According to diverseeducation.com, only fifty-four percent of students enrolled in college in 1997 graduated six years later. This means that almost fifty percent didn’t graduate or dropped out of school. Two of the highest reasons that students drop out of college are financial pressures and academic failure. Setting goals while going to high school and college can influence your success.
Many teenagers enter college without the knowledge they need to set attainable, realistic goals for their education or aren’t concerned about the need to set goals. How many students would drop out if they set goals during their collegiate career? Don’t make the mistake of passing through college without setting specific tasks to achieve.
One specific goal for college is to graduate in four years. A college education is extremely expensive and shouldn’t be taken lightly, even if your parents are funding it. If you’re able to graduate in four years, you should be motivated to do it. Follow these steps in goal setting to achieve your goals while you’re a student:
Step One: Commit to your goal and have confidence in yourself that you’ll be able to achieve it. You should desire to reach your goal and believe in your own capability of obtaining it.
Step Two: Write down specific, measurable goals to achieve. Don’t write that you want to improve your study skills. How would you know if you accomplished your goal? Instead you should write that you will improve your study skills by taking a three week class on the topic, trying new study skills each day for two weeks, and seeking assistance from a counselor within one month.
The key phrase in this step is to write down your goals. You need to commit your goals to paper and place them in an area that you’ll see on a daily basis. Position it in a couple different areas and write it in your planner at the beginning of each week.
Step Three: Record progress. Each day you should write down the specific steps that you took toward reaching the established goal. If you had a setback, then you should record this as well. In this process, you’ll learn your weaknesses and strengths and how to apply this information in the future.
If your goal is to get an “A” in biology, you should write down the amount of time you spend studying , if you complete your homework and reading assignments, and grades that you receive on each quiz and test. Note the times that you’re not achieving your short-term goals. Did you receive a “C” on the last quiz? Why? Did you go out with friends to a comedy show the night before? How can you change this in the future?
Step Four: Celebrate your success. Acknowledge your achievement with friends and family. Inform your loved ones that you have a goal of increasing your GPA from a 2.5 to 2.8 by the end of the semester. Their support will promote achievement.
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