Goal Commitment

Value of and commitment to a college degree; Making your success in college a priority

Getting a college degree is important, and has huge benefits throughout your lifetime. While some people might question “is it worth it,” research still shows that college degree holders still earn, on average 75% more than those who have a high school diploma. What’s more, people with a college degree are more likely to have a job, particularly when times get tough. Following the economic crisis of 2008, the unemployment rate for those that held a college degree was around 4%, while those without a degree saw an unemployment rate of roughly 10%. A college degree has also been related to many other benefits, such as improved health.

But in order for you to be successful, getting a degree must be important to you. It can’t be something far off in the distance, but something that’s a priority on a day-to-day basis. When tough decisions arise, such as choosing between studying for an exam or doing something with your friends, making your success in college a priority will be the difference.

I don’t focus on what I’m up against.

I focus on my goals and I try to ignore the rest.
Venus Williams

How can I improve my Goal Commitment?

Strategies to Use

First thing’s first: make sure your college success is important to you. If you’re unclear about how or why you’re in college or in this particular field of study, use the resources below to either talk with others at your college/university or to reflect on your own thoughts (see Online Resources).
If you’re struggling to prioritize college among other competing aspects of your life, check out resources related to Organization to help better manage your time.

Resources at Montclair State

Academic Advising helps students create a personalized approach that will help them achieve their personal and academic goals.
Prestigious Scholarships Program is a program dedicated to helping students find and apply for national and international awards to study abroad, do research, or fund graduate study. The program helps students define their academic, personal and professional goals and find prestigious scholarships that will help them in pursuing those goals.
Career Services assist students with all aspects of their professional development from resume writing to helping students explore career paths that align with their interests, values, and goals. Career Services provide self-assessments, access to Handshake (job and internship search portal), workshops, and opportunities to network with hiring employers seeking to fill jobs and internships.
CAPS provides free, voluntary services to all students including short term individual counseling, a variety of weekly therapy and support groups, consultations, psychiatry services and referral assistance to providers off-campus.
Disability Resource Center assists in receiving the accommodations and services necessary to equalize access. The DRC provides assistance to students with physical, sensory, learning, psychological, neurological, and chronic medical disabilities.‌
Center for Writing Excellence (CWE) offers in-person and online appointments for every type of writing, workshops, and various online resources. The CWE fosters confidence, independence, and self-efficacy with short- and long-term goals.
StudentLingo is an on-demand workshop resource for students in over 50 college-related success topics. Each workshop is 10-20 minutes long, presented by diverse professionals in the field and comes with activities and additional resources. StudentLingo will be available for free through June 2024. If you have any concerns about your study habits, reading strategies, transitioning to college, or are interested in attending a live CAST workshop, consider StudentLingo.
TutorLingo is an on-demand workshop resource focused on academic support-related topics. These presentations are 30 minutes to an hour on average. Whether you are a tutor or not, you can benefit from the content as a student.

Online Resources

Check out this simple worksheet from the University of Colorado that helps you articulate and plan for your goals.
This article from Purdue University discusses tips and resources for goal setting.
If you use Google Calendar on your phone, this post discusses how to use “Google Goals” to be more productive.
Focus-2: A self-paced, online career and education planning tool designed to help you make decisions about career goals and education plans.