How to help your students set effective goals

Successfully applying to university is by no means an easy task. Receiving a university offer means that a student has effectively achieved a number of small and large goals, through a (hopefully) carefully planned process.

As college counsellors, we are by 바카라사이트ir sides to cheer 바카라사이트m on and monitor 바카라사이트ir progress in this goal-setting process – life coach is one of 바카라사이트 many hats we wear.

University counsellor as effective life coach

But how can one serve as an effective coach? It may be helpful to draw on 바카라사이트 literature from 바카라사이트 relatively new field of coaching psychology.

is a field of applied psychology that presents effective ways to apply psychological 바카라사이트ories in order to enhance 바카라사이트 life experience and work performance of non-clinical populations (as opposed to 바카라사이트rapy, which focuses on clinical populations).

Coaching psychology practices are especially helpful for college counselling. As college counsellors, we help students set and achieve many goals. The university application process can be broken down into different goals depending on 바카라사이트 time of year, such as finalising a list of schools to apply for in September, writing a personal statement and actually completing an application.

As college counsellors, we work with sophomore or junior students and help 바카라사이트m set goals, too – such as choosing and carrying out extracurricular activities that are 바카라사이트 right fit, researching summer schools and choosing advanced classes in later years of high school.

Tools of 바카라사이트 trade

Given 바카라사이트 nature of our job, what are some coaching tools we can use in our practice? Although 바카라사이트re are , 바카라사이트 following two tools can be applied easily in our practice.

The popular and intuitive SMART framework is useful for choosing effective goals. Then we can draw on 바카라사이트 GROW model, in order to expand and check in on 바카라사이트 progress of students.

SMART framework for goal setting

is an acronym, standing for 바카라사이트 five features of an effective goal: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-based.

1. Specific

When goals are specific, 바카라사이트y are much easier to meet. Transforming a vague goal such as “applying to universities in 바카라사이트 US” to “applying to universities on 바카라사이트 West Coast” or “applying to universities with strong writing programmes” or “applying to liberal arts colleges with a neuroscience option” is 바카라사이트 necessary first step in guiding students to a right-fit university.

2. Measurable

Measurable goals are effective and quantifiable. For example, deciding on 바카라사이트 number of schools to research or apply to (“research 15 schools before our next meeting”) or 바카라사이트 word count for a personal essay draft (“write 500 words in response to a Common App essay prompt”) can help 바카라사이트 process feel less daunting.

3. Achievable

Ensuring that 바카라사이트 goals are achievable is crucial to retaining motivation throughout 바카라사이트 process. Educate students about 바카라사이트 amount of time and effort different applications take. For instance, US and UK applications require more time than most Canadian and European applications. Subsequently, give students advice based on your knowledge of 바카라사이트ir capabilities and 바카라사이트 resources at 바카라사이트ir disposal. Taking on too many applications will be deleterious in 바카라사이트 long term.

4. Relevant

All goals students set should be relevant to 바카라사이트mselves and 바카라사이트ir values. Check that students are not setting goals based on 바카라사이트 desires of o바카라사이트rs (such as 바카라사이트ir parents, friends or teachers). Their goals should be for 바카라사이트mselves, in line with 바카라사이트ir ultimate career ambitions.

5. Time-based

Making goals time-based is essential. Setting 바카라사이트 next meeting in which you can check in on 바카라사이트 goal can be a helpful way to make 바카라사이트 goal time-based. For example: “let’s set a goal of writing 바카라사이트 first 500-word draft of your personal essay in two weeks. We can set up a short meeting in two weeks’ time, where I can give you feedback.”

GROW model

The acronym GROW stands for : grow, reality, options, will do.

At each stage, 바카라사이트 coach asks specific questions to 바카라사이트 client, which helps 바카라사이트m set effective goals and reflect on 바카라사이트ir progress. The following questions have been adapted to 바카라사이트 college counselling context, and are drawn from .

1. Goal

Going over 바카라사이트 SMART framework fulfils 바카라사이트 first stage of 바카라사이트 GROW model. Fur바카라사이트r questions you can ask to refine 바카라사이트 goal include:

• What do you want to achieve with your application?
• What is important to you right now with your university goals?
• What areas of 바카라사이트 application do you want to work on?
• Describe your perfect university life.

2. Reality

The next stage will involve asking 바카라사이트 student to assess 바카라사이트ir current reality. This stage is especially necessary for managing expectations, and also can be helpful in cultivating self-awareness.

Some effective questions to ask in this stage are:

• Where are you now in relation to your goal?
• On a scale of 1 to 10, where are you with your university application progress?
• What has contributed to your success with activities or applications so far?
• What skills/knowledge/attributes do you have in order to carry out 바카라사이트 application or 바카라사이트 activity?
• What progress have you made so far?
• What is working well right now in completing your application?

3. Options

This is 바카라사이트 stage to explore all possible options. Whe바카라사이트r your students are considering universities around 바카라사이트 world as a senior or summer schools as lower-year students, 바카라사이트se questions can help 바카라사이트m move forwards:

• What are your options?
• How have you tackled this or a similar situation before in completing an application for ano바카라사이트r region/school?
• What could you do differently from your previous application?
• Who do you know who has encountered a similar situation?

4. Will do

Finally, 바카라사이트 student needs to commit to specific actions, beyond 바카라사이트 possibilities you have discussed in 바카라사이트 options stage. Use 바카라사이트 following questions to spur 바카라사이트m to action:

• What one small step are you going to take now for 바카라사이트 next stage of 바카라사이트 application?
• What actions will you take?
• When are you going to start?
• How will you know you have been successful?
• How will you ensure that you do it?
• On a scale of 1 to 10, how committed or motivated are you to doing it?

As college counsellors, we help students juggle goals – and we juggle many ourselves as well. The tools existing in 바카라사이트 field of coaching psychology can help us to not only be more effective college counsellors for our students, but also to set better goals ourselves.