GOAL!

Photo taken in La Jolla, CA. April 2021. Taken during my set "me time".

Goal-setting can be daunting. Its intimidating nature can lead us to procrastinate both the act of goal setting and the goals themselves. I know that I have personally struggled with the act of goal setting throughout my academic career for many reasons. Mostly, I felt that goals could be constricting or cause close-mindedness to opportunities that I may come across.

I have since realized that goal setting is an important aspect of collegiate success and it has become an integral piece of my college career.

What I did not learn about goal setting in high school is that goals should be made with specificity, measurability, attainability, relevancy, and timeliness in mind. Goals can be both short and long term and can pertain to life beyond academics as well.

Since this important realization, goal setting and goal measuring has become apart of my quarterly routine. My goals for this quarter are as follows:

1. Complete my EMT training and pass the NREMT exam in June.

I began training to be an EMT at the beginning of March with the EMT Prep Course. This course gave me the opportunity to learn about the profession as well as what would be expected of me in the training class. I loved the prep-course and I have loved the training course as well. Completing my EMT training and pasting the NREMT exam are both very specific, measurable goals. Through my experience with the class thus far, I feel that they are also very attainable though I will be studying quite a bit. Finally, this goal takes into account the timeline of finishing the course and taking the test as the goal is set to be completed in June.

2. Write and publish two articles for the Daily Bruin by the end of this quarter.

I was hired as an opinion columnist for the Daily Bruin at the beginning of this year. As someone completely new to the writing and journalism scene, writing for the Daily Bruin has been both a wonderful and challenging learning experience. This goal reflects my growth as a writer as I am aiming to increase the number of articles I write per quarter. So far, I have written one and I am on track to finish my second on time. This makes this goal quite attainable and specific. The timeline is clearly taken into account here as I am set to complete this goal by the end of the quarter.

3. Improve my study methods particularly for my Life Science class.

I am currently enrolled in my third quarter of the Life Science 7 series. I have been struggling with this series throughout the year, not necessarily due to the difficulty of the course, but rather due to the difficulty of the tests. My goal for this quarter is to finally establish the study methods which work for me and bring success in this course as well as other similar courses which I will encounter throughout the rest of my major. This goal is very specific; however, it is something I have been working on all year. I believe it is attainable as there are some students who are doing well and achieving the marks I wish to be achieving. It is measurable as when I reach this goal, my grades should start to improve on exams. And, finally, it is timely, as I aim to complete this goal by the end of the quarter.

4. Apply and get hired by a 911 service, specifically UCLA EMS.

This goal applies to my professional life. It is important to me that I start getting experience as an EMT following my certification at the end of the summer. I am in the process of applying to the UCLA EMS program, and it has been a goal of mine throughout the quarter to apply and (hopefully) get accepted to work for this program over the summer and throughout the rest of my undergraduate career. This goal is clearly very specific and timely as the applications are due on May 13 and the job will begin in June. I believe it is attainable as I know several students in the program who have encouraged me to apply. And, finally, it is measurable as I will have accomplished this goal when I am hired by UCLA EMS or another 911 service.

Goal setting is an important skill to have both in your academic and professional life.

However, it is also a beneficial skill to have in your personal life as well. As someone who values both exercise and time outside, I often find myself setting daily goals of how far I would like to walk or how much time I want to spend outside for the day. By applying this mentality to my personal life, I find that it is easier to prioritize my “me time” or “self-care” as I have discussed in my previous posts.

Overall, setting specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely goals is an excellent way to improve your academic, professional, and personal life.