Page 68 - Keys To Community College Success

to college. The reward of this productive risk is help in building skills and persistence,
choosing a major and career direction, finding meaningful friends and activities, and
achieving learning goals.
Here’s another example: Today’s college campuses have increasingly diverse stu-
dent bodies. This diversity is also seen in the workplace. If you value human differ-
ences, going to college is an important step on the way to working successfully with
people of various cultures, stages of life, and value systems.
Values become goals when you’ve transformed your beliefs into something tan-
gible and long lasting. Not every value becomes a goal, but every goal stems from
your values.

HOW DO YOU SET
and achieve goals?

When you set a goal, you focus on what you want to achieve and then create a
path to get you there. Setting goals involves defining what you are aiming for in both
GOAL long-term and short-term time frames. Long-term goals are broader objectives you
An end toward which
want to achieve over a long period of time, perhaps a year or more. Short-term goals
you direct your efforts. are smaller steps that move you toward a long-term goal, making it manageable and
achievable, piece by piece (see Key 2.1).

Establish Your Personal Mission

Before you get involved setting specific goals, get clear about your personal mission in
life. This helps you anchor your values and goals to a “big picture” view of what you
want out of life. Think of a personal mission as your longest-term goal, within which
all other long-term and short-term goals should fit.

KEY 2.1 Goals reinforce one another.
2
CHAPTER Long-term Earn a degree

Yearlong Declare major Pass classes

Semester Explore career areas Work with study groups Be in class and on time

Meet with Cut down on
One Month Plan group meetings
academic advisor late-night socializing

Call advisor to set Call friends from class about Study weeknights and
This Week
up appointment getting a group together go out on Friday nights

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