By Megan Hines
Senior Social Media Coordinator, APUS

In life, the act of setting clearly defined goals can be a powerful component to achieving success.

Entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said, “Goals. There’s no telling what you can do when you get inspired by them. There’s no telling what you can do when you believe in them. And there’s no telling what will happen when you act upon them.”

For many of our university students, setting goals is a main ingredient to completing a degree. During our recent Summer Social Giveaway contest, we asked our American Military University and American Public University social media communities to share what academic goals they hope to accomplish this year.

What we found was that common goals rose to the surface. These common goals included maintaining momentum with a program’s course load, achieving academic success – both big and small – and completing a degree.

Maintaining Momentum

“My academic goal for this year is to finish 3 classes so that I’ll be able to complete my bachelor’s degree by the end of next year.” – John Tarpley, AMU

“My goal is to work hard and complete my last 10 classes needed to get my bachelor’s degree by April 2020.” – Zovik Serengulian, APU

“This year, my academic goal is to complete at least 12 credits of courses in pursuit of my B.S. in Public Health.  By the end of the year, my goal is to have completed 99 out of 120 credits for this degree!” – Julia Pyle, AMU

“I have four courses needed to complete my degree; I am looking to have them finished by December 1. I am currently enrolled in two, and will be completing one a month from this month to November 30 to meet my goal.” – Theodore Krupnik, APU

Achieving Academic Success by Setting Goals

“This year, I would like to achieve a GPA of at least 3.5 in the classes I need for my contracting and acquisition major. The reason is because the subject matter I have chosen is completely out of my wheelhouse, but is necessary to start a new chapter of my life.” – Kristin Sanders, APU

“I hope to maintain my A-B average and keep the momentum going toward my bachelor’s degree in Psychology! If I stay on track, I will be done next spring!” – Crystal Collins, AMU

“My academic goal this year is to make excellent grades in all my courses. As a result, I will work hard to turn in well-written assignments on time. This will make it possible for me to accomplish my ultimate goal of being the first in my family to earn a first degree. It has been my dream and desire for the past 13 years, but circumstances beyond my control have made it impossible. However, l believe that my study habits and past experiences will see me through this challenge.” – Cynthia Osuji, APU

“My academic goal for this year is twofold; the first being maintaining a 3.5 GPA or better. I have been able to do that by using the resources that AMU has provided me and my personal support group to help me when I am struggling with time or priorities. My second goal is to complete at least nine semester hours this year. I am already halfway there and I am already planning my next step.” – Scott Adam, AMU

Completing a Degree

“My goal for 2019-2020 is to finish my master’s degree in Business Administration at AMU. When finished, I plan to then successfully find an administrative job with a good successful company and better the lives of the people I am in charge of.” – Richard Gonzales, AMU

“My academic goal this this year is to complete my degree in Intelligence Studies, with a concentration in Terrorism. All the classes I have taken with APU have exceeded my expectations, and I look forward to starting my master’s degree. It’s been a great journey!” – Sophie McDaniel, APU

“My goal is to complete my degree by the end of the year while maintaining my 4.0 GPA, then immediately start my master’s degree.” – Jeremy Cunningham, AMU

“The academic goal I plan to complete this year is my MBA. I had to slow down a bit due to moving my family from Florida to Kansas, starting a new job, and having shoulder surgery!  But, I’m ready to get it going and strive to finish this year!” – Bruce Morgan, APU

Do you have an academic goal you plan to accomplish this year? Share with us in the comments below!