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by Katie Graham, CampusESP | Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Goal setting is an important skill at every age, but learning how to set and achieve goals that build long-term success is something your student can begin practicing today. This guide will demonstrate how to create S.M.A.R.T. goals with your student that support their success in college and beyond. 

In this guide, the letters in S.M.A.R.T. mean: 

• Specific: Targeted towards one particular area for growth and improvement 
• Measurable: Able to be measured to see progress 
• Actionable: Have concrete steps that can be taken to achieve the goal
• Relevant: Relevant to their success and overall plans for the future
• Time-Constrained: Have a start and end date in mind

Let's break each letter down a little more. 

Specifying the goal will help your student narrow their focus and create a strong plan of attack. Instead of having a goal to get more involved on campus, encourage your student to specify whether they want to join a club, find a leadership position, or discover volunteer opportunities. If your student’s goal is to do better in class, ask them if they want to boost their grades in a specific class, improve their overall GPA, or try a new studying technique. Narrowing down ambiguity is an important first step. 

Once they’ve determined their focus, your student should choose metrics they can use to measure their progress and success. Try helping them attach a number value to their goals. Maybe it's attending six club meetings or study sessions, or looking to raise their GPA to a specific number. This will help them create an actionable plan to find success.

Once they have a measurable goal, work with your student to create an action plan. Encourage your student to reach out to a specific club, or find time in their schedule to attend club meetings. Students can also sign up for a professor's office hours or make an appointment with the tutoring center. Attaching real and achievable steps will help push your student to follow through on their goal. This can help build their sense of accountability farther than just homework deadlines. Another way to build accountability is by engaging their peers. Getting a friend to join them for a club meeting or to sign up for a joint tutoring session will help them both grow and succeed.

As you're creating a plan with your student, ask them how this goal is relevant to their future. Some goals may be linked to your student’s future aspirations, such as increasing their GPA now as a way to work towards graduating with honors or gaining admission into a competitive graduate program, while others may be a little more ambiguous. Getting involved with clubs and organizations might seem limited to college, but the variety of skills your student gains will serve them long after graduation.

Setting a time constraint for an action plan may feel strange, but it helps promote the ability to adhere to deadlines and puts healthy pressure on your student to follow through on their goals. Advise your student to choose a firm time limit to hold themselves accountable and remain focused.

When creating S.M.A.R.T. goals, it’s important to remember that some will be achieved and others may not. Remind your student that falling short is a great opportunity for reflection. If your student set a goal to attend five club meetings, but only made it to two, it may be a sign that the group wasn’t the right fit. Likewise, if they don’t earn the grade they hoped for on an exam, it could be a signal to adjust their note-taking or study habits, or seek out additional support from campus resources. 

Breaking down bigger goals into smaller, action-oriented steps can make them feel more manageable and attainable for your student. At the start of the semester, discuss with your student their larger goals and choose a few S.M.A.R.T. ones that can be achieved throughout the semester. By the end of the semester, your student can reflect and make adjustments as needed. Planning for the future can be a daunting prospect, but setting S.M.A.R.T. goals can contribute to your student’s on-campus success!

Click here to download a printable, PDF worksheet you can share with your student to help them achieve their goals.

Katie Graham is a CampusESP Content Specialist. Katie started as a Customer Success Intern in 2023, worked as a contractor with the content team, and became a Content Specialist in 2025. Katie’s passion for student success and development stems from her background in student affairs and her own undergraduate experience at Cedar Crest College. Connect with Katie on LinkedIn.