SMART Goals for College Students

Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, & Time Bound Objectives

May 17, 2009

Student success is easier if you follow the SMART model of goal setting. Choose goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time bound.

As a college student, what are your goals? Do you know specially what you would like to achieve, or do you have vague goals such as "doing well in class"?

Knowing how to set goals is an important skill for students, and one that you will need in the working world. A useful goal setting tool is the SMART model, which was initially developed by Peter Drucker in 1954 and has since been incorporated widely into the business world.

The SMART model

SMART is an acronym that stands for terms that can be used to evaluate goals. Following the SMART model, goals need to be

Specific Goals

First, goals need to be specific. That is, you need to spell out exactly what you want to accomplish. Vague goals can feel overwhelming and unachievable. For example, "I'm going to be a better person," is vague, and someone who sets this goal may not even know where to start. Instead, it's better to set specific steps such as, "I'm going to volunteer twice a month," or "I'm going to be more patient with my family."

The same is true for school goals. "I'm going to study better," is too vague and overwhelming. Be specific. Goals such as "I will set aside three hours every weeknight to do nothing other than my school work" or "I will start my papers at least one week before the deadline," are less overwhelming because they call for a specific task.

Measurable Goals

Successful goals also need to be measurable or else there is no way to determine if you have achieved them. For example, "I'm going to lose weight" is a popular goal that works better with a measurable outcome such as "I'm going to lose 15 pounds by September."

Setting measurable goals as a student can be easy because you're surrounded by measurements. Instead of "I'm going to get better grades," try, "I am going to raise my GPA to a 3.0 by the end of the year," or "I'm going to get at least a B in all of my classes this semester."

Attainable Goals

When setting goals, it's important to choose ones that you are actually capable of attaining. Eliminate impossible or highly unlikely objectives. "I'm going to bench press 300 pounds" may be a goal that is physical impossible. "I'm going to be in the NBA" is a goal that's possible, but highly unlikely.

Keep this in mind with student goals. "I'm going to graduate in the top 10 percent of my class" may be impossible if it's junior year and you only have a 2.8. "I'm going to get a 4.0 this semester," may be highly unlikely if you're your taking lots of extra credits and all your classes are upper level."

Relevant Goals

Goals should be set with the "big picture" in mind and should have a clear purpose. If you're trying to build a table, relevant goals include sanding the wood and carving the legs. If you get side tracked and spend several days shopping for the perfect china, your goal of building a table will be slowed down. China to put on the table would be nice, but this is not relevant to your overall goal.

The same is true with student goals. If your goal is to ace a calculus test that's three days away, don't get started on a paper that's not due for another week, and don't decide that's it's time to organize your closet. Stay focused.

Time Bound Goals

Finally, it's important to set goals that you actually have time to complete. Losing 20 pounds might be a good idea, but not if you want to do that in three weeks. Planting a garden might be nice, but not if the first frost is due soon.

As a student, be realistic about what you have time to accomplish. Writing a senior honor's thesis might be a good idea, but not if you also have an internship, a part time job, and lots of other obligations. Taking on an ambitious group project topic might sound like a good idea, but not if you only have a few weeks to get the work done.

SMART Goal Setting

Improving your performance as a student is a noble goal, but take the time to do it right. Think about how to set goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time bound, and you find that achieving your goals is an easier task than you thought.

Reference

The copyright of the article SMART Goals for College Students in Study Skills is owned by Naomi Rockler-Gladen. Permission to republish SMART Goals for College Students in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.