In order to achieve long-term goals (from college on), you will need to first achieve a series of shorter goals. Medium-term goals (this year and while in college) and short-term goals (today, this week, and this month) may take several days, weeks, months, or even a few years to complete, depending on your ultimate long-term goals.

Take a moment and identify your short-term (today, this week, and this month) and medium-term goals (this year and while in college) that will help you achieve your long-term goal in the activity that follows.

1. Identify one long-term academic or career goal.
2. Identify two related medium-term and two related short-term goals that will help you achieve your long-term goal.
3. Identify Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, and Time-Bound activities to achieve your identified goals by a certain time frame.

Guidelines for the Interactive

Review the following guidelines and examples.

Phrase goals as positive statements	Affirm your excitement and enthusiasm about attaining a goal by using positive language and expectations.
Be exact	Set a precise goal that includes dates, times, and amounts so that you have a basis for measuring your progress.
Prioritize	Select your top goals, and put them in order of importance. This helps you understand the degree to which you value each of them. It will also help you better manage related tasks and not feel overwhelmed.
Take the lead	Identify goals that are linked to your own performance, not dependent on the actions of other people or situations beyond your control.
Be realistic but optimistic and ambitious	The goals you set should be achievable, but sometimes it pays to reach a little higher than what you may think is possible. Certainly, don’t set your goals too low.
Be hopeful, excited, and committed	Your enthusiasm and perseverance can open many doors!

Example Goals

Review the following examples to get an idea of how you should define your goals.

Goal Priorities	My Precise Goals	What I Am Doing Now to Achieve These Goals
Example: Long-term goal	I plan to graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. My major will be Radio-Television-Film, and my minor will be Spanish.	I am attending the college of my choice and getting good grades in my major.
Example: Related medium-term goal	I would like to study abroad in Spain before I graduate.	I need to get busy with this! I will inquire this week about what I need to do next.
Example: Related short-term goal	I will need to get financial aid for at least a portion of my studies.	I have filled out the forms for financial aid. Last week, I applied for a part-time job.

Define Your Goals