29 Chapter 2 Mindset Matters Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Who you think you are and what you think you are capable of doing is going to continually shift in college, and having a growth mindset allows it to shift in mul- tiple ways. Becoming aware of your mindset now and understanding how a fixed mindset determines the end before you’ve even begun (you won’t take a certain class if you believe you hate it/aren’t good at it), will help you to be more open to a variety of possibilities. A growth mindset in college can make the difference between maintaining the status quo and exponential growth in a variety of areas. A growth mindset means being open to new things, open to change, and open to ambiguity. This means letting go of assumptions, expectations, and rigidity, which may have governed your life in the past. With the number of new opportunities and experiences you will no doubt be exposed to in college, it’s natural to feel the ground you stand on shaking a little. For example, you might come in absolutely set on studying chemistry, only to find out you don’t like how it operates at the college level, or maybe you discover that the economics course you’re taking is calling to you. Approaching opportunities with an open mind will help you to navigate these times where suddenly things you used to “know” are being questioned. For instance: What are you interested in? What motivates you? What is exciting to learn about? What are you good at? These are the types of questions you may have thought you knew the answer to in high school, but now, after a semester in college or even a year, your answer could be completely different. Not only is this normal, it’s a wonderful aspect of personal discovery in the college experience. SIMPLE STRATEGIES When you’re approaching an assignment, consider how your approach is affected by fixed beliefs you hold about yourself. • Reflect on whether you believe you’re “good” or “bad” at the type of assignment, whether it’s public speaking, writing, art, or any other type of work. • Take a moment to reframe your mindset and see this as an opportunity to shift your beliefs about yourself. How do you know you’re “good” or “bad” at this, and how do you define this? • What lessons about yourself have you learned from past experiences of doing this type of assignment (either failures or successes) could you apply to this experience? • What are the things you can do, or the resources you can access, to support your completion of the assignment?