Strategic Goal Setting

Hi everyone!

What a week! I hope you all are feeling happy and confident that you had the best week possible in your chase for college and future opportunities! With new semesters starting and the looming thought of new year's resolutions, I thought it would be the perfect time to talk about strategic goal setting!

 

Now this isn't your typical, "I want to get an A" goal setting. This is goal setting with focus and steps to help you achieve your goals and gain that feeling of accomplishment! Let's get started ...

1. Define your goal - What is it that you want to accomplish this week, semester, or year? Is it getting an A, is it gaining more followers on Youtube, or is it loosing weight? Whether it is academic-related or more personal, you need to accurately define this goal. Be specific in your goal. You need to quantify it so that you have something to aspire to.
2. Quantify your goal - Now that you know what you want to accomplish, it is necessary to put some numbers or some adjectives to it. So you want to get an A, great, but where do you want to get that A? In Bio? In Class Participation? Gym Class? ... etc. You want to get healthy, does that mean eating more salads or working out three times a week?  I don't know about you, but I am more likely to work out everyday if my goal is to lose thirty pounds, than if my goal is to "get healthier." Think about it and structure your goal so that taking steps to do it, will be easier. That brings us to ...
3. Make your procedure - How ya gonna do it folks? How are you going to map out your days and your weeks so that you have no choice but to succeed in accomplishing your goal? Your goal is to raise my GPA (1.), by increasing all of my classroom grades by five points (2.), and I am going to do this by a). using my commute to school to read my notes, b). stay after school twice a week to work in the library and meet with a teacher, c). locate one classmate who I can study with the week leading up to a test. These three procedures are all small, but very doable aspects of helping this student reach their goal.
   
   Your goal will seem more manageable when you break it down into actionable items that can be worked into your schedule easily.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Create Check-Ins - If you've ever seen The Biggest Loser on NBC or any of those weight-loss shows, you know that they do a check-in at the end of each episode to see what was lost. Make a check-in a regular part of your goal. For the student above, it could be checking on their grades in each class on Fridays, or if your goal is to increase your number of youtube followers, have a check in at the same time every two weeks. Once you know the numbers, think about what happened that week to help you reach your goal or give you a little setback. Use this as fuel to continue working towards your goal. If you fell off the wagon, then create a new procedure to counteract that until the next check-in. We are all human and we make mistakes, but what's important is to keep working hard to accomplish those goals that you have set!

Setting goals is a part of growing and improving to help us reach a better spot in life. Set yourself up for success by following those four steps so that once you are done with the semester, the year, or even this week. You know that you worked as hard as possible and did everything in your power to accomplish them!

What are the goals that you have set for yourself and how are you accomplishing them? Feel free to comment below or tag me on twitter at @Chasing_College.

enjoy the chase,

skylar

Saying Good-bye to High School

Hi everyone and Happy Friday! I don't know about you, but this week has truly been a whirl-wind for me (don't worry, I'll share an update soon). This weekend marks the graduation festivities for a lot of the high schools in my hometown area in upstate New York and I wanted to address that in my post for today!

Saying 'Good-bye' to High School can be a very profound experience for students as they embark on their next journey, so I wanted to share with you all my thoughts on overcoming the sadness and celebrating the joy! Cue Vitamin C's Graduation (Friends Forever) circa 2000.

For myself, I was not too sad to leave my high school when the time came around, actually I was moreso happy to be moving onto bigger and better things, that doesn't mean that I wasn't emotional as I said my last good-byes to teachers, and fellow students. What was important for me as I began that transition was that I stayed in contact with those friends who I knew I wanted to keep in my life. Now, with the use of social media it is pretty easy to see what others are doing in their lives, but I mean deciding that you are truly going to stay in contact with people will help with your transition.

High school was not meant to last forever ... true story, but that doesn't mean that you can't cherish your times there walking the halls, gossiping with friends, playing sports on the fields, or chatting with your favorite teacher. It will all stay with you as you move on and as you adapt to your next phase in life: college,work, family life ... etc.

But, there will come a day, maybe not next week, or next month, or even next year, that your favorite high school memories will be replaced by your favorite college memories and it will be more important to stay in touch with the group of guys from your basic training group than from your high school soccer team. While it is hard to recognize that life is changing and these moments won't stay the same forever; greater and better things are coming to you, as long as you welcome them! If you stay stuck in your high school years, you will never grow and you will never expand your mind past 12th grade, even if you get a Doctorate!

My challenge to all of you High School Graduates is this: when you're standing up on that stage getting your diploma, shaking your principal's hand, and turning your tassel, think about your favorite memory from high school - a slow dance with your sweetheart, a game-winning hit in Softball, the last paragraph of your favorite speech from Debate Team - and then think about the one experience you want to have in college - saving someone's life as a student nurse, hanging out with your brothers at your fraternity house, or carrying a championship trophy on your shoulder. Both of these moments are connected and cannot happen without the other. High school is important to us because that is where we have been the most vulnerable, the most intelligent, the most excited, and the most feared in our entire life. Well my friends, you are 17-18 years old, life is just beginning and you have plenty more to learn, experience, and fear!

So, when you are up on stage this weekend thinking of your memories and goals for the future, don't forget that the best is yet to come ....

congratulations and enjoy the chase,

skylar

Throwback Thursday: High School Graduation

Hi everyone and Happy Thursday! Today I wanted to throw it back a little to 6 years ago when I, myself, graduated from high school! It doesn't even seem like it was six years ago that I walked across that stage and retrieved my High School Diploma and really began chasing college!

I've mentioned in a few posts and in my 6 month Q&A video that I graduated from high school as Valedictorian. Because of this, I was able to address the class and give the graduating speech. While it was something sentimental, where I talked about our memories and hopes for the future, I also added in lyrics from my favorite song! Make sure that your speeches, your graduation cap, your thank you's, whatever you need to do represent who you are and stay true to your personality!

My fiance, Tyler, and I did not attend the same high school, but we were both able to attend each others' ceremonies, as they were on different days. This was maybe the third picture we had ever taken up to this point, but it is also one of my favorites! On your graduation day, make sure you get pictures with all of your high school friends and family members so that you can hang them up in your dorm room or frame them and give them as a gift!

You always have to have a cheesy picture and something that shows how genuinely happy you are that you graduated. While you may not think it is a huge accomplishment to graduate from high school, (My thought was always, "Duh, of course I'm going to graduate), for some of your peers, it was truly the hardest thing they will ever do: pass their exams and walk across that stage. Celebrate this accomplishment and be happy that high school is behind you and you have the whole world in front of you! 

A standard event in my hometown area is to have a graduation party to celebrate your graduation. You typically invite a lot of your friends, relatives, community members, and even some teachers.  If you plan to have a celebration, make sure you enjoy every moment of it and take the time to speak with everyone who comes. There's a chance you will get lots of gifts and cards, so try to make your guests feel special too!!

For those of you graduating this year, congratulations! I always say this, but it is an accomplishment and a reason to celebrate, so make sure you take the time to reminesce on how you got to this point and be thankful for all of the help you've received on the way. For those who are looking forward to it next year or in a few years, give yourself some goals for next year and set out to make it your best school year yet! For all of those alums from high schools around the nation, use this week and next week to share your Throwback Thursdays about your graduation day and remember how truly thankful you are that your high school years are behind you!!

enjoy the chase,

skylar

P.S. Follow me on Instagram at @skylarclapperton to see all my #tbt posts

Decorating your Graduation Cap

CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES!! This is such an exciting time of year and it only feels more real once you receive your cap and gown for the graduation exercises! Today, I wanted to do a fun post for you all that inspires you even more as you get ready for graduation.

A big part of High School and even College graduation ceremonies is decorating your cap to say exactly what you want it to! Whether it is relief for making it to graduation, hope for a future job, excitement for going to college, or even just gratitude for the people in your life, here are some creative ways to say what words cannot!

Keep it Simple

When I graduated from High School, I really wanted to decorate my cap, but I was so busy preparing my Valedictorian Speech, organizing for my party, and worrying about everything else in life, that I just put rhinestones on it. It was a simple, yet elegant way to add some great decoration. 

Monogram It

A really simple but cute option is just putting your monogram in the center of your mortarboard. You can find some pre-made ones on Etsy or just draw one on yourself with paint markers!

Quote a Book, Song, or Movie

Nothing says "you," quite like your favorite book or song lyric. You can pick a quote from Dr. Suess or from a Stephen King novel, whatever encompasses exactly what you are feeling as you walk down the aisle and receive your diploma! 

Include your future Major or College

People get really creative when including their majors or the colleges they plan to attend on their caps. It can just be drawing something like this tooth one for becoming a Dental Hygienist or an apple for going to college to become a teacher. You can even include something about your new school, like their mascot or emblem! 

Show your Passions

Whether you performed in Musicals, love coin collecting, or spruce up old furniture to sell on Ebay, find a way to include it on your cap design. It could be something as simple as music notes for the singers or the beautiful "I Hope you Dance" for the dancers!

Collage of Memories or Pictures

Another great way to say "Thank you" and show your gratitude for your family and friends is by including some pictures and memories from your time in school. There will most likely be a Senior Slideshow shown throughout the ceremony, but why not give your own slideshow with your favorite pictures and memories from the last 4-12 years. 

A simple Google Image search or search on Pinterest can help you find some inspiration for decorating your mortarboard. You can find all of these decorated caps and more on my Pinterest Board entitled: The Best is Yet to Come: Graduation Caps! It also may be a fun idea for you and your group of friends to have a decorating party a few nights before the big day! Feel free to tag Chasing College on Twitter or #ChasingCollege on Instagram so that we can see your graduation caps!! No matter what though, make sure you enjoy the start to the graduation festivities and make your cap an extension of who you are and what you hope your future holds!

enjoy the chase,

skylar

Celebrating Accomplishments

Hi everyone and Happy Sunday! I hope you all had a great weekend and were able to celebrate some amazing accomplishments in your life and in the lives of family and friends.

Yesterday, I celebrated my graduation with my Master's Degree in Higher Education Administration and I wanted to share it with you all!

I am a firm believer in "practice what you preach," and I guess the "preach" of Chasing College is to go out into the world and find opportunities to learn. I have been chasing college since I was in pre-school and I don't think I'm quite done yet, but I wanted to take this time to talk to you all about the hard work that goes into these accomplishments and these exciting moments in life.

College is not easy, whether you are doing a two year, a four year, your Master's, a certificate program, or your PhD, it is not an easy road that is ahead of you. There are bumps, U-turns, round-abouts, express lanes, crashes, breakdowns, and so many more things that happen along the journey. But, it is your perseverance, your faith, and your belief in yourself that will get you through the journey and that will help you enjoy it.

Through all of that hard work and dedication, graduating is one of the biggest accomplishments you will have in your life. I have been lucky enough to attend many different commencement ceremonies and see many different types of students walk across those stages and get their diplomas, and each one is unique, significant, and amazing as the next. Celebrate these moments and remember that feeling of accomplishment as you enter your next challenge.

Life is about challenging ourselves and chasing our dreams, so it is beyond necessary that we always have goals we are striving for. In those goals, don't forget the important role that education can play in them and pursue that. In whatever you choose though, make sure you are always chasing something!

enjoy the chase,

skylar