My Goal as An Undergraduate

Setting goals is a very effective way of getting ahead in life. Realizing those goals makes one feel alive. In every human endeavor, goals are very important because they serve as checks and balances towards our success and achievement as humans.

Sadly, so many people don’t realize this importance of setting goals. They just ‘go with the flow’ without any form of planning while forgetting that he who fails to plan plans to fail.

As an undergraduate, it is sad to find out to so many of my colleagues do not have any well defined set goals which they are working towards. It's disheartening when you discover that most of us, think that the only reason why we are in school is jut to make good grades and maybe hopefully, get a good job after graduation but the way I see it, it goes much beyond that.

I believe that by defining our goals as an undergraduate—most especially, when we are still freshers—will surely go a long way in helping us utilize our time as undergraduates in the most productive and efficient ways.

Here, I am going to bare my thoughts on my goals as an undergraduate. I believe, these will serve as pointers towards helping me become the type of individual who will make so many useful contributions in the larger society.

These are my goals as an undergraduate:

Good grades

First and foremost, I am in school as an undergraduate to make good grades. That is the only way to show that I am really a serious student who is actually learning and understanding what he is being taught.

My good grades will surely guarantee I have a better chance in life while in school in terms of getting a scholarship or any other honorary award as well as after graduation in terms of getting a better job with a good pay.

So I’m not going to play with my grades as an undergraduate.

So help me God.

What am I going to do with my life?

Self discovery

I am surely going to use this opportunity as an undergraduate to go into self discovery.

I will take my time to really try to understand myself very well. I will find out my likes and dislikes. It’s time to really have my own opinion about myself.

For me, my life as an undergraduate is not solely going to be about books and passing exams.

No. I will embrace personal development. I will find out the things I am really good at and dedicate my time to those things. I will try to develop some other skills which will be beneficial to me and the society in general.

I want to be an all-round student. That’s my goal as an undergraduate. I also want to use this opportunity as an all-round undergraduate to prepare for life after school in terms of getting a good job or starting my own business after graduation.

But before I can do that, I know I must go through this process of self discovery first.

Human relationship

I am going to explore how I relate with other human beings as an undergraduate.

Luckily for me, the university provides an assorted array of human beings with different characters and backgrounds so that means I am going to be kept so busy during my years as an undergraduate.

I am surely going to learn and understand human behavior. I am going to use this opportunity as an undergraduate to master what motivates people. I am going to try my hands in becoming more outspoken for me to be seen as a leader.

I will surely make a lot of friends because no man is an island onto himself.

And yes, I will surely involve myself in campus romance. Don’t blame me. You can only get one chance in your lifetime to be an undergraduate.

Lord knows, I'm not going to waste mine.

Responsibility

As an undergraduate, I must confess that this is really the first time I am leaving the comfort of my parents’ house and moving into an unknown field.

I know there is a sense of freedom that comes with this which I am so much enjoying right now.

But like they say, to whom much is given; much is expected.

Hence, I am also well aware that with the sense of freedom I’m getting now comes also the sense of responsibility that is much expected of me.

I am going to be responsible for my well being, physically, mentally, emotionally and financially wise as a graduate in school.

I will learn how to depend on myself so as to become independent in later life.

I will develop my character so that my parents will have every reason to be proud of me.

That means, I will have to be responsible for the decisions I make as an undergraduate with regards to how it affects me. I will choose my friends carefully so that I won’t be carried away by peer influence.

I will learn how to be financially responsible so that I can be in a better position to manage my finances effectively in later life.

I will learn how to be responsible for my time with proper time management skills so that I don’t end up wasting my time which is a very necessary resource.

So help me God.

Having fun

Yeah right. I’m surely going to have fun as an undergraduate.

As the old saying goes, all work without play makes Jack a dull person. I don’t want to be a dull person. I don’t also want my life as an undergraduate to be merely about reading, going to lectures, taking exams and making good grades.

No.

I want my years as an undergraduate to also be fulfilled and filled with fun. Like the saying goes, I want to pass through the school and let the school pass through me.

So I am going to join some nice social clubs. I am going to active in some religious groups. I am going to participate in school sports activities. I am going to make sure that I participate actively in school politics.

But I’m not going to join any secret cult because I don’t see any fun or gain whatsoever in doing that.

So help me God.