I'm a Korean and I learned in school that 'to' is equal to 'in order to' and 'so as to,' if they are used in expressing intent.
Are the sentences "I study in order to achieve my goal" and "I study so as to achieve my goal" same, in terms of nuance? If there's even the slightest difference when viewed by a native speaker, please elaborate! :)
"so as to" and "in order to" are equivalent. "In order to" is more common:
"in order to" shows a desired situation (achieving your goal) and an action that is done to get to that state (study) - "I study in order to achieve my goal"
Generally, this can be shorted to "to": "I study to achieve my goal". (However note that "to" has many other uses.)
Speaking as an Englishman, and (supposed) fluent English speaker I would use the first syntax in normal conversation - the second seems to be too formal for everyday use. However, the decision is yours, as you are correct in that they have the same meaning.
