90 Examples of Student Goals

John Spacey, updated on August 23, 2023

Student goals are plans to achieve something that are established by a student. These can include both academic goals and other life goals in areas such as wellness, school life, work experience, social life, hobbies, activities, life experience and mastery of talents. The following are illustrative examples of student goals.

Achieve a GPA of 3.5 or higher this semester.	Stick to a study schedule.
Focus while studying.	Complete homework quickly and efficiently.
Improve quality of homework and assignments.	Find a tutor.
Tutor others.	Practice math problems for 30 minutes every day.
Become a teaching assistant.	Find an internship.
Master a talent.	Pursue an academic interest.
Join a school club.	Found a school club.
Join a sports team.	Contribute to school culture.
Pursue public speaking opportunities.	Prioritize health and wellness.
Improve sleeping habits with a regular sleep schedule.	Pursue travel and cultural immersion.
Pursue networking opportunities.	Meet more people.
Develop friendships.	Finish a major project ahead of the deadline.
Overcome a bad habit.	Develop a more productive routine.
Get up early.	Participate in class.
Develop debating skills.	Research a topic.
Develop a project.	Conduct an experiment.
Build a prototype.	Pursue independent learning.
Read more.	Make better use of time.
Sideline negative influences.	Overcome a problem.
Make a decision.	Develop a talent.
Lead discussions.	Lead teams.
Lead club activities.	Pursue cultural activities.
Engage in community activities.	Attend school events.
Volunteer at school.	Volunteer in the community.
Gain work experience.	Improve finances by reduce spending.
Take a part-time job.	Prioritize time with positive people
Improve nutrition and eating habits.	Exercise more.
Pursue leisure and recreation	Pursue deeply meaningful experiences.
Improve productivity of study time.	Reduce time on social media.
Reduce time consuming television and streaming media.	Prioritize quality time with friends and family.
Improve grades.	Gain acceptance to college.
Research colleges and universities.	Improve decision making.
Write a journal.	Improve behavior.
Improve communication.	Resolve a conflict.
Get better at dealing with difficult people.	Obtain a driver's license.
Research potential careers.	Pursue political participation.
Learn a language.	Collaborate with others on projects.
Become more visible at school.	Improve presentations.
Improve public speaking skills.	Improve writing.
Improve verbal communication.	Master an artistic or creative talent.
Overcome a fear.	Challenge assumptions in class.
Engage in debate with peers and teachers in class.	Develop intellectual confidence.
Participate in school life.	Do good.
Set high standards of behavior for yourself.	Gain experience in a profession or trade.
Take time to play.	Pursue adventure and life experience.

Goals vs Intentions

Goals are an outcome that you would like to achieve such as a particular grade. Intentions are goals for your own behavior irrespective of outcomes. For example, the intention to study hard without an target for your actual grades. If you are setting goals for others, they often focus on outcomes such that goals may be required to be smart. This can be counterproductive because outcomes are beyond your control. It is often better to focus on what you can do as opposed to how things work out.

Smart Goals

Organizations and institutions often require that goals be smart meaning that they are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. This means that your goals need to have some number or confirmable outcome and a target date. The following are a few examples.

Improve study habits to focus without distraction for 45 minute study sessions with 10 minute breaks between. Target: maintain this new habit for all of first term. [includes a numerical target for the time that you will focus]

Get my driver's license by the end of the year. [includes a confirmable fact]

Join the sailing team in the summer. [includes a confirmable fact]

Reduce time on social media to 30 minutes a day in first term. [numerical target]