In less than a week I’ll be starting my second year at Rutgers – that itself is incredible to me. My freshman year of college went by faster than I could anticipate and taught me more than I could have imagined. I’m not one to readily admit my mistakes, but the one mistake that I confess to is the way I went about setting goals during my first year.
You’ll probably receive advice at some point in your college life to set goals that are challenging yet doable. Goals that will feel like true accomplishments once achieved. And while I don’t disagree with the practicality of that advice, I say do the opposite. Why not set a goal that’s a little more challenging, a little less doable, and seemingly more difficult to achieve? I’m not saying that we arbitrarily set a goal which we have no intention of working towards, but why not set one goal aside every semester, whether it’s a benchmark for academics or a personal goal to improve your college experience.
There’s more sense in the idea of reaching for the moon than you might believe. Shoot for the moon and you’ll land among the stars. Be a little impractical, believe a little more, and challenge your limits.
Great thought ! RU tends to challenge us to be an Achiever rather than Mediocre. I know such a large school could prove to be overwhelming at first but as the author said, “One Goal each Semester” policy may help.