Lucky Girl Syndrome: The Student Edition

FEATURE | ISSUE TWO | WAIRUATANGA / SPIRITUALITY

Written By Maira she/her | Contributing Writer

I am so lucky

The universe has my back

Everything always works out for me

If you’ve ever ventured into the world of ‘manifesting’, then you’ll probably recognise these phrases as daily affirmations at the heart of Lucky Girl Syndrome. Being a ‘lucky girl’ is more than just wishing something will happen — it’s about intentionally maintaining a positive mindset in your everyday life. Rather than focusing on making a single dream or goal real, Lucky Girl Syndrome centres on being the best version of yourself, whether or not you have a specific outcome in mind. When you truly believe you’re lucky, you begin to enter an abundance of life-changing experiences: both the ones you anticipate and the ones that surprise you, as they did for me.

My Story

Two years ago, I was a struggling PhD student. A lot of what I had planned before enrolling didn't work out, and watching my savings slowly dwindle left me feeling broke, lonely, and deeply unhappy. During that time, Pinterest became a small source of comfort, and it was there that I first encountered Lucky Girl Syndrome.

I’d heard about manifesting before, but I never connected with it. Much of the messaging seemed to rely on the idea that something external would magically deliver what you desired. Lucky Girl Syndrome felt different. Instead, it places responsibility on you — on cultivating a mindset that attracts the good you want into your life. Rather than waiting for opportunities to appear, I began moving myself towards them, aligning my thoughts and beliefs with the life I hoped to build.

Although sceptical, I really didn’t have much to lose and began my lucky girl journey by, you guessed it… creating a vision board. I set it as my phone background and each day I repeated the same affirmations to myself: I’m lucky. The universe supports me. Everything works out in my favour.

If I could just secure three things, I thought, I’d finally be able to focus on my PhD:

1. Improve my financial situation

2. Build healthier social relationships

3. Travel abroad

   
   

I didn't know if any of it would work. Some days, I felt ridiculous believing that repeating a few sentences could change anything at all.

And yet, slowly, almost imperceptibly at first, things began to shift.

After several months of financial insecurity, I received what felt like a dream opportunity: a scholarship. Not just any scholarship, but one that covered my tuition and provided a stipend. I was shocked. The financial support motivated me to finally delete the dating apps, where I’d had a streak of disappointing dates. I’d matched with one last person — someone who seemed genuinely good for me. As it turned out, we were both PhD students and had plenty else in common, too. He has become one of the most supportive and caring people in my life. Unexpectedly, meeting him led to some truly meaningful memories that fulfilled my second goal: healthier social relationships.

As for the final goal, travelling abroad hasn’t quite happened yet. However, we’ve recently booked a trip to visit my birth country this year so that I can introduce my partner to my parents. I was hoping for a more exciting destination that I’d never been to — but I suppose I never did specify that I wanted somewhere completely new and unfamiliar!

What I learnt as a Lucky Girl

None of the things I manifested happened overnight. Each one unfolded gradually, and I never knew exactly when or how they would materialise. I also want to acknowledge that I put in real, practical effort. I kept asking around for opportunities, took on teaching and marking jobs to get by, and carefully managed my spending to stretch every dollar. Meanwhile, I kept pushing through my PhD milestones, putting in the mahi so I didn’t fall behind. Having a PhD partner who understood what I was going through made a huge difference, supporting me as I worked toward the life I wanted, all while progressing with my studies.

For me, Lucky Girl Syndrome has been valuable in restoring my sense of confidence and agency. Now that I feel more in control of my life, I’m deeply grateful for all the opportunities and people who have transformed my dark days into brighter ones. I’m excited for what’s to come, and I hope that by reading this, you’ll find some good things coming your way.

Here’s to my final year of study and finding a little more luck everyday!