Moving Forward

Inspired Read: Shirley by Charlotte Bronte

Have you ever been so busy that you truly don’t know where to begin? Same here. I am 17, fresh out of high school, and super confused. Every teenager has dreams and aspirations but… how do we get there? Going into my first college semester, I made some SMART goals. SMART goals, help make dreams reality by guiding you to set achievable plans. I suggest starting very broad and finding the specifics which make your goal possible.

My First Semester Goal: Make the Honor Roll

The easiest part is identifying the end goal, so how can you meet that goal? I found the requirements to qualify for the Honor Roll at my university. Undergraduate student (check), at least 9 semester credit hours (double-check), 3.5 GPA or higher (....uh oh). I already meet two of the criteria so this is something to be happy about. Although going into the fall I need to obtain at least a 3.5 GPA. When I read this I immediately started freaking out, getting a higher GPA in high school is much easier in comparison to college. So now I have specified the criteria how do I get that GPA?

SMART GOAL: Obtain at least a 3.5 GPA

Okay, here is my dilemma… I have never actually needed to “study”. I graduated high school with a 3.8 GPA and I never studied. Some people would be proud of it, but to be honest, I know college will not be the same way. So during quarantine, I worked out an effective way for me to study (blog posts coming soon) that I can apply to my future classes.

1. Find effective study habits

Next, something that is super important is time management. Even with effective study habits, if you never allocate time to learn they will not work. So I recommend utilizing a planner, either a book or an app. I live by my planner, everything goes in there meetings, class, or even hanging with my friends. While I do not take the time to add stickers and elaborate drawings, I do use different colors to specify the importance of the event.

2. Utilize a planner

The easiest way to manage your time is by placing your priorities. Something my 9th grade English teacher told me was “you are always your first priority”. I strongly stand by that statement. What you choose to do on a daily basis should not be toxic or self-deprecating. It should glorify God and reflect your beliefs. So some examples of priority lists could be:

• Hardest - easiest (vice versa)

• Closest deadline - furthest deadline

• Least favorite - Favorite (vice versa)

Personally, I hate procrastinating and having to pull an all-nighter, so I prioritize deadlines. The nearest deadline is completed first, then I space out the work depending on how many days until the next deadline. Think of it more as a to-do list to make sure all your work is done with quality

3. Set a priority list each week

Sometimes we all need to clear our head and organize the clutter in our brain. The clutter is rooted in fears of facing the unknown and the only way to overcome a fear is to face it head-on. Taking the time to set goals for yourself and staying on the right track can help ease those fears and make everything more plausible.

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Helpful Links:

Shirley by Charlotte Bronte: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31168.Shirley

Planners at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Planners/b?ie=UTF8&node=1069456

Cute Pens for the planners: https://www.amazon.com/slp/planner-pens/zz788cw5j93x8se