S-M-A-R-T Goals for the New Year

Winter break is a great time to think about setting goals for the new year and semester. As the semester approaches, the Office of Academic Advising would like to remind you of a strategy that we strongly support. Often, we encourage students to make use of S.M.A.R.T. goal setting! Not sure where to begin? Think of the acronym:

S-Specific
Being specific is helpful because it forces you to clearly define what is you want to do, why you want to do it, and how you are going to get it done. Specificity focuses your efforts, which is essential in the NYUCN program because there is a lot to do and not much time to get it all done. 


M-Measurable
Setting measurable goals is tied closely to your goal being specific. You want to ensure that you can have a means to measure progress and watch the change happen. Then, you can determine if the goal you set needs to be adjusted or if you were able to successfully complete it. For instance, when studying, you could include the chapter numbers as well as the number of pages you want to complete within a given time (ex. I will read pages 127-145 of chapter 7 in one hour).


A-Attainable
When setting goals you want to make sure that you are able to keep yourself motivated to continuously achieve. Setting goals that stretch you slightly is the best way to do it. If you set a goal that you know is unattainable you won't be motivated to achieve it--your commitment to the goal will be hard to maintain. In contrast, setting attainable goals helps you develop a skill set to make the impossible possible by way of small, measurable steps!

R-Realistic This is not to say that the goals you set should be easy . Much like setting attainable goals, your goals should also be realistic. You want to ensure that you are challenging yourself enough but that you also have the support in place, currently, to be able to meet the challenge/goal you set for yourself. Set goals for where you are and as you meet them, adjust them and set new goals.

T-Timely
Be sure that you set a clear time frame with an endpoint to work toward. Based on the goal, give yourself a period, one week, two weeks, etc. Make sure the time frame you choose is measurable, attainable, and realistic!


As you can see, many of the steps in this method are interrelated. They all work together to assist you in setting excellent goals so that you can  meet your mark and excel in school and in nursing.

If you have any questions about how to set your goals or develop study strategies to implement these steps, make an appointment with a member of the Administrative Advising Team! We are here to help.