The Mindset Series: Change Your Mindset, Change Your Experience by Maria Lapu

At first, I thought success at uni was just about working harder. Perhaps hours in the library or more notes, maybe more revision. And yes, effort matters. But what really changed things for me was how I started thinking about the work itself.

There was a time when I put a lot of effort into an assignment and still didn’t get the mark I expected. I remember staring at the grade and feeling quite sad. You start questioning yourself without even meaning to. Maybe I’m not as capable as I thought. Maybe everyone else just “gets it” quicker. It’s such an easy spiral to fall into.

But after a bit of time (and maybe a bit of stubbornness), I forced myself to look at the feedback properly instead of just reacting to the number I saw on my screen. And when I actually read it carefully, it wasn’t telling me I was bad at the subject. It was pointing out specific things I could improve such as the structure, clarity, referencing. Things that are skills, not personality traits. I realised a grade isn’t a judgement of who you are. It’s feedback on what you produced at that moment.

Since then, I’ve tried to approach challenges differently. If something feels hard, I don’t immediately assume it means I’m not good at it. Sometimes it just means I’m being stretched. University is supposed to stretch you. If everything felt easy, we probably wouldn’t be progressing.

Changing your mindset doesn’t mean pretending everything is positive all the time. There are still weeks where motivation is low and deadlines pile up. There are still moments of stress, and sometimes self-doubt creeps in. That’s normal. The difference is learning to catch those thoughts before they settle in. Instead of “I can’t do this,” it becomes “I haven’t figured this out yet.” It sounds small, but it makes a difference.

Another thing I’ve learned is to separate pressure from panic. When things get busy, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and assume you’re falling behind. But sometimes pressure just means you’re being trusted with responsibility. You’re handling more because you can handle more. Looking at it that way makes it feel less like something against you and more like something that is supposed to help you.

Mindset also shows up in the small, everyday habits. How you talk to yourself after a long day; Whether you compare yourself constantly to other students; Whether you see someone else doing well and feel inspired, or discouraged. It’s not about being the most confident person in the room, but about being willing to improve.

At the University of Hertfordshire, there are so many opportunities, from placements to societies to support services, but your mindset determines whether you step towards them or away from them. If you believe you’re capable of learning, even when you struggle, you’re far more likely to take those chances.

Looking back, my biggest help in my university journey has been mental resilience. Learning not to take setbacks personally and that improvement is usually quiet and gradual, not dramatic (it takes time). And understanding that growth feels uncomfortable sometimes.

You won’t always feel motivated and you may not always feel confident. But if you can change the way you respond to challenges, even slightly, everything starts to feel more manageable. Sometimes the real upgrade at university isn’t your grades or your timetable, but simply how you think about what you are learning.