COL 103 - Note #5

^^Setting SMART Goals^^

Follow these guidelines to set some short-term goals and consider how they fall within the framework of seeking goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and achievable within a given time (SMART). Figure 1.2 on the next page gives you a chance to practice.

1. Be specific about what you want to achieve and when.
2. State your goal in measurable terms
3. Be sure that the goal is attainable. If you don’t have the necessary skills, strength, and resources to achieve your goal, change it to one that is more appropriate for you. Be sure that you really want to reach the goal. Don’t set out to work toward something only because you want to please others
4. Know how the goal is relevant to your life and why the goal matters. Be sure that your goal helps your larger plan and gives you a sense of moving forward.
5. Consider the time frame and whether the goal is achievable within the period you desire. Allow yourself enough time to pursue it by considering any difficulties you might have. Plan for ways you might deal with problems. Decide which goal comes first. How will you begin? Create steps and timeline for reaching your next goal.

For instance, let’s assume that after you graduate, you are considering working in a developing country, perhaps spending some time in the Peace Corps or another volunteer organization abroad. What are some short-term goals that would help you reach this long-term objective? One goal might be to take courses focused on different countries or cultures, but that goal isn’t very specific and doesn’t state a particular time period. A much more specific goal would be to take one course each year that helps build a body of knowledge about other countries and cultures. An even more specific goal would be to review the course catalog, identify the courses you want to take, and list them on a personal timeline.

Before working toward any long-term goal, it’s important to be realistic and honest with yourself. Is it truly your goal - one that you yourself value and desire to pursue - or is it a goal that a parent or friend argued was right for you? Given your abilities and interests, is the goal realistic? Remember that dreaming up long-term goals is the easy part. To reach your goals, you need to be specific and systematic about the steps you will take today, this week, and throughout your college experience. To do well in college though, the most important goals are always short-term: What do I need to do today and this week to further my longer-term goals?

^^Figure 1.2 > Practice Setting SMART Goals^^

What are your goals for this term? Using the SMART goal-setting guide, try to set one goal in each of the four areas listed: academic, career, personal, and financial. Follow the goal through time, from immediate to long term. An example is provided for you.

^^Making Choices^^

You will make choices everyday of your college career, and some of them are far more important than others. Your choices may be consistent or inconsistent, but whatever they are, they will interact with each other and either support or sabotage the achievement of your larger goals and purposes in colleges and beyond. Sometimes, or frequently for some students, these choices, even small ones, can interfere with success and lead to negative outcomes, especially if students don’t realize that they are the ones in charge.

^^Locus of Control^^

While no one has total and absolute control over what happens in life, one concept we want you to understand is what social scientists call locus of control. Basically, this means that healthy and successful people accept responsibility for their own lives, to the extent possible, by the choices they freely make. They decide what they are going to do. They don’t see themselves as primarily ruled by fate or being made to do things by others. It’s an active view rather than a passive view of self.

Here is an example: You can tell yourself that your roommate begged you to go out to a club when you should have been studying and that made you fail a test. Or you can take responsibility for your own actions, which in this case was not choosing to spend the evening in your room or the library preparing for the test. The idea is that, with few exceptions, you are a free agent. You actively choose to do certain things and choose not to do others.

^^Guided Pathways and the Downside of Poor Choices^^

Let’s face it, students are like other human beings - they make good choices and they make some poor ones. And the poor ones can cost them a lot of time, money, and heartache. Some college and university educators believe that they have given students too much freedom to make choices in college and that students can’t possibly understand all the options, particularly when it comes to course selections and majors. The result of this thinking has been to restrict students choices. You may find yourself taking this course at a college or university that is recommending - or even requiring - that students take a “pathway” or a “guided pathway,” a proscribed set of courses leading to certain majors and degrees.

These so-called pathways are based on the use of analytics, information about whether students like you will be more or less likely to complete certain courses successfully. If your course choices are limited, you will be able to avoid courses where you would be unlikely to achieve success. You will save money, time, and energy by taking courses that are right for you.

^^Table 1.2 > The Choices You Will Make^^

Being successful in college has a great deal to do with the choices you are making, will make, need to make, and should not make, often on a daily basis. Think about it. You are your own boss in college. Let’s look at how this matter of making choices plays out for college students. Consider the following questions, and write in the choice you’re likely to make about each one.