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 your expectations.
         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. 
          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.
                                                                                                15 minutes
          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.
            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 everything under control, you are not moving fast 
            enough” - Mario Andretti