I first came across the idea of "growth mindset" during my freshman year of high school. I didn't really think much about it at the time - we talked about in a college prep course, and watched Carol Dweck's Ted Talk video. However, I remembered the idea of growth mindset again when I entered college. I think this is because of the difference in emphasis placed in college versus in high school.
In high school, my main focus was just the reward of getting a good grade, or completing the assignment at hand. I was an extreme perfectionist - rather than thinking about what I was learning and how that influenced my understanding of the world, I focused much more on getting good grades and never missing anything. While I managed to get good grades in high school, I feel like I didn't really enjoy learning and attending classes as much as I do now.
When I entered college, I found that classes were much more interesting. I think this is because I realized that, while grades are important, actually enjoying what I am learning was just as important. This is when I took the growth mindset idea much more to heart. When before, I would have found hard work and persistence to be only worth it if I receive a tangible reward (like an A+), now I see hard work as enjoyable in the sense that I can better understand the world around me.
Ultimately, what the growth mindset has given me as a college student is a new perspective. I am now able to enjoy the learning process as I go, and appreciate all that there still is to learn and discover. I look forward to uncovering more truths and better understanding the world not just for the grade, but also for the joy of doing so.
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