Your classmate Sam says that his goal is to pass all of his classes this semester. Using your ...

While passing classes is a positive goal, it is not written in an effective way. Goals need to be specific and challenging. This goal is neither. How is Sam defining passing his classes? If he gets all D's, which may be technically passing, mean that he successfully achieved his goal? What if he fails one course but gets A's in all of his other classes? Being more specific here will make it easier for Sam to know whether or not he achieved his goal. Research has also shown that it is not often that students exceed their goal so it would be more advisable for him to set a higher, more challenging goal.