Student Goals Examples: 40 Goals for School and College
"Do better this term" is what most students write when asked for a goal. It is a wish. A goal says what, how much and by when, and it is something you do, not something that happens to you.
Below are 40 student goals examples in five areas: study, exams and assignments, skills and career, daily routine, and money and life. Each has a first step you can take today. After the list, three of them are split into smaller steps with dates.
They are written for secondary school, college and university. Change the numbers to fit your course.
What makes a good student goal
- You can check it. "Study more" can't be checked. "Study 10 hours a week outside class" can.
- It is about what you do. A grade depends partly on the exam and the marker. The hours, the past papers and the drafts depend on you. Set the goal on those, and let the grade be the reason.
- It has a date. The end of term, the exam date, or Friday.
- It fits your timetable. Count your free hours in a normal week before you choose a number.
If you have a vague goal and want it in this shape, the SMART goal generator rewrites it with a measure and a date.
Study and grades
| # | Goal | First step |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Study 10 hours a week outside class, every week this term | Block the hours in your timetable |
| 2 | Go to every lecture or class for a month | Set alarms for the early ones |
| 3 | Rewrite your notes within 24 hours of each class for 4 weeks | Do today's notes tonight |
| 4 | Finish the reading before each seminar for the rest of term | List this week's reading and its page counts |
| 5 | Raise one subject by a grade by the end of term | Ask the teacher which 2 topics cost you most marks |
| 6 | Ask one question in class every week | Write the question before the next class |
| 7 | Go to office hours or ask a teacher for help 3 times this term | Find the times and put the first in your calendar |
| 8 | Study with one other person once a week | Ask someone today |
Exams and assignments
| # | Goal | First step |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Start every assignment the day it is set | Write the title and three bullet points for the newest one |
| 10 | Hand in every assignment a day early this term | Put each deadline in your calendar one day early |
| 11 | Do 5 past papers per subject before the exam | Download the papers and the mark schemes |
| 12 | Make a revision timetable 6 weeks before exams | List every topic in every subject |
| 13 | Finish a first draft of the essay a week before the deadline | Write the outline today |
| 14 | Make flashcards for one full subject | Do the first topic, 20 cards |
| 15 | Learn the 30 formulas or definitions the exam needs | Write them on one page |
| 16 | Read the feedback on every marked piece and list what to change | Start with the last one you got back |
Skills and career
| # | Goal | First step |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Write a one-page CV | List everything you have done, unedited |
| 18 | Apply for 5 internships or part-time jobs | Find the 5 and note the closing dates |
| 19 | Join one club or society and go 4 times | Look up when it meets |
| 20 | Finish one online course outside your subject | Choose it and do the first lesson |
| 21 | Give one presentation or talk this term | Volunteer for the next one that comes up |
| 22 | Talk to 3 people who work in a field you are curious about | Message the first one |
| 23 | Build one project you can show, such as a website, a study or a piece of writing | Decide what it is and write 3 steps |
| 24 | Learn to type at 50 words a minute | Take a typing test to find your starting speed |
Daily routine and wellbeing
| # | Goal | First step |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Be in bed by 11pm on school nights for a month | Set an alarm for 10:30pm |
| 26 | Keep your phone out of the room while you study, for 2 weeks | Choose where it goes |
| 27 | Exercise 3 times a week this term | Pick the 3 days |
| 28 | Eat breakfast before class every day for a month | Buy what you need today |
| 29 | Plan each week on Sunday evening for the whole term | Do the first plan this Sunday |
| 30 | Read for 20 minutes a day for fun, for 30 days | Choose the book |
| 31 | Take one full day off study every week | Decide which day |
| 32 | Keep your desk clear at the end of each day for 2 weeks | Clear it now |
Money and life
| # | Goal | First step |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | Write down everything you spend for a month | Start a note on your phone |
| 34 | Stick to a weekly budget for the whole term | Add up last week's spending |
| 35 | Save $200 by the end of term | Move the first $20 |
| 36 | Cook 4 dinners a week | Learn 2 cheap recipes |
| 37 | Apply for 2 scholarships or grants | Find them and note the deadlines |
| 38 | Call home once a week | Agree a day and time |
| 39 | Make 2 new friends on your course | Sit next to someone new and say hello |
| 40 | Learn one life skill, such as doing your own laundry or a tax form | Ask someone to show you once |
Three student goals split into steps
A goal for a whole term is too big to act on today. Splitting it into dated steps tells you what this week is for.
Do 5 past papers per subject before the exam (goal 11)
- Six weeks before: Download the papers and mark schemes, and do one paper with your notes open
- Five and four weeks before: One paper a week without notes, marked the same day
- Three and two weeks before: One paper a week under exam time, and list the topics that keep costing marks
- Last week: Redo only the questions you got wrong
Finish a first draft of the essay a week before the deadline (goal 13)
- Day 1: Read the question twice and write the outline
- Days 2 to 5: Read and take notes for each point of the outline
- Days 6 to 9: Write one section a day, in any order
- Day 10: Write the introduction and conclusion
- Last week: Leave it for a day, then edit and check the references
Study 10 hours a week outside class (goal 1)
- Week 1: Block five 2-hour sessions in the timetable and keep 3 of them
- Week 2: Keep 4 of the 5
- Week 3 on: Keep all 5, and move a session the same day if it is lost
- Each Sunday: Count the hours and plan next week's sessions
The same method works for any goal on the list. How to break down a big goal into subgoals explains it in full.
How many goals to set in a term
Three is enough: one for study, one for exams or assignments, and one from outside class. A long list of goals feels productive in week one and is forgotten by week four.
Review them once a week. Five minutes on Sunday is enough: what did I do, what did I miss, what is the one step for next week? The weekly review page has the questions written out.
Goals by time of year
- Start of term: routine goals work best now, such as 1, 2, 25 and 29, because the timetable is new and nothing is overdue.
- Middle of term: assignment goals such as 9, 10 and 13, when deadlines begin to overlap.
- Six weeks before exams: revision goals such as 11, 12, 14 and 15.
- Holidays: career and skill goals such as 17, 18, 20 and 23, which need longer blocks of time.
Track them in your browser
GoalTracker is a free online goal tracker that works well for a term. Add the goal, add each step as a subgoal with its date, and check them off. The progress bar shows how far you are, and each day you check off a subgoal counts toward your streak. There is no account to create and nothing to install, and your goals stay in your browser. That also means they stay on that one device, so use the export button if you move between a laptop and a library computer.
Goal tracking for students shows a full semester set up this way. For goals shorter than a term, see weekly goals examples and short-term goals examples.
Related reading
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