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

New Year's Resolutions: Prepping for College

Hello everyone and Happy New Year! It feels so good to be back at it with new content for Chasing College! It seems kind of perfect that I'm starting back up on New Year's Day!! I wanted to do a New Year's Resolutions post for students specific to the grade level you are at.

I've said many times throughout these posts that you can always be working towards your college goals and New Year's Resolutions are no different! Let's get started!!

9th Grade

1. Work Hard  - This seems really silly of a New Year's Resolution, but keep working hard in all of your classes. Set yourself goals, like improving your class participation or your homework completion so that you can set yourself up for success for the rest of the year!

2. Join a Club - If you haven't joined a club in your high school yet, right after Winter Break is a great time to do that. It's a great chance to find your niche in school and continue building your interests.

3. Meet your School Counselor - Set yourself up for success for the next 3.5 years by taking the initiative to meet and talk with your school counselor. Let them know what career path you might want to go down so that they can keep their eye out for any special programs or courses for you in the future.

10th Grade

1. Study - Take your time and study for those tests. Make it a resolution that you will spend a half an hour each night reviewing your notes for all of your classes. This will not only help for tests, but it will also help you with homework and essays in the future.

2. Take on a Leadership Role - Whether your class or a club needs help planning an event or a fundraiser, step up and see how you can help. Even if it is as small as organizing work shifts for a school dance, it will help you spread your wings and put you in a spot for future leadership!

3. Be Nice to your Family - This may not be to prep for college, but I can tell you I was a BRAT when I was in 10th grade, moody, mouthy, and miserable to my family. (I've heard from friends and colleagues that this is common among 10th graders). Because of this, just try to make your life and your family's life just a little bit easier by thinking before you speak ... your parents will be a little more reluctant to have you go on vacation with your bestie this summer ... just saying (not from experience or anything ;) )!

11th Grade

1. Get those Grades Up - Admissions Officers look at your 11th grade year more than anything else. Use this as a chance to make a last ditch effort to improve your grades. Insider Tip: If you don't have the best scores, we do like to see an upward trend in grades, so start studying, participating, and working on your homework. Even if you have to stay after school two nights a week to force yourself to get your homework done, make it your resolution so that you can get into your dream school!

2. Volunteer in your School - Volunteering and community service should always be on your New Year's Resolution list, but use this year as a chance to commit yourself to your school community. Take your study hall and volunteer in an elementary classroom, in the lunch room, with facilities, or in an office. This will put you in a great spot for a terrific letter of recommendation on your heart, commitment, and leadership!

3. Delve into your Career - Meet with your counselor to talk about job shadowing or summer camp opportunities that will look good on your college application, but also help you learn more about your career. Make it a resolution to do something that will help your future self in their career!

12th Grade

1. Take Advantage of Opportunities - You are entering your last six months with the people you've been around for twelve years. Take advantage of every opportunity to go to an away game, attend a concert, be in a play, help out another grade level, work with a teacher after school. Whatever comes in front of you to cherish, take advantage of it, otherwise you will regret it.

2. Challenge yourself - However you define challenge, go ahead and take it. Whether it is taking an AP class, running with the Track team, or learning how to cook in Home Economics, do it! You will thank yourself for getting outside of your comfort zone and learning new things!

3. Step Back and Watch - Especially with your leadership roles, make it your resolution to start stepping back and letting others step up to the plate. If you are president of a club, let that 10th grader come in and help you with some of your responsibilities. It will help them learn to lead under your guidance and you can set the stage for success once you step away. 

I hope that these targeted New Year's Resolutions will get you excited and motivated for 2017 and prepping your life for college! If you want some more ideas for resolutions, check out last year's post here. If there is anything I can do to help or a post on one of the resolutions, comment below! ⇩⇩ Thanks for reading and ...

enjoy the chase,

skylar

P.S. Be sure to follow me on all of my social media channels to stay up-to-date on all that is happening at Chasing College and beyond!

Keeping your New Year's Resolution in College

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic week and got a lot accomplished! Last week I posted about New Year's Resolutions and today I wanted to give you all some advice and some tricks on keeping your New Year's Resolutions even as you head back to college!

Keeping your New Year's Resolutions can be difficult no matter where you are in life, but once you enter back into the hustle and bustle of college life, you will feel that you don't have the same time to devote, as you did during Winter Break. Because of that, you have to make time for your resolutions and for your new goals! You have to make a conscious effort to apply to those scholarships, actively read for class, go to the gym, and attend workshops. The good news though is that once you get into a habit of doing these things it will become second-nature! Until then, here are some tricks on keeping your resolutions in focus!

+  Add a virtual post-it onto the desktop of your computer as a constant reminder of your resolutions. This will help keep your resolutions in mind as you work on schoolwork or browse your social media!

+  Give your resolutions a 'fun' aspect to help you get excited about them. If you're looking for scholarships to apply for, find one that allows you to be creative and do something out of your comfort zone, or if your resolution is to exercise more, find a new workout class or get a DVD to help solve the monotony of running on the treadmill. Natural law states that if you're excited about something you're more likely to do it, so find a way to get excited about your resolution!

+  Make your resolutions with a friend to help keep you accountable. Working along with someone to meet your New Year's goals can be really positive. You both can work on it together and remind each other of your goals!

+ Setting a reminder on your phone can help you keep your resolution in mind! This is something really simple that you can do directly in your cell phone, or if your Google account is synced to your phone, you can set a reminder on Google Calendar. Then, when you're sitting around watching TV, you can be reminded of your resolutions!!

+  Incorporate your new goals/resolutions into your planner or your daily schedule. If you add it into your daily schedule and you purposely set an assigned time to devote to going to the gym or to reading for fun, then you have no excuse to say that you don't have time. This will also help it become second-nature.

+  Create an inspirational board to keep you motivated throughout the rest of the Winter and into Spring! You can make one by cutting out pictures and pasting them to a poster board, you can make a board on Pinterest, or you can make an electronic inspirational board and then apply it as the background on your computer.

+  Find an on-campus club that matches your resolution!  Whether you want to get fit, learn a new language, or gain more career experience, you can find a club that promotes the ideals of your resolution. This can not only help you achieve your goals and incorporate them more into your daily lifestyle, but it can also connect you with more like-minded people!

As someone who has tried to keep my New Year's Resolutions for the past 6 years, I know how difficult it can be doing so in college. All of these tips have worked well for me the past two years, so hopefully they will work well for you too! Remember though, this year is all about removing the negative and adding the positive!! Have a great weekend everyone!

enjoy the chase,

skylar

New Year's Resolutions

Hi everyone and Happy New Year!! 2015 is behind us and we can now look towards all of the great success we will achieve in 2016! Today, I am sharing with you all some great New Year's Resolutions ideas for anyone who is Chasing College! 

First and foremost, let's make 2016 the year where we 
Remove the negative and add the positive !!

You will become a happier and more successful person and student if you consistently work towards adding positive things to your daily routine, your thought processes, and just your general actions towards the world! Here are some resolutions that everyone can get behind in 2016!

1. Apply to One Scholarship Each Week - We could all use some extra money in the new year, so spend one day each week applying to a scholarship that you qualify for! You can spend a few hours organizing your application and essay to make sure that you have the best possible chance of winning the money! I would pick one day and designate that as scholarship day so that you can get into a routine of applying for scholarships each week on that day! This goes for anyone whose chasing college!

2. Seek College/Career Advice - Have genuine conversations with your teachers, coaches, parents, grandparents, and family friends about their college and career advice. Even if it is just talking to them about their experiences or their career journey can be beneficial to you! So, dedicate time and attention throughout 2016 to hearing others' stories and advice that they have for you. 

3. Spend 30 Minutes Doing Something you Love - Mental health is just as important as physical health, so while everyone is resolving to spend 30 minutes a day exercising, you should spend 30 minutes each day doing something you love! This could be exercising, playing a sport, crafting, reading a book for fun, dancing, baking, or catching up on your favorite tv show. No matter what though, this should be something that renews your mind and gives you energy to get your school work done! 

4. Remove Negative People - This is a huge part of the theme: "Remove the negative and add the positive." Having negative people around you can be the huge factor in a great year or a not-so great year, so be sure to surround yourself with the right people who are going to bring positive and supportive energy to you. Now, I realize in high school, you can't always remove those negative people since you most likely go to school with them, but you can try to distance yourself from them and that will help tremendously. 

5. Follow People who Inspire You - Follow people on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube who inspire you in your career goals, your personal life, or in your faith. They don't always have to have direct coordination to your life goals, but following people who are successful and who you can look to for potential future successes can help make 2016 a great year for your career and personal goals! 

6. Attend a Workshop that Interests You - Another way to help you have a great year career and college-wise is through attending a workshop, seminar, conference, or summer camp that interests you. This could be a photography workshop or a basket-weaving class, a seminar on creating wedding up-dos, or attending a Physics Conference. If you are young and still in high school, apply to a summer week-long camp in an academic program that interests you: architecture, writing, dance, or business. This can give you a jumpstart on your career and college search and it may also give you an edge for your college application in a few years!

7. Keep Your Head Up - You have 365 days to accomplish everything you want to this year: get into college, gain acceptance to law school, move away from home, become published, work at an internship, teach a class, and so much more. You will face adversity this year, but keep your head up and know that your chase for college is worth it and will bring you so much success in your years to come!

Here's to a great start to a great year everyone!!

enjoy the chase,

skylar

Setting Goals

Hi everyone. I hope you all had a great week and are settling well into your classes and getting excited for the events to come this Fall!  So, yesterday was my 23rd birthday and I am using that as inspiration for today's post; Making Goals.

If you have ever read Sean Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, you know that he stresses the importance of Habit 1: Being Proactive and Habit 2: Beginning with the End in Mind. (If you haven't read it, I highly suggest doing so. I got it as an 8th grade graduation gift and the lessons in it transformed my High School and College experience. Parents: this is a great gift for your child or even a niece or nephew.) Both of these habits can be supported by making goals in and out of school.

Some examples of goal lists include:

Goals for this year
Goals for college
Goals for the next ten years
Goals for Senior year
Goals for next Softball season

Your goals should include items, events, and experiences you hope to accomplish within that time frame. Anything from applying to five colleges, to getting three home runs this upcoming softball season. They can be simply worded like, "Get my Bachelor's Degree in Nursing" to "Travel to Italy, see Papal mass, throw a penny in the Trevi Fountain, and go to the Colosseum." These are your goals, not anyone else's. Think about what you want out of life and what you want out of that time frame and commit them to paper.

Setting goals can help you realize your dreams and what you want out of certain experiences like college or your Senior year of High School. Planning ahead can make sure that your experience is worthwhile and you accomplish all that you want! 

Write your goals in a format that is going to make you excited about them. Use decorative paper, bright colored pens, a cool app on your phone or tablet, and tack them to your bulletin board to keep you accountable and focused on what is important. It is going to be much easier to skip that trip to the store when you need to study, if your goal list is staring you in the eye!  

** Don't forget to reevaluate your goals every so often and cross them off as you accomplish them! Feel free to add new goals, too, if your dreams change, so can your goals!

enjoy the chase,

skylar