Savvy Student Newsletter:

January 2022

Upcoming Events

Asking for Help

Thursday, January 20, 2022
from 7:00 - 8:00 pm EST

Are you the type of person who loves to give help but shies away from asking for it? Join us to learn strategies for reaching out and getting the support you need when you need it.

Register for Asking for Help

Learning to Learn

Thursday, February, 2022
from 7:00 - 8:00 pm EST

During this webinar, two Walden University peer mentors will help you revamp your study routine with proven strategies for studying more efficiently and learning more deeply.

Register for Learning to Learn

Try Setting SMART
(Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound)
Goals in 2022!

A common goal for students is "I want to be a better student." But how can this goal be accomplished or measured? What does this mean?

To make this goal more specific, we could focus on one specific aspect of "being a better student" (remember, a SMART goal doesn't have to include EVERYTHING you want to accomplish). 

Let's say we want to focus on improving our writing.

Now that we have a specific goal, how can we make it measurable and achievable? To make a goal measurable or achievable, we need to consider how we can take measurable action to meet this goal. This might be something like "spend 2 hours a week writing about articles I have read" or "writing 100-word summaries of articles immediately after I read them."

For a goal to be relevant, you need to consider how this goal might impact future goals. Why do you want to be a better student? Why do you want to improve your writing skills? For example, "In order to be successful at writing my dissertation" or "To earn at least a B in each course" or "So I can graduate with my degree"... consider how your current goal might be impacting your larger future goals. 

Lastly, make your goal time-bound. This is not the time you will spend on your goal, but when you want to have your goal accomplished. For example, "1 hour proof-reading" is measurable, but not time-bound. You want to set a realistic duration for your goal, such as the duration of a course, year, or academic term. 

Putting it together. 

Now that we have put a little more thought into our SMART Goals, let's write it out! 

To prepare for writing my dissertation in 6 months, I will improve my writing skills by reviewing Writing Center resources each week, spending at least 1-hour proof-reading assignments, and submitting essays longer than 3 pages to the Writing Center Paper Review.

Why SMART Goals?

SMART goals allow you to create goals that include a plan to achieve them.

Which goal do you think a student is more likely to achieve (and know if they have achieved it?):

Goal #1: I want to be a better student. 

Goal #2: To prepare for writing my dissertation in 6 months, I will improve my writing skills by reviewing Writing Center resources each week, spending at least 1 hour proof-reading assignments, and submitting essays longer than 3 pages to the Writing Center Paper Review.

Breaking it Down Further.

Let's look at this goal a little closer. I have highlighted each SMART element. 

• Specific 
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-Bound

To prepare for writing my dissertation in 6 months, I will improve my writing skills by reviewing Writing Center resources each week, spending at least 1 hour proof-reading assignments, and submitting essays longer than 3 pages to the Writing Center Paper Review.

Let's look at another goal! 

To improve my school-life balance, I will set aside one day a week to be "technology free" this term by making sure I am managing my time and completing all work before the due date.

And one more! 

I will run my first 5k in March by running 1 mile at least 3 days a week and increasing the distance by half a mile each week, so that I can develop a healthy hobby. 

-Your Savvy Student Editor