Our blog this month is from GEAR UP Specialist at Bonanza High School and Walter Johnson Junior High School.
As the school year is beginning to come to an end it is never too early (or too late) to set goals for your education or future! The easiest way to set a goal and stick to it is creating a SMART goal. SMART goals are great to set because they are clear and structured. Not exactly sure what a SMART goal is? Let’s break it down for you!
The S stands for Specific. You want to make sure that your goal is very specific. You want to graduate high school. Great! What exactly does that look like? I want to graduate high school and make sure I have above a 3.2 GPA that is required for my dream college. The next step in SMART goals is to make sure the goal is Measurable. This means you need to identify what exactly the result will be once the goal is complete. The A in SMART goal stands for Attainable. This means you need to be honest with yourself and think is this something that is really doable? If it is GREAT! If it is not, then you will want to think of another goal that you know can be accomplished. Next, we want to make sure the goal is Relevant. What does this mean? Is the goal you are setting will this goal benefit you? What is the purpose of this goal? If you can answer these questions you’re doing great! Finally, the T in SMART goals stands for Timely. Create checkpoints and a final deadline for your goal. This will help you stay on track and keep you focused on what you want to achieve! Goals are a great way of getting what you want and SMART goals are a great way to ensure you are working hard to get there! Good luck setting your goals big or small!
Source: https://uwm.edu/studentsuccess/wp-content/uploads/sites/250/2017/03/SMART-Goals-Reading.pdf
