Adapting to a growth mindset for competitive students

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The difficulty of adapting to a growth mindset for adult students lies primarily in the adjustment of expectations for one's education. I first encountered the growth mindset concept about two years prior, halfway through my undergraduate degree. My entire focus at that time was simple: Make the A. This is a normal feeling for any student, but most especially those who plan to attend a medical or dental school for post-graduate education.

The issue with the A mentality is that more effort and time is spent worrying over grades than actually learning. I've seen entire class periods in lab courses go by with students arguing over a two point assignment rather than using the time set aside for actually learning and connecting with the material and concepts presented. This was me, in semesters past. I realized at some point that I was no longer really learning. I would cram for tests, maximize my grades, and retain in cases almost nothing a few weeks after. This is not why I chose to go to college! Schedules are busy, assignments frequently due everywhere, but when the learning aspect takes a backseat to the grade aspect of higher education, very little long-term retention occurs. 

And so, following my exposure to the growth mindset, I challenged myself to actually learn and to use my time in college for more than just grade-grubbing. My grades haven't changed, but my shift in approach has caused a drastic improvement in my retention of material and concepts, and I feel much more prepared for tackling the challenges of grad school. I feel like I have more control over my life and my education since I abandoned the A or die mentality, and I like that. 

The Growth Mindset
Image Source: Flickr

Comments

  1. Chelsea April 4, 2018 at 10:31 AM

    I really enjoyed reading your Growth Mindset post. The concept of Growth Mindset actually didn't really stick with me until this a couple of weeks ago. I have always been focused on getting the "A", like you said. But this semester I have a professor who specifically talks about how it is about the process not the end result. What matters is learning. If you fail, that's ok. You can learn from your mistakes.

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