PERSONAL ACADEMIC GOALS What are your weak points in the academic world? As a struggling teen, I was always challenged by three haunting skill sets. For example, I had difficulties elaborating and explaining my viewpoints to others. I constantly remember repeating myself and trying to find ways in which to articulate what I wanted to say in front of the class for a group presentation. I was also challenged in putting my thoughts in a clear and precise manner in which others could understand. I found it difficult to get my point across during my presentations and would always have to rely on my classmates probing for more answers to clarify my thought process. To make matters worse, researching a paper proved to be an obstacle time after time. It was difficult for me to find the necessary data that would best support my point of view. I would spend a great deal of time just to gather information that I would end up excluding from my final draft. In this paper, I will be talking about my strategies in achieving my goals to strengthen my critical thinking, oral communication, and information utilization/research. One of my goals involves critical thinking, in which I would like to enhance my problem-solving and decision-making skills. I believe these improvements are important in the business world and are highly looked upon by employers. This also validates my competency in real life decision-making situations. According to Paul and Elder, “Development in thinking requires a gradual process requiring plateaus of learning and just plain hard work” (2001). Although critical thinking is not a short term process, I will still be able to develop this skill throughout my life. In addition to these components, it will enhance my ability to analyze different scenarios and their outcomes. For example, in my current employment, I supervise a team that requires a standard