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I have compiled the following information on how to be successful with regards to setting goals as well as why, as students, we feel such a drive to create these goals for ourselves. This information was drawn from research studies, books, as well as other scholarly articles.

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Health concerns in college and why goal-setting:

Based on a research study, results showed that "college education has a negative effect on total mortality, that the effect was not confined to any particular decade; and that deaths due to heart disease and cancer are particularly affected" (Buckles et al., The Effect of College Education on Health).

 

Additionally, this study also mentions that "a college education has a particularly strong negative effect on deaths from causes related to smoking" (Buckles et al.).

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With the stresses placed on a college student, students take on negative habits to cope. Goal-setting can be a way of combating these health trends, by placing greater emphasis on those habits that are "good" and addressing those that are unhealthy.

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In fact, these stresses are notably directly correlated with the college environment. In a study conducted on dieters, it was observed that "while dieters weigh more and wish to lose more weight than non-dieters, they are hindered by the fact that they do not perceive their environment as being conductive to health" (Buckles, et al.) Overall, these dieters had a lower meal behavior score than others that were observed.

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Takeaway? One's perceived environment has an extremely strong effect on their personal habits. If one perceives their environment as more conducive to positive health habits or as more conducive to positive change, it is more likely that they will have healthier habits and be more successful at reaching their goals.

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How to be successful at goal-setting:

• Address expected results in addition to having a direction for current activities.

  • You can "heighten performance levels by setting targets to be achieved"

 

 

• Use words like targets, purpose, and direction when defining goals. This not only gives more specificity, but also gives more of a reason as to why you are setting this goal. The more meaning you associate with the goal, the more likely you are to be successful (Rouillard, Goals and goal setting)

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Sources:

Rouillard, L. (1998). Goals and goal setting, revised. Rev. ed. Menlo Park, Calif.: Crisp Publications.

Buckles, Kasey S, and Andreas Hagemann. The Effect of College Education On Health. Cambridge,

Mass.: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2013.

Buckles, Kasey, Andreas Hagemann, Ofer Malamud, Melinda S. Morrill, and Abigail K. Wozniak. "The Effect of College Education on Health." NBER Working Paper Series, July 2013. Web. 09 Feb. 2017.

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