Dear Regan,

You are a high-stress, study machine. You have big dreams but get caught overwhelmed when it comes to executing them. This semester, you are going to work step-by-step to realistically achieve your goals. This is how.

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WHY CO-OP IS IMPORTANT TO ME.

Co-op is important to me because it will help me become the person that I see myself as in the future. Co-op is going to give me transferable skills, and great experience. This experience will continue my path for my passion, as well as provide opportunities for me to continue this path. It is important to me to experience the field I want to go into, to build my passion as well as my skills that are going to be crucial for my future career. Co-op is going to push me to put my best self into the scientific community, which is what I would like to do.

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I am going to improve my chemistry marks this semester! I am going to stay on top of my weekly and daily studying.

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ACADEMIC GOAL

My academic goal for this semester is to get an 85% in chemistry. Last semester, chemistry was the only course that knocked off my chances of a 4.0 GPA. That result was due to me not staying on top of studying for chemistry weekly – as it was a hard course that I found difficult to enjoy studying for. Avoiding studying because it is particularly hard for chemistry is something that I am going to stop this semester. I am going to stay on top of my work load, by doing the suggested practice problems gradually throughout each module and reviewing all my lecture notes after my lectures. I am going to utilize my agenda to keep track of my studying to achieve this goal. I use my agenda so much each day, so if I plan out this goal then I know I will be reminded of it multiple times a day. By the end of the first week of February, I would like to have gotten through all relevant lecture material and practice problems to stay up to date with the material. This will ensure I am well prepared for studying for the midterm, which is not too far afterwards. Every other week I have a chemistry lab, so my goal is to start my report sheet for the prior lab at least one week ahead of time. This will ensure I put the most effort I can into each lab, to keep my marks up. At the end of each week, I want to have a solid understanding of the lecture material, and at least one question about it to ask the professor or help TA’s. This will ensure I am held accountable for strengthening my understanding and ensure that I am engaging with the material to the degree I need to be.

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One of my life-long extracurricular is horseback riding. In practicing balancing my life better, I want to ensure I always spend time riding. 

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PERSONAL GOAL

My personal goal for this semester is to learn how to balance all aspects of my life: work, extra-curriculars, school and physical/mental self-care. Usually, I spend most of my time on studying and as a result other aspect of my life are sacrificed. I am going to keep a daily journal to keep track of what I do each day, as well as to create plans for each day which include more than studying and reading. My goal is to start incorporating exercising, down-time, and more time for extra-circulars into my every-day routine. I work well off schedules and list, so I am going to use this existing strength to ensure that I remain organized and diligent, so not only can I make time for other things, but so I can also stay on top of everything. Someone who can help me achieve this goal is my gym buddy. If I work harder to make gym plans, then I know that I will be held accountable by someone else if I do not make time for that. This will motivate me to accomplish this goal. By the end of January, I want to make a habit of saving time for myself to relax at the end of each day. By the end of February, I want to be managing to go to the gym at least every other day. By then, I want to be feeling the differences in my mood and energy levels. I think finding a balance between the books and the rest of my life will really provide me with those things.

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I have a passion for science, and this semester I want to pursue this passion in gaining experience in areas that will lead me to where I want to be.

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PROFESSIONAL GOAL

My professional goal is to reach out to professors and employers about summer positions and obtain a volunteer position for the summer related to science and/or research. I have compiled a large list of science-related positions that I am eligible for, which I am going to apply to. By the end of January, I will have 3 of these applications sent in. By the end of March, I will have 3 more sent in. I am going to work on my presentation, communication and resume writing skills to obtain this goal. I am also planning to reach out to professors to inquire about summer lab volunteer positions. My mother can help me to achieve this goal, as I know she writes policies and recruits employees each day, and is a great critic for applications and resumes. Every other week, I am aiming to find a short-term opportunity (such as a CLN workshop) to strengthen a necessary skill for the application process, or to build, tailor or work on editing a resume/cover letter for a new position.