First Year Experience

Developing Purpose

Many college students have energy but no destination in mind. Chickering and Reisser point out that for the most part, college students believe that college is to qualify them for a good job and to help ensure a comfortable lifestyle, not to help build skills applicable to "real world" experiences, broaden knowledge bases, or prepare students to be lifelong learners (1993).

Developing a personal purpose entails assessing interests and options, clarifying goals, making plans, and persistence. It requires developing plans for actions and setting priorities. Students need to integrate career plans, personal interests, and interpersonal and family commitments. If you need assistance with career development, explore the Career Services Hanbook for helpful information. Even though graduation seems like a long way away, now is a good time to start addressing this important issue.

Most students tend to operate within a narrow framework. You need to look at your degree requirements as a way to gain knowledge and skills. While selecting liberal education and elective courses, find out how you can sharpen your leadership, critical thinking, interpersonal, and communication skills. Don't view your degree requirements as obstacles while obtaining your degree during four years of attendance. Make the most of your degree. Examine your personal goals and objectives as well as what your degree is intended to do for you. Select courses that will help you fulfill these goals and/or objectives. Don't select courses solely because they "fit" into your class schedule. Take responsibility for course selection and choose wisely as your decisions impact your academic experience.

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Reference:
Chickering, Arthur, & Reisser, Linda. Education and Identity. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, CA 1993.