Students

Introduction

The SMART goal framework is a useful framework for planning, structuring and executing work towards a specific goal for Students. It is a user-friendly methodology, in that it instructs which aspects of a goal and associated milestones should be included, and how these should be formulated to have best effect. This combination makes the SMART framework very powerful and significantly increases the chances of the goal at hand actually being reached.

Examples

• Spend 30 minutes each evening preparing for the lectures the following day.
• Raise my hand and ask one question per lecture.
• Review the materials and notes taken during class within three hours following the end of the session.
• Apply for 10 summer internships by the end of this year
• Spend five hours per week during the academic school year working on extracurricular activities.

The smart method

A goal will only qualify as SMART if all aspects are fulfilled. When correctly formulated, SMART goals ensure that you:

The acronym for smart:

• S - (Specific): Have a clear direction of where you are heading
• M - (Measurable): Can assess the outcome of your efforts
• A - (Achievable): Work towards a realistic ambition
• R - (Relevant): Focus resources on the correct tasks
• T - (Time-bound): Feel an appropriate sense of urgency