The University Mindset for Success

Through this article I will be explaining one of the biggest mistakes that many undergrad students make especially when first arriving at university. Continuing to measure your success in school by your grade point average (GPA) will result in a false sense of accomplishment in university.

The truth is the vast majority of university programs across Canada focus primarily on your GPA when determining whether or not to offer you acceptance. Therefore, academic success in high school essentially boils down to one main goal, getting accepted into the university and program at the top of your list. In order to reach this goal more often then not you need to focus on raising and maintaining a high average, above the outlined minimum average, to guarantee your acceptance. As a result of this acceptance system, high school students establish a set of attitudes which correlates their educational success with the highest possible GPA. My partner Martin touched upon the importance of this mindset in high school in his first article “Making the Big Decisions”

Before writing this article I took the time to ask some of my previous professors (specifically those who taught 1st year courses) their thoughts on this topic. Their opinions supported a unified notion that students need to work on shifting their mindset on success in university. Many students will anticipate that university is going to be very different and there will be some major changes in their life forced upon them. This will include, busy schedules, the large class sizes, complex social environments and increased personal responsibilities. However, they do not realize that they have to change their existing mindset on success in order to fully take advantage of their university experience.

This new mindset will require a shift from the current set of attitudes to incorporate a more balanced approach. This balanced approach really stems from you focusing on how to better yourself through self development and not solely on a GPA. This will require you to focus more on learning from all your experiences throughout university. Both positive and negative outcomes should be viewed as an opportunity to learn.

Staying on the topic of academics, during university, if you do poorly on an assignment or an exam, try not to focus on the mark itself. Instead you should turn your attention to the feedback provided from the professor. This feedback is always aimed to be constructive, providing you with the means to improve yourself.

Secondly, this balanced mindset should incorporate a focus on developing your social skills. At the university level it is imperative to develop a social network for two pressing reasons. Getting through university can be difficult as it is, so developing a strong network of friends provides you with the emotional and academic peer support. Through four years of university there will be various ups and downs, and a strong friend group is always there to help each other get through these challenges. Being a part of a friend group can create a strong foundation for your interpersonal skills moving forward. Also being connected within your class environment can be very beneficial for you. Working and helping others within your classes helps you develop the skills needed in the work environment after you graduate.

Lastly another important part of this balanced mindset is learning how to live a healthy lifestyle. Often with everything university throws at students, we tend to put this third aspect on the back burner. However, focusing on being both physically and mentally healthy can actually help you manage all the different pieces of the puzzle. Taking the time to exercise and manage a healthy diet will have an overall positive impact. Along with focusing on your physical health, your mental health is arguably even more important. Your mental health involves tying everything together, focusing on your time management skills in order to ensure you are maintaining a healthy lifestyle, staying engaged with a social network, and focusing on self development rather then achieving the highest GPA.

The goal of university is not to have the highest GPA. The goal is to become a more well rounded person. As students we often hear that university will be the best 4 years of our lives. So the question would be why would you want to focus solely on marks when you can learn and enjoy everything else university has to offer? Success at university should be defined by your ability to take all the skills, knowledge and experience you have learnt and ably it to the real world.

#Mindset #Success #Grades #Lifestyle #Selfdevelopment