What are your college goals? This is a question I am sure you have been asked more than once- maybe as an essay prompt or an ice breaker. Most students are answering the question because they have to and then end up going through the motions to complete the assignment.
However, do you take the time to think about and set your own goals?
I was meeting with many college students the other day and this question was asked as an ice breaker. The majority of the responses were to get good grades.
I’ll be honest with you, I did not set goals in college. This is one of my biggest regrets. All I cared about was getting good grades. I was so focused on this one mission that nothing else mattered.
I studied like crazy, but I did not take the time to learn the material. I was too focused on the grade. I also burnt myself out and felt like an absolute failure when I did not get a good grade. Yes, I graduated with a great GPA and landed my dream job out of college- but if I could do it all over, I would set realistic goals. This is one piece of advice I wish I had received in college.
Getting good grades is important, but what is the purpose of the good grades? Is it to get you a job or get into graduate school? If I had some foresight I could have made better use of my time and the resources available to me in college to put me in an even better position for starting my job.
So before we dive into what college goals you need for success, let’s talk about why you should set goals.
Why Should College Students Set Goals?
The first reason you should set goals in college is because it brings your hopes and dreams into reality. Once you define a goal then you can create a plan for how to achieve it. This is how you can ensure you are getting the most out of your college experience.
Next, college is hard! There are going to be times that you are unmotivated or struggling. Your goals will inspire you to help you push through the challenges.
Thirdly, goals will give you clarity. In school you are pulled in so many different directions. There are a lot of decisions you need to make. It is easy to become overwhelmed and not clear on where to even start. That is why it is so important to set clear goals.
Then, it will be easy to see where your priorities are because it is everything that aligns with your goals. When in doubt, you can ask yourself is this helping me achieve my goals. If the answer is yes, go for it and if it is no, then do not stress over not doing it.
Lastly, there are so many opportunities and tools available to you in college. By setting goals, it will help you seek out the resources you need to achieve your goals.
Examples Of Goals For College Students
Goals can be broken down into two categories, long term and short term. Long term goals usually take a considerable amount of time and effort to achieve. The timescale is usually on the order of months or years.
On the other hand, short term goals take less time and energy. These can be things you can achieve in days to a couple months. Long term goals should be broken up into multiple short term goals. This will help you form your roadmap of how to achieve your long term objective. It will also help to keep you motivated by seeing your hard work lead to accomplishments.
Long Term Goals For College Students
This article, I am focusing on educational goals. However, college students could also have financial and personal goals as well.
1. Get Your Dream Job Or Go To Grad School
These are pretty much the two reasons students attend college. It is important to know which camp you fall into. Why?
Because your course selection and choices you make will be different. If you are planning on going to graduate school, you can plan your schedule so that you can take upper level courses that will double count for grad school. If you are getting a job, this might not matter.
Some universities offer a five year master’s program. This means you get your bachelor’s degree in four years and then only stay on one more year to complete your master’s. Again, this takes planning to achieve so knowing your objective ahead of time is important.
Also, this will help shape where you focus your energy. For example, a student interested in getting a job will work towards obtaining an internship, while someone interested in going to graduate school might try getting doing research with a professor.
2. Graduate In Four Years
This might seem like an obvious goal. Unfortunately the official four-year graduation rate for students attending public colleges and universities is 33.3%. Yikes! One of the reasons is lack of clarity. Freshman usually have an idea that they would like to graduate in four years, but no plan on how to achieve it.
Some might not take a full course load to ease their way into college. Others, may miss prerequisites and not be able to take a course until the following year. Or many change majors and are unable to transfer many of the credits they have already taken.
Therefore, if you want to graduate in four years, make it a goal and plan for it.
Short Term Goals For College Students
To achieve your long term goals you need to break them down into manageable short term goals. The examples below are some of the short term goals you will need to achieve, to help you reach the long term goals above, getting a job, going to graduate school, and graduating in four years.
1. Confirm Your Major
This should be your main objective freshman year. If you miss this first step and push it off to sophomore year, it will make your long-term goals take longer to achieve.
Verifying your major will allow you to plan out your courses you will take the follow years to graduate. Then, you can start planning for other things, such as studying abroad or taking a semester off for a co-op.
Taking an introduction class to your major, such as Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, will help you make this decision.
In addition, reaching out to upperclassmen in your major is helpful. Then, you can get an understanding of the job market and if they have been successful in obtaining internships and job offers.
2. Identify And Use Campus Resources
Colleges and universities offer students a plethora of resources. Use these to your advantage! Do your research freshman year. Review your school’s website and make a list of all of the resources and what they offer.
Some great resources you should seek out include:
- Center for Career Development
- Tutoring Center
- Academic Achievement Center
- Writing Center
- Mentor programs (alumni or upperclassmen)
3. Join A Club
Joining a club within your major is great for a variety of reasons. First, it is fantastic for networking. You will be able to meet your peers within your major so you can form study groups.
Additionally, you will meet upperclassman who can provide you with advice on classes to take or avoid. These are great connections to make because they can share their books with you for courses they have already taken.
Finally, you will also get access to alumni, who frequently come back with internship and career opportunities.
4. Embrace Being Uncomfortable
Going to college immediately pushes you out of your comfort zone. You’re going into a new environment, with new people. Some people thrive in these situations and others struggle. I identify with the latter group.
If it does make you uncomfortable, get used to it! The quicker you can push yourself to try new things and be okay even if things do not go well, the better off you will be. If you look at every opportunity as a learning experience, you will never fail.
You see, I used to avoid things that made me uncomfortable because I was afraid of not knowing something or looking dumb.
For example, I avoided the machine shop at all costs, to the point of delaying a freshman lab class to senior year. Machines, like lathes, intimidated me and I wanted nothing to do with them. However, as an engineering major this was a poor choice. I should have acknowledged that machines were a knowledge gap for me and I didn’t need to know everything about them- that was what the class was for!
Also, this resistance to learning about machines carried into my job. Therefore, if I had just gotten over myself in college and challenged myself to learn about them, I would have been better prepared for my job.
5. Go To Class
Okay, so this might seem like an obvious one, but many students skip class. Even if you think you know all of the material, you should still be in class to make sure you do not miss anything.
Creating a schedule that works for you and not against you, is the key to attending your classes. For example, if you are not a morning person, do not take an 8am class. You’ll never go!
Make sure to schedule some breaks for getting food and studying. Try to avoid having a lot of classes back-to-back.
6. Go To Office Hours
Here’s a little secret- your professors want you to do well! Why? Their performance reviews are impacted how students perform in their course because it is a reflection on them. If everyone is failing, their teaching abilities will be questioned.
Therefore, don’t be intimidated by your professors. Get to know them. Attend office hours so you do not get behind. Also, know they have probably heard a myriad of questions so do not hold back. Ask many questions because there is no dumb question (as cliche as that sounds).
7. Understand The Course Material…Which Will Lead To Good Grades
Notice I did not just say get good grades- which is probably every students’ goal. This is because your main goal should be understanding the material first. This will lead to good grades.
You see, if you only focus on getting A’s, you are more apt to study for the test and try to memorize things instead of actually understanding concepts. I should know. My main goal was getting good grades, but I never took the time to really understand the material. This resulted in me forgetting a lot of the course after the test was done.
To avoid this, the first step is comprehending every lecture and lab. Taking notes during class and summarizing them right after. For labs, understand the equipment you are using, what data you are collecting, and why you are collecting it. This will help you grasp the concepts and identify any questions you may have so that you do not fall behind.
Having a goal to fully understand the material will actually help you study less because you are absorbing more from your classes and labs. It will also lead to better grades.
8. Get An Internship
This is a great goal and one you should focus on from day one. It is a myth that only upperclassmen can get internships.
The key to getting internships early on is how you market your skill set. If you need some ideas for technical and soft skills employers are looking for from aspiring engineers be sure to get your free cheat sheet!
Using this list you can identify the skills you have and then, you will know exactly what to highlight on your resume.
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Benefits Of An Internship
There are many benefits of having an internship, beyond the obvious that it looks great on your resume. First, it gives you the opportunity to “test drive” your career, so to speak. You get to find out what you like and don’t like about a job. This will give you more direction when you are looking for a full-time career.
Second, you get an understanding of company dynamics. You’ll get to see how a big or small company operates.
Third, they are great networking opportunities. You will get to meet and work with many different people. The internship I held my junior year of college led to my full-time job when I graduated. One of the engineers I worked with during my internship ended up becoming a manager and hired me. Remember that anyone you work with could become your boss or co-worker so its worth it to impress them.
Finally, you will grow your skill set through your experiences during the internship. In addition, you will be able to identify skills you are lacking. Then, you can choose courses to fill those gaps.
If you need help getting an internship be sure to check out these helpful resources:
9. Participate In Undergraduate Research
Participating in undergraduate research is another great opportunity to get experience. The type of research varies, depending on the school.
Some colleges will have independent studies and others will have students assisting professors. Both will give you exposure to more skills and tools needed for your major.
If you are not able to get an internship, you should definitely look into undergraduate research.
10. Find Your Niche And Become An Expert
Undergraduate education is all about giving you a surface level exposure to a broad range of topics. The objective is to help you know what is out there so you can choose your path.
Many majors offer minors or concentrations. If you find you do have an interest in a specific field, you should pursue it.
It will help you get a job right out of college because it will differentiate you from your peers. Also, employers are looking for subject matter experts because you will be able to add more value.
If your college doesn’t offer a minor that you want, you could always look into a club to pursue your interest or a double major.
Summary
Ben Franklin wisely said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!”. Setting clear goals is critical to being successful in college. It will set you apart from your peers and keep you motivated to push through the tough times.
Remember, to celebrate your goals, no matter how small. This will inspire you along your journey towards your long term goal.
If you enjoyed this article, The Ultimate List of College Goals You Need To Succeed or have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below!
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