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

Tips for Dorm Shopping

Hi everyone!  So, if you've learned anything from my gift guides or Youtube videos, you know that I love a good bargain and that is no different when it comes to shopping for a dorm room or a new apartment! Once you graduate from high school or college, you start thinking about what items you will need to bring with you into your new residence, so I thought I would share my tried and true tips for dorm shopping!

FLEA MARKETS & GARAGE SALES

You can find some of the coolest things at flea markets and garage sales during the summer months. From tables and chairs to televisions and printers, you are sure to find something that fits your needs when you're out looking at garage sales. Check out your local paper to see when your neighborhood's Community Days are for the best chance of finding some great garage and estate sales! A great thing about flea markets and garage sales is that prices are usually negotiable, so if you aren't happy with a price, ask if they'd be willing to go lower. 

COLLEGE SALES

Did you know that some colleges and universities sell old televisions, computers, and dorm furniture to the public? Yeah ... it's pretty great! Again, you will want to search your local newspaper to see if this is the case, but you can get your hands on a great desk for your new apartment or a desktop computer for a small price! 

MOVE OUT SALES & FREEBIES

At the end of the school year a lot of college students are trying to sell the things that they don't want or won't be able to bring back home, so walk through some local college towns around the time of Move-Out and Graduation to find some great deals. Also, college students can be lazy, so if you're not opposed to dumpster diving, you can find some great furniture (think: futons, computer chairs, cabinets and shelves) that they just threw away so they don't need to bring it home. I've gotten a lamp, storage containers, and a coworker found a $300 office chair with no damage! Talk about a great freebie!!

TJ MAXX & HOMEGOODS

Do not discredit stores like TJ Maax, Marshalls, HomeGoods, Big Lots, or any other 'Discount' Stores. You can find high end, designer items at lower prices. Think coordinating towels, awesome bedspreads, and even a side table for your living room. If you start looking at these stores now, you can find some really great pieces by the time you move into your new dorm room or apartment in the fall! 

FAMILY & FRIENDS
When you're looking for furniture for your first apartment, don't be afraid to talk to your family and friends about pieces they may be able to help you with! You never know who is planning to down-size, move, or just redecorate, so plant the seed early! My fiance and I are planning to move into our first apartment together in a few months, so for the past year we have been on the lookout for family members who are redecorating and getting new furniture, luckily we have already scored a dining room table and a lounge chair for almost no cost! When sofas and couches can cost you easily $400, you want to get as many nice things as possible at a cheaper price!!

Something you want to keep in mind, though, is the space that you have available. In dorm rooms, you are already given your furniture (bed, desk, dresser, closet/armoire), so the only things you will want to think about our any extra lamps or storage pieces that will be compact and fit in small spaces! If you have a studio apartment or one with less square footage, you will also want to find pieces that can do double-duty. Storage ottomans are great and so are storage chests that can act as a coffee table! 

No matter what, make sure you are finding pieces that you love and are going to last you a while! If you only think you want it for a year or two, then go ahead and buy the pressed-cardboard put-together items from Walmart or Kmart, but if you truly want something that is going to last you, then search it out and don't be afraid to spend a little bit more for quality! 

Shopping for my dorm room and my apartment have truly been my favorite over these past years and I hope they bring you some exciting bargain hunting as well!!!

enjoy the chase,

skylar

Admissions Essay Topic Prompts

Hi everyone! I cannot believe it is already June and 2016 is almost half-way over! How are you coming on those New Years Resolutions? Personally, I have not been keeping them all going strong, but summer is here and I am ready to get back on the band-wagon to a "better me!" What better way to work on those resolutions than by preparing for your future? Today I have compiled some sample topics/prompts that you can use as inspiration for writing your college admissions essay, sample scholarship essay, personal statement for graduate school, or just to refine your definition of yourself!

First, I wanted to share with all of you Juniors or anyone looking to return to college the prompts that the Common Application has provided for this coming year's college admissions application! You can find them here, but if you don't find any of these as inspiring and the university allows you to write about a topic of your choice, read on to get inspired by my suggestions.

Why are your choosing a specific major or career?

What travel experience has impacted you the most?

What will your future look like and how will you get there?

 

Who is your hero and how have they impacted you?

Why is a college education important to you?

How will your talents add to the university's academic programs or campus culture?

What inspires you most in this world?

 Talk about a transformative experience you had in high school/college.

 When you're at the age of 80, what will you have hoped to accomplish in your lifetime? 

What makes you excited to pursue a college education?

Describe how a teacher or coach helped you better yourself.

How have the arts (music, dance, theater, art) impacted your education?

How do/will you give back to your community, currently/in the future?

What is your biggest passion? 

 I hope this list inspires you all to get started on your admissions essay and you work on perfecting them over the summer! In my undergraduate admissions essay, I talked about my passion for community service and how that impacted my relationships with people, and for my graduate admissions essay, I discussed the events that led to choosing the career/program I did!

Your essay gives the admissions committee a better glimpse at what you bring to the table. This is your chance to eloquently brag about yourself and talk about those amazing experiences you've had that fit no where else on the application. 

Do you already have a topic in mind that you plan to write about? Share below so that you can hopefully inspire a peer's essay too! Have a great rest of the week everyone!

enjoy the chase,

skylar

 

 

Facing your Fears for your Future

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a great start to your week and are gearing up for a fun weekend ahead ... Memorial Day!!

Something that I think is really great about this blog and about me writing and providing my advice for you all is that I too am feeling and going through the same experiences that you all are. I also am on the brink of a big transition in my life and am facing my fears at every turn to determine what is best for my future! So, today I wanted to address that.

Take advantage of art opportunities in your area.
If you have a creative side, why not enter your work in a contest!

Earlier this week, I was incredibly fortunate to be offered an in-person interview for a position in another state. With it being 800 miles away, I had to fly to my destination and rent a car and do all of that exciting travel stuff! The travel itself was a huge part of facing my fears for my future! I was not raised to be a flyer, I was raised to be a road-tripper, so handling all of the airport stress and flying by myself was so new to me! While I was anxious and nervous to do it all, I did it with grace and only got lost once! (Ironically, and luckily, with my aunt who had a GPS!)

So, while this new phase of your life can induce stress, fear, anxiety, and nerves, it is important to remember that everything you are working towards and trying for is only going to better help your future! Face your fears and do something you would never think about doing or think about trying. College and life after school is all about growing as a person and finding your place in the world. You aren't going to be able to do that if you stay in your comfort zone.

Take advantage of "Share" opportunities in your community
to find new hobbies and meet new people. If there isn't one,
try and start one for your area!

I'm not saying you need to travel around the world to face your fears, but even if it is something as taking a class you normally wouldn't or working in a job that makes you nervous, but excited. All of those experiences are going to make you a better and more interesting person for future opportunities! These can also lead you to places that you never knew were possible!

My challenge to you all is this: Get our of your comfort zone and face your fears about your future. Apply to an internship you never thought about, work at a summer camp to get more experience working with others, or take a karate or ballroom dance class that expands your creative and athletic world. Take advantage of new opportunities and don't say 'no' if they strike a little bit of fear in you! (Obviously, if it is something dangerous or not safe, then 'no' should certainly be your answer!)

Face your fears my friends and see what comes from it!!

enjoy the chase,

skylar

P.S. What are you challenging yourself to do? Make it something that you want to accomplish for the month of June and start planning for it!! Share your plans in the comments below, I'd love to hear!

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

Wish I Knew Wednesday

"I wish I had thought about grad school when applying to undergrad and that, especially for my program, it is easier to get into a grad program when you are already in their undergrad program." 
Cole F., 21, St. Johnsbury, Vermont

This is a somewhat difficult concept to advise upon - applying to your undergraduate education focused on your graduate. While it is important to be aware of the long-term goals and expectations in your chosen profession, it is not a necessity that you plan for graduate school as a junior and senior in high school! I do have a few suggestions though.

• There are certain professions where getting a graduate degree like a Master's or a PhD is inevitable (Education, Psychology, Engineering ... etc.). In these cases, I would definitely be aware of what the universities you are interested in offer for graduate programs and how you go about doing that. This could be as simple as doing a search of "graduate programs," on the university's website. So do a little research on it if you know that a Master's degree will be in your future plans after college. 
• Some universities offer 5-year programs which is a combination of a Bachelor's and a Master's Degree being completed in 5 years. Typically how this works is you apply for admission to the program as a Senior in high school. If you meet the GPA and test score requirements for the program, then you are admitted and you can complete your Bachelor's degree while maintaining their minimum GPA requirement. Then, in your third or fourth year, you will apply to the graduate phase of the program. The requirements may be more strict, depending on the program and it is a possibility that everyone in your cohort is not accepted, but that is a conversation to have with your Admissions Counselor when you are on campus. 
• I had no idea about 5-year programs until I began graduate school, but if you are in a field that requires it like Education, a 5-year program may be a positive and smart choice for your education!
• Your career path and desires could completely change by the time you enter your 2nd year in college, so planning out your graduate school plans before this point would be kind of counter-productive. Choosing a university or a program for the future and for a possibility is not going to help you adjust and enjoy your years as an undergrad student. 
• If I had chosen a university so that I could get my Master's Degree in teaching while still in high school, I would have wasted all of that time and energy on something that I realized I didn't want to do. There are always options, such as graduating after the Bachelor's degree portion, but it is important to be weary of making a solidified ten-year plan at the age of 17. 
• Don't feel like you need to attend the same college or university for both your undergraduate and graduate career. While some people do, it also makes you look more well-rounded when you apply for jobs post-graduate school that you were able to adapt well to two different campuses, faculty members, and curricula. 

Overall, you need to trust your gut instinct when planning for your undergraduate and graduate education. It's important to recognize that your career goals could change over four years as a college student, and that's okay. So don't cut yourself and your opportunities short because you want to plan well-into the future! Take your years at college to explore and take part in new and exciting opportunities that expand your knowledge and assumptions of the profession you choose to enter!!

enjoy the chase,

skylar

P.S. Are you thinking about graduate school and wondering what your options are for the future? Feel free to tweet or e-mail me with your questions!!