Striving to do your best, paying attention to every detail, and aiming for excellence are valuable qualities in your studies. For some students, this personal standard is a true source of motivation: it encourages them to put effort into their work, deepen their knowledge, and never settle for the bare minimum. In this way, perfectionism becomes a positive approach to studying, driven by a love of effort and a commitment to doing things well.
However, this same pursuit of perfection can sometimes become an obstacle. By trying to control everything, some students end up feeling paralyzed by the fear of making mistakes. Perfectionism then turns into a hindrance, preventing effective progress and peaceful learning. In this case, learning to control one’s attention to detail while maintaining rigor allows one to preserve balance, maintain motivation, and cultivate a healthy and sustainable form of excellence.
Overcoming fear of error
Making mistakes is a natural part of any learning process.
The fear of making them, on the other hand, can slow you down considerably in the speed and execution of the work you must do, or even worse, prevent you from starting a project.
Here are a few tips to help you improve:
Paradoxically, every mistake is an opportunity to understand what’s going wrong and improve. Focusing on the progress you’ve made will enable you to highlight your progress rather than your shortcomings.
A growth mindset is the belief that our skills can be developed through effort and learning. If you see your abilities as flexible, you’re more open to mistakes, because they don’t call into question your value or skills in any definitive way.
Learning to accept that you can’t control everything, and that uncertainty is part of life, helps reduce the pressure associated with potential mistakes. Gradual exposure to uncertain situations can help develop this tolerance. In the EPFL context, this means, for example, learning to accept that it is difficult, if not impossible, to master 100% of the material in every course. Learn to prioritize the courses that are most important to the success of your studies, and to focus on the essential notions.
I am not my grades, and I am learning to separate my self-worth from my academic results
By now, you’ve probably learned, consciously or unconsciously, to identify with your grades, or with the âgood studentâ status that comes with them. When you have good grades, you are generally valued by your classmates, your family and the people around you, which feeds or reinforces your self-confidence.
However, with your arrival at EPFL, the level of competition has changed! You could say that you’ve gone from a local to a national level of competition. Will you be able to achieve the same results straight away? We invite you to maintain your self-confidence, even if your grades drop. It is normal to need time to adapt to this new rhythm, this environment and the demands of this level of âcompetitionâ.
You are not your grades. You are much more than your grades, and your value is much greater than the grades you’ll get at EPFL.
Become more strategic and flexible
With the workload required by the EPFL, it is not always possible to do everything, or to do everything well.
You’ll gain in flexibility by learning to become more strategic and by better planning your activities. Here are a few tips to help you become faster and more flexible while maintaining a satisfactory quality of work:
It is important to learn to differentiate between tasks that require a high level of perfection and those for which correct execution is sufficient. For each task, ask yourself: âWill this detail have a real long-term impact on my future studies?
80% of results come from 20% of effort. Identify those 20% that are most critical and focus on them, rather than perfecting every detail.
Give yourself a limited number of revisions or corrections (for example, two or three). This imposes discipline on the process and avoids getting bogged down in the quest for perfection.
Setting tight deadlines for each task can help you focus on the essentials and avoid getting lost in the details. When you know you have limited time, you’ll be forced to work more efficiently.
Another technique can be to reduce the time devoted to a task and agree to move forward, even if everything isn’t perfect.
Take the time to do regular reviews to adjust your priorities and determine where you really need to focus your efforts. This allows you to remain flexible and not cling to perfectionist goals that are no longer relevant.
Â
If, in spite of these ideas, you need personal, one-to-one support to help you get through this period of doubt, do not hesitate to contact our social consultation team.
Ressources
Meet an advisor
Social advisors are available to offer you support, work with you to find personalized solutions and refer you to the right specialists if necessary.
Podcast
From perfectionism to performance
Conference
Follow up with: Self-doubt, a valuable brake or motor?