20 Targeted Goals for Business School Students

Have you finished your first year of business school? If you have, you perhaps are familiar with the hustle and bustle. Students are seemingly rushing everywhere; some are grabbing coffee, and others are dressed in professional suits and ties, aiming to secure a job. 

The atmosphere of business school is busy and competitive to say the least. You constantly feel the need to look at others and compare. 

It doesn’t make it easier when many upper year students inform you about their experience of the job application process. The criteria is overly subjective: Some say that the grade point average (GPA) is important, and others say it’s not. And some may say that extracurriculars are important, when others disagree. 

The abundance of opinions and perspectives is overwhelming at first. But there is a way to carve your own path throughout your undergraduate business degree. Whether you’re in your first or your third year, don’t sweat, you can still aim to achieve some goals. Here are twenty goals for business school students: 

Academic Goals: 

1. Aim for over a 3.3 GPA 

We all have a love-hate relationship with academics. And even the best performers are often not consistent. Regardless of the hours you put in to study, you’ll soon notice that the 4.0 you were originally eyeing on is not guaranteed. 

But with that being said, it is always better to try than to not. Many companies will hire students as long as their GPA is above a 3.0, so ensure to aim a bit higher than a 3.0. 

2. Develop an efficient strategy for studying 

Many say that business school is not as difficult academically compared to the science or engineering programs. However, you shouldn’t have the assumption that you can study as little as possible for an average mark. 

In reality, you should aim to study efficiently: Know which methods work for you the best, and implement them depending on the nature of the coursework. For accounting, you may want to dedicate some time to practice the concepts. Whereas for marketing, you may want to spend time to understand and comprehend the material. 

3. Try to at least specialize in two different business functional areas 

Even if you already chose to specialize in marketing or accounting, learning a new functional area is important within the business industry. You can not only open yourself to more jobs or careers, but you can also gain new skills. 

So during your first year, try to pick out a few of your favourite functional areas. Do you like accounting, marketing or human resources? See which ones to specialize in and see where it takes you. 

Wellness Goals: 

4. Don’t overburden yourself 

Many of your classmates in business school may be constantly juggling multiple extracurriculars: Some may be on the executive team for a few clubs, whereas others may be volunteering for a conference. 

Although joining many extracurriculars can be beneficial for university experience, it is important to not overload yourself with activities. Know your limits and beware of your constraints. 

5. Learn to prioritize your mental health 

It may be difficult to first prioritize your mental health, as you feel the importance of juggling multiple tasks and roles. However, throughout your university studies, it is important to prioritize yourself first. 

When you are feeling overwhelmed, feel free to take a step back and engage in a self-care activity. This way, you’ll be more than ready to tackle new tasks soon. 

6. Learn to ask for help 

Oftentimes, as business students, we are told or reminded to not ask for help, but to complete tasks on our own. However, this process is often inefficient and unproductive. 

By asking for help, others can not only help you complete the tasks more efficiently, but they can bring new insight and perspectives to the project as well. 

Extracurricular Goals: 

7. Join at least one student club 

If you want to meet new people, one of the most effective ways is to join a club. You don’t have to join a club that is specific towards your career goal. In fact, you can join one just purely based on your own interest and hobbies. 

For example, if you like archery, you can join the archery club. And if you like anime, feel free to start an anime club. After all, being in a student club allows you to meet people perhaps outside of your program and develop connections for the future. 

8. Volunteer in the local community 

Some of the most important aspects of business are developing connections, and contributing to corporate social responsibility efforts. Hence, it’s important to have an understanding of the social issues which affect our current society as a business student. 

One of the ways to work towards solutions is by volunteering with the local community. You can start by seeing which social issues you deeply care about, and reaching out to non-profit organizations. Then, you can develop professional connections with other volunteers and staff members. 

9. Pick up a new hobby 

As business students, we feel the need to progress on our career and our goals. But we forget about another important aspect of life – hobbies. 

There are many hobbies to try out ranging from photography to writing. So, why not try some new activities and see which ones you enjoy? 

10. Join a case competition 

Case competitions, such as DECA, will allow you to apply your knowledge into practice. So why not give it a try? You’ll never know what you’ll learn and who you’ll meet. 

Moreover, if you do manage to secure a prize, you can flex that accomplishment on your resume. 

11. Participate in an exchange program 

Sometimes, you may feel the need to travel and go to school in a different country. So why not apply to an exchange program? You can study, travel abroad, and learn more about intercultural communications. So, aim to travel and study for one semester or a few weeks abroad. 

Career Goals: 

12. Learn to network 

Networking is important in any functional area of business and many business schools do host networking events for students to attend. 

Attending these events are important as you can meet people working in your chosen field, and learn about their skills and experiences. Networking may also land you a job opportunity at a bank or a global company as well. 

13. Obtain a paid internship 

Internships not only expose you to a specific career, but they also allow you to gain skills and network with more people within the industry. Plus, they also look great on your resume when applying to entry level positions after graduation. 

Many universities in Canada have a co-op program, which is similar to an internship program. However, co-op programs usually have work-terms which may not necessarily occur in the summer. Enrolling in a co-op program is also a good opportunity to gain skills and try new jobs as well. 

14. Secure a part-time job 

If you’re not in a co-op program or have an internship lined up, you can also gain experience by securing a part-time job. Even if the job may be unrelated to your field, you can learn important soft skills such as adaptability and communication. 

Moreover, you’ll also learn the importance of professionalism and punctuality. These skills will allow you to adapt to the workplace effectively. 

15. Brush up on your interview skills 

We all know that interviews are an important part of the job-seeking process. Therefore, it’s important to brush up on a few questions and answers in order to excel. 

Before an interview, read up on the company and learn to answer the basic questions without sounding robotic. Then, you’ll have no trouble navigating through the job application process. 

16. Get an on-campus job related to the business centre 

There are plenty of ways to engage with the business school itself. And one of these ways can be on-campus employment with the business or career centre of the school. These positions will allow you to network with student support staff and industry professionals. 

Moreover, you’ll also meet other business students and learn about their needs and experiences as well. 

17. Secure a tutoring, research assistant or teaching assistant position. 

Try to establish good relations with the faculty at your business school. If you want to pursue graduate studies, you can try to secure a tutoring or research assistant position with one of the professors. 

In order to do this, you’ll need to network. However, the opportunities for growth are endless. 

Friendship goals: 

18. Try talking to at least two people in each class 

Sometimes, the best way to create friendships is through conversations in school. Whenever you have classes, try talking to the person sitting beside you and seeing where that can lead to. When there are group projects, try to be courteous as much as possible. 

In the end, you’ll have more companions than expected. 

19. Go on one weekend retreat with a best friend. 

It’s always good to explore new places, especially in university. And having a friend to enjoy those moments with you even makes it better. 

To expand your horizons, you should aim to travel as much as possible throughout your university career. Taking a weekend retreat is a good starter step to more trips around the world. 

20. Attend a school event with a friend 

Many student groups have trips and weekend getaways planned. You can research some of these trips and attend them with a friend. 

You’ll get to meet more students who are perhaps in the same program as you, or you’ll meet others in other programs. 

What Goals Will You Set as a Business Student?

As a business student, you’ll discover many new paths and experience many opportunities for growth and professional developments. 

Hence, it’s vital to cultivate good relations and friendships with your classmates and groupmates. You’ll never know when connections with them will come in handy. 

And moreover, as a business student, it’s important for you to discover who you are and what your values are as well. Then, you can differentiate yourself in the industry and secure an ideal internship. 

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