My Goals In College

During high school my teachers lectured my classmates and I on goal making. I specifically remember my health teacher using the SMART method; this says goals must be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound. Even though I had a great resource to make smart goals for myself, I never took the time to construct a game plan. Entering the vast new world of college, I want to improve myself by keeping several goals in mind each month, week, and day. My process starts by creating intellectual, psycho-emotional, physical, and social goals to work towards in my four years of college.
Intellectual goals have always been in the back of my mind. Growing up my parents always emphasized the importance of education because neither went to college and they saw the flourishing need for degrees to apply for many jobs. This encouraged me to achieve the highest GPA I could and challenged myself with every honors class my school offered. My goal for the next four years, is to earn a 4.0 GPA, receive honors in my major of biology, and to continuously challenge myself with my coursework. I will accomplish my goal by discussing class options with my advisors and studying hard, whether it be by myself, in a learning center, or within a study group.

My psycho-emotional goal is to reduce my everyday stress level.

I have the tendency to procrastinate working on assignments and increasing pressure on myself by working on a big project last minute. I struggled with this downfall throughout high school, and since I have more difficult classwork now, I want to change this devastating problem. I plan to battle this struggle by using my planner to keep track of assignment, project, and test dates. I will be continuously looking at my planner throughout the day to update it, so I will be reminded of due dates. In turn, I hope this helps me start assignments sooner so I can spread my workload over multiple days and have extra time to check my

work.
Physically, I want to maintain a healthy weight and avoid the dreaded “Freshman 15.” Because I struggle with the natural motivation to stay active, I have enlisted my friend and roommate to drag me to the gym and teach me different exercises to attempt. She is an athletic training major and works out constantly so she has plenty of practice in this field. I am also going to walk to all my classes to ensure that I walk at least 30 minutes everyday. I am also going to choose the healthier options in the cafeteria, like the grilled chicken, vegetables, and the salad bar. Between working out and eating healthier, I am reaching towards my goal of maintaining a healthy weight throughout college.
My social goal is to get involved on campus by joining three clubs. I may not join three clubs by the end of freshman year, but I want to expand my horizon over the next four years. I want to find at least one club to keep me involved in sports like I was in high school. Playing three sports in high school was the best way for me to socialize with my peers because I felt more confidence in myself. I plan on trying out for the club softball team and doing intramural sports at the rec center. I also want a club the will advance me in my career field. There are several clubs involved with the sciences and specifically biology. I have looked into the Pre-Professional Health Club and Zoology Club. These would both bump up my resume. To make the most of my college years, I want to join at least three clubs to help me gain new friends and help my future.
Through intellectual, psycho-emotional, physical, and social goals, I plan to better myself and make my college career more fun and easier to handle. The goals I have created are SMART. They are specific to me and my life, achievable, relevant to my situation, and time bound to my next four years in college. These will help me get the most from my experience at Western Illinois University.