Semester Goal Setting
Welcome back to campus Honors Buffs! The Honors Student Advisory Board hopes you had a relaxing and productive summer. We know the transition back to school can be rocky at first, which is why we believe setting goals for the semester is a great way to stay motivated and start the year off right.
Cozy up in a quiet spot in your dorm room or apartment and grab your journal — it’s time to brain dump. Begin with an open, receptive headspace (exercising beforehand is a great way to settle into this mindset and clear any excess mind clutter). Next, you’ll write down any words or phrases that you feel resonate with your core values. Some examples: community, family, respect, passion, close friendships, self-care, fitness, honesty, etc. What matters most to you?
Now it’s time for goal-setting (we will come back to your values). Categorize them into sections like “academic,” “career,” “personal” and “social.” You can get creative and specific, naming the academic section as your major, labeling the career section as a current passion project. Personalize it all to you.
Under each category, write one or two active statements of what you hope to accomplish this semester. Starting with “I am” is a great option, like “I am going to go into office hours for Calculus every other week with questions.” Be as specific as you can — the more detail, the easier it will be to concretely follow and accomplish your goals. For career, maybe it’s a statement like “I am going to be positive and friendly at work so I can develop a better environment with my coworkers.”
Now it’s time to revisit your values and see if they appear in your goals. Does your value of collaboration appear in your career goals? Does your value of self-care appear in your personal or academic goals? You get the picture. Connecting your values to your goals creates a holistic approach to achieving what matters most to you.
What are some of your intentions or goals for the semester? Let us know on our Facebook page!