Setting goals is always important. They come in so many shapes and forms, from daily to-do lists to New Year’s Resolutions, goals are always prevalent in our lives. They hold so much importance, because they provide us with something to reach for and something to look forward to in the future. But, you might be wondering, what about goal setting for school?
Well, goals for school are an extremely common occurrence. School is a major part of our lives, and therefore, deserves a lot of goals to guide us through it. However, it’s not immediately known how to properly set goals for school, and most of the time, we never end up achieving them. They’re too vague, too ambitious, or just plain boring. So, without anymore waiting, here is everything you need to know about goal setting for school.
What is Goal Setting?
The first thing you want to understand is the goal setting itself. What is goal setting, and why should I use it? Well, here are some of the basics.
Goal setting is exactly what it sounds like. It is simply creating possible ambitions in a specific manner that’ll help you schedule your time to reach them. Goal setting can be incredibly beneficial, as research has shown that it improves attention spans and ability to perform tasks. It’s a critical skill for your productivity and success as a student, because goal setting isn’t something we do well as high schoolers. It’s important to learn how to make properly goals when setting. Goals can be reaching too far, to become dreams, or something to mundane, easy and close, like a chore.
Why should you set goals? Well, like I said, controlling our ambitions is not a strong suit for students. As teenagers, we can be messy and all over the place when it comes to our future. Some of us are sure of what we are going to do, but the majority have absolutely no clue. The same goes for goals. We don’t know how to set them, because we don’t know exactly what we want to do. Some of us are over ambitious, expecting unbelievable success just within their high school career, but some of us set goals right at our toes, one that never challenges or changes you. Neither of these extremes are good, and this article is here to change that for you. So exactly do you set a proper goal?
Steps to Goal Setting
Let’s look at some steps to goal setting. Like I mentioned before, we often don’t set our goals correctly as teenagers, and that is something we need to learn to change. Your goals should be achievable, but just the right amount of ambition, so that you can push through with a probability of success. So, here are the steps to curating the perfect goal.
#1 – Figure out what the goal is for
You need to first figure out the “subject” of your goal. It can’t be too broad, because that leaves too much room for failure. Make sure you hone down on what this goal is for. It’s pretty easy, because school related goals tend to be based on the subject. It could be based on algebra, chemistry, English, or simply whatever else.
The important thing to remember is to keep it from benign to broad or vague. For example, you should have the goal of “get an A in Spanish this marking period” rather than “get straight A’s this marking period”. It’s much easier to plan for and achieve the first goal, because it is specific enough to be physically planned. The second goal is too vague, too broad, and requires much more complex planning that might be too much for you to handle.
#2 – Decide on long-term or short-term
Determine whether the goal you’re striving for is long-term or short-term. Well, what exactly can be considered long or short term? Well here is how I like to look at it. Less than half a year is what I would consider a short term, especially in relation to your high school career. Grade goals based on semester or test goals would most probably fall into this. A long-term goal would be over a year for me, something that takes mounting effort to finally achieve.
Now, long-term versus short-term goals might look different for you. 6 months might eb very long-term for you, or one year would be too short. It is up to you to give yourself a measure for your goals, based on how you function as a person. If you are a spontaneous and quickly moving person, your short-term goals might max out at a month. However, if you are a well-organized and focused person, your long-term goals might last your entire high school career. Any way is fine, as long as you can determine what is right for you.
#3 – Determine the true benefit of the goal
The goal can’t just be some goal. Regardless of if it’s long-term or short-term, the impacts of this goal must last for it to hold any true value. What’s the point of a goal that means nothing once you achieve it? Every goal you make should have an impact on your life later on, and it doesn’t need to be the goal itself. The process and effort put into reach that goal might be what you carry on later into your life.
Take this for example. You tell yourself, “I want to score 90%+ on every single one of my chemistry tests from now onwards”. It’s hard, as anyone should expect, so this goal requires a lot of work. You’ll have to find proper studying techniques, which you can learn from the article on study tips. You’ll also have to learn proper time management, which you can find in the time blocking article which also offers a free and downloadable time blocking planner. You could also learn to use some of the best time management apps to better use your time for good chemistry grades.
You’ll hit that goal eventually, and the year will end, but the work you put into it will stay with you forever. The proper studying techniques and time management skills are something you can apply throughout school, and even in the workplace. You have to make sure your goals hold this kind of value. That’s what makes the goal worth reaching. It’s not just the satisfaction in hitting that goal, but the growth and development you encourage in trying to hit it.
#4 – Plan out reaching your goal
You can’t just go into your goal willy-nilly. You have to plan out your steps to get there. How can you expect to reach a goal you don’t put proper effort into? Planning towards a goal is pretty simple when it’s short-term. For example, you’re studying to get a 5 on your APUSH exam which is coming in a month. You give yourself a proper studying plan leading up to the exam date, and follow some exam tips to make it through.
For long-term, it’s not nearly as easy. There are just so many days to count, so planning out every single day for it is simply exhausting. Let’s say the goal was to get an A on every APUSH unit test you had through the entire year. Give yourself a basic template to study for each unit test, and what to do in between. It can’t be too specific, but just enough for you to be able to study properly when the day gets there.
You can plan out your goals in these ways, but don’t skip this step. Being too spontaneous and disordered is only going to work against you. You have to be completely sure of what you’re going to be able to achieve, and that requires prior effort. Your goal won’t achieve itself. It needs your blood, sweat, and tears to do so.
#5 – Start immediately
Don’t hesitate when it comes to your goals. The longer you procrastinate, the closer the date comes. Once you have completed all the former steps you want to get working on it as soo as you can. Remember not to give yourself excuses. Don’t say “I’m too busy this weekend”, or “I have to focus on this test first”. The more you excuse yourself, the more likely you are to do so again. Make time for your goal and put effort into it immediately. It’s a part of goal setting for school. Trust me, the fruits of your hard work will be much more rewarding than sitting around because there was “too much to do”.
Goals You Can Set for School
Okay, so you know now how to set goals, but what kind of goals can I set for school. How do I set them apart from other types of goals? Well, if you need some inspiration for your goal setting for school, here it is. Check out these goals, read them, and tailor them to how it fits you best. It’s your goal, after all.
#1 – Get an A or B grade in a class
This is a pretty good goal, especially if the class is challenging for you. Getting good grades should be a goal for all your classes, but it’s especially necessary when the class you’re talking about isn’t one you’re necessarily good at. It’ll require a lot of planning and discipline, but the results will be rewarding. Part of goal setting for school is the hard work that comes with it, so don’t be disappointed if nothing happens immediately. With enough effort, results will come.
#2 – Do well on a big exam (AP tests, midterm/final, SAT)
This is also a common and important goal. Many of these tests provide something very important. With AP tests, its college credits, and the SAT is a standardized test that is practically a necessity to get into a good university. These are tests you want to do well in, and require months of preparation and studying.
#3 – Improve your test grades in a class
Seeing growth in your abilities is an important part of anything, but especially school. Improving test grades in a specific subject is an excellent goal to have to see your self-improvement. To make it even more specific, you can try to see improvement in specific types of tests. For example, you might look for a point higher in a multiple-choice test, or a more strongly written essay. It’s an incredible goal for you to have, and requires discipline and persistence to find success.
Conclusion
Goal setting for school is an important skill for all of us to have as students. It helps us grow and improve in our academics, and also helps us develop skills to help us well into the future. It’s unfortunate many of us don’t know how to do this, but that is why this article is here for you. For you to learn how to set goals properly, and for you to learn the skills that come along with it.
So, what are you waiting for? Start goal setting for school now!
