28 Part I The Transition to College Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. complete this well. The implications couldn’t be more different. The first student gains what they believe is a fact about their identity, while the second learns a lesson about hard work. Dweck put this to the test in her research on elementary school students who were given a series of puzzles of varying difficulty. They gave one group of students fixed mindset praise (“You’re so good at this!”) and one group growth mindset praise (“You must have worked hard!”) as they solved the puzzles. When given the choice between doing an easier puzzle and a more challenging one, the stu- dents given fixed praise chose the easier one, seeing this as an opportunity to be good at it. The growth mindset students overwhelmingly chose the more diffi- cult ones, seeing it as an opportunity for growth. This type of choice—leaning into and opting for challenge—has obvious impli- cations for college and life in general. A person willing to choose challenge will take on riskier or more difficult projects and will grow more in the process, being less afraid of failing. Entering college with a growth mindset will prepare you to not only face challenges but seek them out and persevere through them. At the end of the day, people with growth mindsets truly believe in their ability to grow, while those with fixed ones do not. Whether we cultivate a growth or fixed mindset deeply influences our view of the world and the opportunities available to us, as well as our place or role or power in it. Making the choice to cultivate a growth mindset, then, is one of the most powerful decisions you can make, and one that we encourage you to take action on. THINK ABOUT IT What is one area of your life where you are flexible and open to change or growth? What’s one area where you are not?