1. Self-management of expectations
Transition Skills
Self-management of expectations

2. Self Management of Expectations
Do you have a clear idea about what is expected of you as a successful learner in higher education?
Have you a set of well defined, dynamic goals and a plan of how and when you will achieve them?
If you answered ‘no’ to either of the above, you could benefit by developing your skills to manage and to get the most out of self study time.
The first phase of this work identified that students transitioning to university should be able to access information to develop their own pathways for growth. They need to understand the university environment and their role in it, yet research suggests that many students have many incorrect perceptions, resulting in poorly developed notions of what to expect when they enter higher education (The Center for Student Success 2009).

3. Managing your expectations
It is important to be clear about your expectations of what it is like to be in higher education. It will help if your expectations are informed and realistic.
If your expectations and your reality are different then there is a gap that could widen and impact negatively on your academic success.
Many new students are either not overly familiar or have completely ill-informed preconceptions about what they may encounter in the course of their choice
(James 2001). In turn, these factors may impact on their academic success, or may ultimately influence their decision to drop out (Pargetter et al 1999).

4. Try this activity: establishing your goals
There is evidence that people who have clear goals remain motivated in achieving them. The goals themselves are important but the experience that you can gain in setting and achieving goals can also help you to be successful in the future:
Using the ‘establishing your goals’ handout provided, without prioritising or trying to think of any order, write down a few goals under each of the 4 headings of health, finance, career and relationships.
Now using the drop down menus, allocated a period of time in which you believe you could achieve each of these goals. You can choose from up to 1, 3, 5 or 10 years. Work out how many goals you are planning to achieve in each time period and give some thought to the balance.
This activity will encourage students to write down and set timescales against their current and future goals. Four headings are provided to help them focus on different aspects of their life.
When the students have worked out how many 1, 3, 5 and 10 year goals they have they might be encouraged to adjust the balance of their goals. Do they have too many short term goals and a lack of longer term objectives for example? Are there enough short term achievable goals to help build their confidence in achieving goals? Are they ambitious enough?
Students could be encouraged to break down some of their longer term goals and consider what milestones there are in the journey to achieving them.
15 minutes

5. Try this activity: establishing your goals
Choose the 3 goals you consider to be your most important and type these into the boxes in your handout.
To complete this activity, look carefully at the words that have been provided in the handout and choose 3 which describe you and/or the qualities that you will need to have to achieve your goals.
This activity continues by asking students to put their top goal at the top of each list. They may be deciding on what is at the top of the list based on relative urgency or importance.
Students may find it challenging to define how they feel or how they need to feel to achieve their goals. The final part of the activity gives students a group of words that have positive feelings associated with them. Students can easily choose from the words provided or they can use words that they find more suitable.
Make sure that the students fill in the appropriate parts of the workbook.

6. Some quotations about goals“
“Do not wait; the time will never be ‘just right’. Start where you stand and work with whatever tools you may have at your command and better tools will be found as you go along”
Napoleon Hill
“I don't focus on what I'm up against. I focus on my goals and I try to ignore the rest”
Venus Williams
“If you have everythi ng under control, you are not moving fast enough”
Mario Andretti
There are many quotes related to goal setting and this slide provides a few examples. This will link forward to the next activity.

7. Try this activity: increasing motivation
Once you are clear about your goals and the timescales you have to achieve them, it is useful to make sure that you are focused and motivated. There are many online resources that you can use that may increase your motivation:
Search for ‘motivational quotations’ or excerpts from poems on the Internet and try to find any that appeal to you or could inspire you to achieve your goals.
Choose 2 of the best quotations and type them into the Inspirational Quotation boxes on your handout.
Remember to also complete the Written by boxes so you are acknowledging your sources.
Having thought carefully about their goals and their timescales, the workshop moves in this second activity to providing inspiration and determination to complete the goals.
15 minutes

8. Try this activity: increasing motivation
An affirmation is a positive statement that describes a situation that you desire. You will find sample affirmations in your handout:
Read the affirmations provided in your handout and decide if any of them feel as though they apply to how you need to feel if you are to achieve your goals.
Choose 2 of the affirmations and type them into the boxes provided. Note that you can edit or replace what you have been given with your own words.
Now go to the final page of the workbook and reflect on what you have created.
Affirmations may be unfamiliar to the students so samples have been provided to help them get the idea of having positive re-enforcing statements.

9. Sample affirmations My potential to succeed is infinite.
I am courageous and I stand up for myself.
My life is full of prosperity.
I have an incredible family and wonderful friends.
I acknowledge my own self-worth.
My confidence is soaring.
I am strong.
I am tenacious.
I radiate beauty.
I am defeating my illness steadily each day.
My obstacles are moving out of my way.
My path is towards greatness.
This is a sample of the affirmations available to the students in their handout. The slide can be used if there is a need to further discuss affirmations.

10. Supporting effective management of expectations
Students transitioning into or from higher education should be able to access information to develop their own pathways for growth. They need to understand the higher education environment and their role in it.
Managing Expectations
Setting Goals
Informed Realism
Flexibility
Setting Goals: Establish your goals for what you want to achieve and plan how they will fit into your longer term goals
Informed Realism: It is important to become familiar with any new requirements and to be realistic about how you will meet them
This slides attempts to link the development of good techniques for setting and achieving goals with the need to have realistic and flexible expectations. These were identified in Phase 1 to assist with the development in students of the key transition skill of Managing Expectations.
Flexibility: Good coping mechanisms will come from approaching differences between reality and expectations with some flexibility

11. Strategies for self management of expectations
Use these strategies to improve your management of expectations and goal setting skills
Try to find out as much as possible about what the expectations will be
Be aware of any difference between what you expected to happen and what is happening. Act quickly to close any gap that is opening.
Think carefully about your goals and make sure you have a healthy mixture of short term achievements and a longer term plan
Some things you can try
Attend any open days or induction events
Speak to other students including the students’ union or association
Ask questions and seek clarification if you are unsure
Some things you can try
Create a list of goals
Revisit this lists to keep it dynamic and ambitious
Use inspirational quotations and stories to keep yourself motivated
Develop a vision board
Setting and achieving goals is an important part of your development as a learner
A vision board is a visual way of capturing your goals and helping you stay motivated
The orange box indicates strategies which , when used, can enhance a student’s management of expectations and goal setting. The blue clouds are only suggested responses, as students should be encouraged to think about their own learning experience. The information in the blue cloud can be used to prompt the student in their responses, if needed.
Once the student has completed the workshop and entered the text when prompted, a rudimentary vision board should emerge. If students develop the skills to design a basic vision board then they can apply this to more elaborate designs in the future.
A vision board is a visual way for the student to capture their goals and help them stay motivated and focused on how they plan to achieve them.
Other Relevant Resources
‘Academic Transitions Toolkit’ Edinburgh University
‘Answers on a postcard’
Scott Adams – Affirmations
SMART goals