Merna Moustafa, PD8, 10/21/2020, Day C

Merna Moustafa
Period 8
10/26/20
Cycle C

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

As of right now my current goal is to be able to manage my time, while not stressing myself out
too much this year. I am currently a senior, which means that like my peers, I need to have my
college applications done soon. Last year around the beginning of March I had made a plan with
all the timed steps necessary to stay on track. However, due to the CoronaVirus, this plan
ultimately did not work out as I had multiple test cancellations and I had to have a change in
work lifestyle because of the change to online school. I would like to finish all my college
applications at least four days before the deadline, in order to make sure I have enough time to
add any extra touches in case any detail does not go as planned. I am applying to multiple
schools early, which means I need to be able to split my time wisely between all the supplements and my personal essay. Along with the start of the college application process, school has started. This has added on extra stress, especially now that I am a fully remote student. As a result of this another goal of mine has become to wake up early in the morning to work on all college related stuff and then after my classes I would only work on school related tasks. I want to keep this goal as an effort to reduce procrastination, that will eventually cause me a more stressful time in the future. The last goal I set for myself was to start living a healthier lifestyle, which includes both mentally and physically. This would be an attempt to help me balance out my thoughts and keep me more focused on the long run.


How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

I have demonstrated great resilience towards achieving my goals. Due to the pandemic my original plan/ schedule did not workout like the majority of students. I have had a total of six
SAT exams canceled from March through October. Each time I got the cancellation email, I felt
very discouraged and it made me feel like I would not be able to get into the college I want. At
one point I even stopped studying completely for a few months. When I realized the school year
was starting up again, I felt like it was time to get back on track so I self studied this time and
self taught myself all the topics I needed to know and master for my exam based off of a
schedule I created for myself. It has been very difficult of course to start school again along with
college applications. The situation creates a stressful environment for me as a student. My main
priority has been my applications, but this also poses a problem because I need to make sure I do not slack off on any of my work and end up behind my class and confused. For this reason I have separated my tasks according to the time of the day. Being a remote student takes away from a part of the physical activity I would have gotten at school normally. So I have tried to make up for that by making sure I do at least one activity, whether that be a walk or a workout, for five days of the week. And to make sure that I am balanced overall, I have tried to free at least one or two days a week to do no work and take time off stress.

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

When I look at the world around me it makes me feel comfortable knowing that other people are
also in a similar situation as me. This makes me know I can have people to turn to when I want
advice on how to deal with my current stress and to make sure that my goals can help me do the
same. However, the world around me does make me concerned towards my goals at the same
time as I feel like I may not be doing enough to manage my tasks and as if I should take on the
job of more tasks. Overall, I want to use both of these perceptions as a motivation to turn to help
when I need it and to do as best as I can, without overly stressing myself out.