itself. It requires you to identify and understand your capacity, pace, interests, attention span, retention skills. Students usually struggle in setting their goals and, in the absence of such goals, tend to deviate from their interests in the subjects and hence look for Australian assignment help. But here are a few ideas for what kind of academic goals a college-going student can begin with.
Goals you can begin with and become better by accomplishing them
Reading
One of the basic requirements for a student is to be an interested reader, if not an avid one. You must train your brain to read for at least thirty minutes straight (this being an average of an intellectual). It increases your attention span when you are reading, which helps you stick to a topic with persistence and reading speed, which helps you cover more in less time and build your vocabulary.
For instance, your goals regarding reading could be:
- Read a couple of pages of a novel every day before going to sleep
- Reading the newspaper every day at a set time
- Reading about your favorite sports or any other extracurricular activity and the developments in them.
Loyalty towards a timetable
If you are setting goals for your academic purposes, you must use a timetable to regulate your study sessions and other activities in the day. However, your goal in such situations should be to stay loyal to the timetable you have created. Respecting the timetable would bring a sense of discipline in your life, which is again of great significance when it comes to professionalism and faring well in your respective careers.
Pick up an extracurricular activity or sport
Indulging your mind into an extracurricular activity or any sport is your mental ability to be constantly activated. Once you have had a study session for, say, two to three hours, your mind needs to focus on something entirely different for a certain amount of time to get rejuvenated. You can focus better the next time you sit for studying. Also, research has proved that when you are into a particular sport, your concentration and reflex levels increase, which in turn reflect on your academic performance. This also increases your mind’s exposure to different settings with the environment, helping you build on your adaptability.
From the perspective of a college-going student, here are characteristics of a goal that they need to consider before setting them:
characteristics of a goal
- Time-bound: A goal always has to be time-bound, i.e., it should have a specified deadline. Without a time limit to your goal, it will be as good as a regular day-to-day task that might not garner the extraordinary efforts you put in to achieve its successful completion.
- Relevant: As opposed to the minor goals you began with, the goals for a college student have to be relevant. That is to say that you might have to decide on how much time you would be spending on other activities and studying based on your performance. These goals should be relevant to the subjects you are in full swing in your college. Achieving them should put you in the position you dreamt of in your career objectives.
- Measurable: Goals need to be primarily quantified when it comes to academics. For instance, getting a score above 80 on every subject of your semester. This way, you can evaluate your progress and exactly know how much more effort you need to put in.
- Achievable: goals are neccessary to be realistic. And whether a goal is realistic or not is entirely up to your calculation and review of your academic performance.
Ideal examples of academic goals
Following are the examples of academic goals that possess the above-mentioned characteristics and are ideal for a college-going student!
Achieve and maintain a good CGPA
It is easy to score a good CGPA once, but maintaining it for the remaining semesters and having consistency requires dedication, hard work, and academic assistance from your mentors. You can modify this goal according to the academic environment. Plus, since this is a massive goal regarding its timeline and measurability, you can divide it into smaller goals such as assignment grade goals.
Complete graduation without any extensions
Being a college student requires commitment. You need to be dedicated to your current situation. It can make requirements to achieve your fullest potential. Completing graduation within the prescribed time limit is a straightforward goal that can be easily accomplished by actively and vigilantly participating in your curriculum. Again, this school is relevant in saving your time from any repetitions in your prime of life.
Focus on one degree/course at a time
This is not a goal per se, but it is often advised that you should focus on one degree or coursework which you have opted for at a time. Venturing into different courses will divide your attention and capabilities and have a chance of Luke not performing to your full potential. Although when it comes to multitaskers and overachievers, this is not a goal they would want to set, but generally, giving your undivided attention to one course shows devotion.
Learn a new language
Usually, most courses today offer a foreign language as a subject. This is because it not only gives you insight into the culture of a completely new nation but also opens your opportunities in case you wish to study abroad in the future. Moreover, a second language always shines bright in your resume.
Applying and doing internships
Doing internships while in college gives you opportunities to work and apply literary theories to the practical world. Its gives you the exposure and confidence you would require as a professional. Although this goal might not be feasible concerning your concerned subjects, there’s no harm in doing an internship. Plus, today, since the competition is cutthroat, you might be lucky enough to get a stipend!
Publish some research work before graduation
Getting your research published reflects your interests and dedication to the field. This will look good on your professional resumes and give you that sense of satisfaction that comes out of producing something utilizing your intellectual resources.
Make good connections within faculty and even outside
If you are an extrovert, this might not be a worthwhile goal for you, but it will help all the introverts or the students who face difficulties adapting to changes. Mingling with people from different backgrounds within your college and even outside your college will help you open up and be more approachable, which is crucial for the professional.
