My goals for Term 3 – and why you should make some too!
As term three draws closer, I decided to create a list of four goals that I want to achieve during the last term of my second year at Warwick. Time flies so quickly at university, and so I thought I would plan ahead and think about what I would like to achieve in the next ten weeks.
After reading this, you might like to create a list of several goals that you would like to achieve in Term 3 – they don’t have to be particularly big at all! – but I find that creating goals is helpful in cultivating tangible steps to complete or help to complete particular aspirations, as well as providing some sense of accountability too. After all, writing down your goals is a form of affirmation, asserting to yourself that this is something you would like to achieve, therefore making you one step closer to actually achieving it.
- Something that I want to affirm to myself in Term 3 is not to wish time away. Even though particular times may be stressful, especially in the run-up to coursework deadlines and exams, it is important to remain present in the moment and try to find positivity in academically challenging times.
It can be very draining to be under such constant pressure because of assignments for a long duration of time, and so it is so important to try and manage feelings inside of this time, instead of waiting until the stressful period is over. Instead of sometimes wanting to wish that time could just fast forward from these assignment deadlines, I want to ensure that I am finding good in each and every day.
A statement that I often use when thinking a particular day is stressful is ‘the entire day isn’t stressful, but this moment is.’ I find that this sentiment is often true, and helps to work through difficult moments.
Also, I find that incorporating some simple pleasures into my everyday life can make these difficult times feel a lot better. For example, going to the gym, listening to a new podcast or reading a new book, taking some time to cook a tasty meal or going on a coffee with a friend are all examples of activities that I like to incorporate into my week. Another tip that I find useful is to arrange study days with my friends at university, as it adds a sense of camaraderie to completing difficult deadlines alongside one another. Wishing time away is easy to do, but I always find myself looking nostalgically into the past and fondly upon memories, so definitely live in the moment and take in each and every day!
- Another goal that I want to achieve during Term 3 is to complete a Coursera course, an extra-curricular online course. Whilst I am particularly interested in the Coursera courses around the subjects of Philosophy, Creative Writing and American Literature, there are lots of courses available covering a wide range of subjects, with course titles including ‘Introduction to Forensic Science’, ‘Globalzation, Economic Growth and Stability’ and ‘Understanding Memory: Explaining the Psychology of Memory through Movies’.
They are a brilliant way of consolidating knowledge that you already have, as well as excitingly providing a way to further investigate a subject that you may be curious about. Each Coursera course is run by world-class universities and companies, and you can even get a certificate upon completion of the course. Many courses are free to enroll in, and can be completed in your own time, meaning that you can factor them in around studies or complete after exams and deadlines.
- I want to pitch to publications at least once a week once my deadlines are completed. Essentially, ‘pitching’ involves sending a brief summary of an article idea to a publication, as well as incorporating reasons for wanting to write the article and why it is suitable for the specific publication you are emailing. As such, pitching requires a lot of extensive research to ensure that pitched articles are both engaging, and suitable for a particular publication. Although I have pitched before, when I finish my assignments and classes, it will enable me to have time to pitch weekly to various outlets.
One industry that I am particularly interested in is the journalism industry, and so pitching regularly to various publications is a great way of further progressing my writing as well as giving up the opportunity for my work to be picked up and shared by larger publications.
- Finally, I want to start learning Dutch! After visiting Amsterdam earlier this year, I have been inspired by the city’s vibrancy and friendly atmosphere to begin to learn Dutch after my assignments are due. I haven’t learned a language since GCSE French, so I’m very excited to restart the journey of learning languages.
