Pre-Graduate Knights
List ways to engage in experiences already a part of or new experiences needed for a more
robust portfolio:
Experiences Currently Participating
Part II
Purpose
S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym that you can use to guide your goal setting.
Its criteria are commonly attributed to Peter Drucker's Management by Objectives concept. The
first known use of the term occurs in the November 1981 issue of Management Review by
George T. Doran. Since then, Professor Robert S. Rubin (Saint Louis University) wrote about
S.M.A.R.T. in an article for The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. He stated
that S.M.A.R.T. has come to mean different things to different people.
Instructions
To make sure your goals are clear and reachable, each one should be:
Specific (simple, sensible, significant).
Measurable (meaningful, motivating).
Achievable (agreed, attainable).
Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based).
Time bound (time-based, time limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive).
Professor Rubin also notes that the definition of the S.M.A.R.T. acronym may need updating to
reflect the importance of efficacy and feedback. However, some authors have expanded it to
include extra focus areas; S.M.A.R.T.E.R., for example, includes Evaluated and Reviewed. A
great way to get your goals evaluated and reviewed is to schedule an appointment with an AAP
Pre-Grad Advisor.
Complete the chart on the next page with the experiences you identified in Part I of this
assignment. Writing out your goals is the first step to achieving your goals!
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LEARNING EXPERIENCES & RESEARCH Pre-Graduate Knights
