Traditionally, instructors begin the first day of the semester by reviewing the syllabus, setting clear expectations, and outlining the course. In our experience, however, the traditional approach has flaws. So, we established the practice of starting the semester with an activity and reviewing the course and its expectations throughout the first week of class. One activity we have used with success is the vision board, which is a tool for goal setting and fostering critical and creative thinking. Research has shown students often struggle with creative and critical thinking, skills essential for academic and processional success. Vision boards, which incorporate words, images, and graphics to visually represent goals, offer a potential way to engage students in a creative process early in the semester. Students should create a vision board that reflects their personal, professional, and academic goals for the upcoming semester. The key is encouraging students to think critically about their goals (specific to the course) and how they can achieve them while keeping the goals time-bound to the semester. We allow students flexibility to choose the method for creating their vision board, allowing students who are less technically savvy to use physical elements. By avoiding the traditional syllabus-focused introduction, we allow students to explore potential areas of interest for their coursework and promote a sense of ownership over their learning. The activity has the potential to spark deeper engagement with course content and provide a creative outlet for students to reflect on their goals. The activity could be adapted in other disciplines to help students visualize and plan for course success, combining goal-setting with creative thinking. Through the activity, students can become more motivated and engaged in the course content while developing creative and critical thinking skills.