Write Them Down: Tips for Helping Students Achieve Their Dreams

By Mona Pelkey

Lou Tice of the Pacific Institute describes humans as teleological beings; that is, beings who “think in terms of purpose” and who must have goals in order to thrive and survive. Survival in the academic world certainly requires purposeful goal setting, but many students need assistance in the process of setting goals and achieving them. Here are some tips to help students set and achieve their academic goals:

  1. The student should set goals based upon his own dreams and desires. Each goal should be ambitious, specific, reasonable, attainable, and detailed. The goal and the plan for attaining that goal must be written down, with a timeline for attaining the goal. A sample goal might be “I will graduate from XYZ College with a 3.0 average in May, 2009.”
  2. Referring to the written list of dreams/goals that the student has provided, have the student identify possible barriers to achieving those goals, based on where he is now. Have the student ask himself, ”What keeps me (or might keep me) from achieving my goal? “ The student might consider the feedback he has already received from others (teachers, parents, friends) in answering this question. Perhaps the student has a tendency to procrastinate, or he has a 2.2 GPA at the end of his freshman year because he nearly failed his required math course and wishes to graduate with a 3.0. Students with known barriers must take extra steps to ensure that they meet their goals. The procrastinator may need to plan multiple opportunities for extra help from a learning assistance professional in organizing himself or in adjusting his attitude toward academic work. The student who struggled to pass his freshman math course and who now aspires to graduate with a 3.0 he might add a sub-goal of “find a math tutor” or “take a remedial math course” as a sub-goal, before he attempts any further math courses.
  3. Each main goal will incorporate a number of sub-goals. A goal of graduation will contain sub-goals naming specific courses to be completed, for example. Like the main goals, the sub-goals should be WRITTEN DOWN as well, with a timeline for completion. Outline form is ideal for doing this:

    4. Example: Steve’s goal: To graduate from XYZ University with a 3.0 GPA in spring 2010

    Possible barriers to that goal: Steve is finishing his freshman year with a 2.2 GPA, he struggles in math, he has to work 20 hours per week, etc.

    Example Outline:

    I. Goal: to graduate from XYZ University with a 3.0 GPA in spring, 2010

    Example sub-goals:
    A. Meet with an academic counselor to figure out which courses he must take in each subsequent semester so he can graduate on time, figure out what grades he must earn in each course in order to make up the current GPA deficit by graduation, etc
    Steps to take to meet the sub-goal

    1. With his schedule/calendar in hand, student should make the appointment, write it in the appropriate time block in the planner (calendar, PDA, Outlook, etc.) and plan to keep it
    2. Take appropriate paperwork to the meeting with the counselor, including any questions the student might have, written down in a list so he doesn’t forget to ask!
    3. Make a follow-up appointment with the academic counselor and/or a learning assistance professional, as necessary

  4. Note that to achieve each sub-goal, the student must complete a certain number of tasks, or steps. For example, if the sub-goal is to pass Math 201 with a 3.0 (B) grade, the steps to achieve that sub-goal might be (a) earn at least a 3.0 (B) on each quiz, (b) earn at least a 3.0 on each test, (c)) attend class every day, and (d) complete all homework assignments. [Adjustments can be made if necessary. If the student earns a 2.0 (C) on a quiz, he knows he must earn a 4.0 (A) on the next quiz to ensure a 3.0 by the end of the course.] The steps should also be WRITTEN DOWN. It’s good to tell the student that writing down goals is his commitment, or contract, to himself to meet those goals. Written goals, kept close at hand, also provide a reference for the student, who can look at his goals when he feels distracted from them to help himself get back on track.
  5. Now comes the hard part: the part where the student has to DO something every day to achieve those sub-goals. To complete all homework assignments, the student must commit a certain block of time for doing it, every day. To earn a 3.0 on a test, the student must commit a certain number of hours to studying, for example, or he might plan visits to the learning center for assistance. All of these tasks should be written in a student’s planner as commitments. Then the student has to follow through on his commitment. The learning assistance professional can help the student remain accountable by checking up on him frequently.
  6. To help the student keep his goals in the forefront of his mind, have him post his goal plan near his desk, and stick post-its all over his room, or anyplace else where he can see them often, with the desired test scores, graduation date, etc., written on them. This is a technique used by the Olympic runner Kevin Young. Young wrote his desired 400-meter race performance time, 46:87, all over his house and in the locker room so that he would remain focused on his goal. He actually surpassed his personal goal time and set a new world record of 46:78 in the 1992 Olympics, and when interviewed on television afterward, Young described how writing down his goal helped him to achieve it—and more.
  7. A goals plan can and should be modified and periodically updated. In addition, the student should share his plan with others who can help him stay on track and help him to achieve his dream.

Reference

Nadeau-Schaff, Michelle (2005). RS101 Student Success Course Guide. West Point, New York: United States Military Academy.

Tice, Lou (November 16, 2006). The Winner’s Circle: The Importance of Goals,” Accessible at http://mailman.wolfe.net/pipermail/wcn/2006-November/000891.html

 

Questions or comments? Contact the author at edpelkey@juno.com.