What does it mean to be a strategic student?
Sent by Lasse Palomaki | May 1, 2025
This post was originally published in The Strategic Student Newsletter — a monthly email sharing practical strategies to help students turn their degree into job offers. Want future editions sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe here.
Why students stay busy but don’t make progress
In college, it's easy to stay busy and feel like you're doing all the right things. You go to class, join clubs, maybe get an internship — and still wonder if any of it is actually moving you forward. I see this happen across every major, and it happened to me when I was in college too.
Part of the problem is that most of the things students are encouraged to do are good things. But what most students miss is this: it’s not just what you do that matters. It’s how you do it and why you do it.
Those two pieces determine whether you're approaching college by default or by design.
The difference between doing college by default and by design
Take something simple: going to class. Every student is expected to show up. But the outcomes vary dramatically depending on the how and why behind that choice.
Student A: Goes to class (the what), sits in the back with AirPods in (the how), just to get attendance credit and pass (the why).
Student B: Goes to class (the what), sits toward the front and engages (the how), because they want to understand the material and apply it to internships or future work (the why).
Same action. Completely different outcome.
The same pattern shows up outside the classroom too — in clubs, projects, internships, jobs, and more. Are you just showing up to show up, or are you approaching each activity with intention and a clear purpose?
Zoom out further and the contrast becomes even sharper.
Student A: Attends college, follows the default class plan, focuses on maintaining a decent GPA, and aims to graduate in four years.
Student B: Attends college, explores early, chooses classes and experiences with purpose, builds skills that matter to their career, and graduates confident they used their time well.
Both students pay the same tuition. Both get the same degree.
But chances are that only one gets a massive return on their investment of time, money, and effort — because they took the time to reflect on their long-term goals (the why) and then made everyday choices that moved them closer to those goals.
That's what being a strategic student is all about.
It’s not just about doing the right things — it’s about doing the right things the right way, for the right reasons, so you actually get a return on your investment.
Doing what you're told (the bare minimum) is not a strategy. It's survival.
Designing your own experience through reflecting on your goals, learning from others, and aligning your actions with those goals? That's a strategy.
What strategic students do differently
Being strategic isn't about knowing everything from day one. It's not about working harder than everyone else. And it's definitely not about cramming more into your schedule.
It’s about aligning your actions with your long-term goals, not just reacting to whatever today throws at you.
Strategic students regularly ask themselves questions like:
Why am I choosing this class, club, job, or project?
How am I showing up in this activity?
What skills, relationships, or experiences am I building?
Does this help me move closer to the opportunities I want after graduation?
Because if your actions don’t reflect your goals, your results won’t either.
Strategic students aren’t more talented — they’re more intentional. They take ownership of their goals, reflect regularly, and make adjustments as they learn more about themselves and their direction.
And that mindset is available to every student, including you.
A simple exercise to help you think more strategically
Here’s a short exercise to start shifting toward a College by Design mindset.
Step 1: What would make college "worth it" for you?
Ask yourself: When I graduate, what would make me say college was worth it?
Your answers might include a specific job, certain skills, confidence, clarity, or personal growth. There’s no right answer — what matters is that the definition is yours, not someone else’s.
Write it down. Your future decisions depend on it.
Step 2: Audit how you spend your time
Write down three activities you spend the most time on right now — inside or outside of the classroom. This could include classes, part-time work, clubs, studying, social time, or even screen time.
For each one, ask yourself: "Is this helping me build skills, experience, or relationships that move me closer to my goal?"
If the answer is yes, write down specifically why that activity is helping you — what skill it’s building, what opportunity it’s creating, or what relationship it’s strengthening.
If the answer is no, identify one small adjustment you could make this month to shift your time or energy toward something more aligned with your future goals.
This isn’t a one-and-done exercise. You should come back to it regularly — at least a couple of times every semester.
Why?
Because your goals will evolve as you move through college. Every semester, every experience, and every conversation will introduce you to new ideas that might reshape what a positive return on college looks like for you. And that’s a good thing.
As your goals evolve, your actions should evolve too.
Quick note: This isn’t about turning every moment into hustle mode. You don’t need to optimize every minute — no one does. It’s about making sure the time you do invest leads somewhere meaningful.
Ready to be more strategic about college?
I’ve worked with thousands of students on a wide range of career readiness topics, and the underlying message I always share is this: You can approach college either by default or by design.
In fact, this idea is so important to me that I offer two ways to help students design their experience intentionally:
College by Design Workshop: A workshop (and an accompanying workbook) designed to help high school seniors and first-year and sophomore college students shift to a College by Design mindset — a strategic, intentional approach where they actively shape their college experience to align with their personal interests and career goals.
College by Design 1:1 Coaching: A personalized coaching package designed to help high school seniors and first-year college students build a tailored college strategy that fully leverages the opportunities on their own college campus.
If you want more practical, no-fluff strategies like this, you can explore all of our our resources — including free guides, tools, and more — here, and follow me on LinkedIn for weekly content here.
College is an investment. Let’s make sure you get a return on it.
Lasse
Founder, The Strategic Student
