Goals Statement

From the Student Handbook:

	The goals statement of a Learning Plan is what makes it truly 
your own.  The rest of the Learning will outline what you 
intend to do, how you will do it and for how many credits.  
The goals statement is your opportunity to specify why you are 
pursuing a particular plan of study.  What personal and academic goals 
do you have, what central interests, and how will this semester's 
learning promote them?  Why did you choose this region of the world 
and this kind of project?  What kinds of inner growth or self-
understanding are you seeking during this period?  You do not have to 
answer all these questions, of course, but understanding your 
developing priorities, goals and interests will add relevance and 
coherency to you ongoing educational plans.

It can be hard to decide how personal to make the Goals Statement; what you're really dealing with are issues like "why my goals are the way they are" and "who I really am." Part of the process and purpose of writing about these goals is to discover what they are. Don't get intimidated. It's a bit of a stretch for most people to start thinking about goals in terms of an entire lifetime-- our tendency is to focus on the present. This is the place to think really big:

"I am an artist."
"I want to repair the world."
"If I ever grow up, I want to build my own house and raise lizards. In order to achieve this, I feel I need to delve into a study of desert ecology this year."
etc.

Also, don't worry about clichŽ sounding goals like "learning to do it on my own" or "growing." These are goals that are real and useful, even when they are common.

Workshop Discussion Sparks

sharing goals
ways of figuring out what your goals are

Inspired and Creative

It is not hard to turn this into a sort of autobiography, of your past or of your future, or both. Try it.

Rigorous Training

Read Goals Statements in the Learning Plans of old Portfolios to get the idea.

AAAAAGGGHHHH!

No one is evaluating your life. Try it at first without showing it to anybody, just to get your thoughts straight so that you can proceed with the other parts of the Learning Plan. Worry about how you want to present it later. (But don't skip it!)

See Also

Contribute to the Portfolio Resource Guide!!!

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