In the article "Want to Get Into College? Learn to Fail" by Angel B. Pérez, the author argues that students should embrace the idea of failure rather than striving for perfection in their college applications. He believes that learning from failure can lead to greater personal growth and success. According to Pérez, “the ability to bounce back is a fundamental life skill students have to learn on their own." This highlights that resilience and the lessons learned from mistakes are key to achieving long-term success. In my own experience, I've learned that perseverance is crucial. For instance, when I struggled in a difficult math class, I didn't give up. Instead, I sought help and eventually improved my grades. This taught me that facing challenges head-on and asking for support are important qualities for success. The quote from the article shows that people succeed by developing resilience, while my experience reinforces that overcoming obstacles is vital. Ultimately, a person's success is not defined by their perfection but by their ability to learn from failures and grow stronger through them.
Build a paragraph about the article by answering the question .
Article:
“Want to Get Into College? Learn to Fail Students shouldn't stress perfection in college applications
By Angel B. Pérez
2012 Many students experience intense pressure to be perfect in school, especially to ensure that they are accepted to a top university. But how important is a perfect college application? In this informational article, a dean of admissions discusses what colleges are really looking for and offers his surprising take on the importance of failure.
As you read, take notes on the reasons why the author thinks students should be honest about their failures on college applications.
[1] | ask every student I interview for admission to my institution, Pitzer College, the same question, "What do you look forward to the most in college?" I was stunned and delighted recently when a student sat across from me at a Starbucks in New York City and replied, "I look forward to the possibility of failure." Of course, this is not how most students respond to the question when sitting before the person who can make decisions about their academic futures, but this young man took a risk.
"college" by Hamza Butt is licensed under CC
BY 2.0.
"You see, my parents have never let me fail,"
he said. 'When I want to take a chance at something, they remind me it's not a safe route to take. Taking a more rigorous' course or trying an activity I may not succeed in, they tell me, will ruin my chances at college admission. Even the sacrifice of staying up late to do something unrelated to school, they see as a risk to my academic work and college success."
I wish I could tell you this is an uncommon story, but kids all over the world admit they are under tremendous pressure to be perfect. When I was traveling in China last fall and asked a student what she did for fun, she replied: "I thought I wasn't supposed to tell you that? I wouldn't want you to think I am not serious about my work!"
Students are usually in shock when I chuckle and tell them I never expect perfection. In fact, I prefer they not project it in their college applications. Of course, this goes against everything they've been told and makes young people uncomfortable. How could a dean of admission at one of America's most selective institutions not want the best and the brightest? The reality is, perfection doesn't exist, and we don't expect to see it in a college application. In fact, admission officers tend to be skeptical? of students who present themselves as individuals without flaws.
[5] These days, finding imperfections in a college application is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Students try their best to hide factors they perceive to be negative and only tell us things they believe we will find impressive. This is supported by a secondary school culture where teachers are under pressure to give students nothing less than an A, and counselors are told not to report disciplinary infractions to colleges. Education agents in other countries are known to falsify student transcripts, assuming that an outstanding GPA is the ticket to admission.
Colleges respond to culture shifts, and admission officers are digging deeper to find out who students really are outside of their trophies, medals, and test scores. We get the most excited when we read an application that seems real. It's so rare to hear stories of defeat and triumph that when we do, we cheer. If their perspectives are of lessons learned or challenges overcome, these applicants tend to jump to the top of the heap at highly selective colleges. We believe an error in high school should not define the rest of your life, but how you respond could shape you forever.
I've spent enough time in high schools to know teenagers will never be perfect. They do silly things, mess up, fall down, and lack confidence. The ability to bounce back is a fundamental? life skill students have to learn on their own. The lessons of failure can't be taught in a classroom; they are experienced and reflected upon. During my weekend of interviews, another student told me, "I'm ashamed to admit I failed precalculus, but I decided to take it again and got a B-plus. I'm now taking calculus, and even though I don't love it, I'm glad I pushed through!" I asked him what he learned from the experience. "I learned to let go of shame," he said. "I realized that I can't let a grade define my success. I also learned that if you want anything bad enough, you can achieve it."
I smiled as I wrote his words down on the application-review form. This kid will thrive on my campus. Not only will the faculty love him, but he has the coping skills he needs to adjust to the rigors of life in a residential college setting. Failure is about growth, learning, overcoming, and moving on. Let's allow young people to fail. Not only will they learn something, it might even get them into college.”
Introductory Sentence: Clearly state your thesis (the main claim of your entire response).
Include the Title, Author, and Genre (the type of text) in the first sentence of your introduction. Use this format:
In the < genre> ‹"title of text"> by < author's name>,...
For example: In the article "Want to Get Into College? Learn to Fail" by Angel B. Perez,... ‹state your thesis>.
1: Thesis Statement:
2: Evidence #1: According to the reading passage, why do people succeed? Use a direct quote from the passage as support.
3: Evidence #2: In your experience, what qualities contribute most to a person's success? Use an example from your personal experiences as support.
4: Analysis #1: In 1-2 sentences of original thought, explain how the quote from the passage shows why people succeed.
5: Analysis #2: In 1-2 sentences of original thought, explain how your personal experience shows the qualities that contribute to a person's success.
6: Concluding Statement: Tie it all up with a statement about what makes a person successful and why.
Please try to keep it simple and try to make it seem like a 9th grader wrote it. Thank you!
3 answers
1: Thesis Statement:
2: Evidence #1: According to the reading passage, why do people succeed? Use a direct quote from the passage as support.
3: Evidence #2: In your experience, what qualities contribute most to a person's success? Use an example from your personal experiences as support.
4: Analysis #1: In 1-2 sentences of original thought, explain how the quote from the passage shows why people succeed.
5: Analysis #2: In 1-2 sentences of original thought, explain how your personal experience shows the qualities that contribute to a person's success.
6: Concluding Statement: Tie it all up with a statement about what makes a person successful and why.
1: Thesis Statement:
In the article "Want to Get Into College? Learn to Fail" by Angel B. Pérez, the author argues that students should embrace the idea of failure rather than striving for perfection in their college applications.
2: Evidence #1:
According to the reading passage, people succeed by learning from their mistakes. The author states, “the ability to bounce back is a fundamental life skill students have to learn on their own."
3: Evidence #2:
In my experience, perseverance is one of the most important qualities contributing to a person's success. For example, when I struggled in a difficult math class, I didn’t give up. Instead, I asked for help from my teacher, which allowed me to eventually improve my grades.
4: Analysis #1:
The quote from the passage emphasizes that resilience is crucial for success, as it is through overcoming challenges that individuals develop essential life skills.
5: Analysis #2:
My personal experience shows that when faced with difficulties, choosing to seek help and keep trying proves to be more important than achieving perfection. This process fosters growth and builds confidence.
6: Concluding Statement:
Ultimately, a person's success is not defined by their perfection but by their ability to learn from failures and grow stronger through them. Embracing challenges and learning from setbacks are what truly prepare individuals for success in life.