While colleges aim to breed successful students, it turns out a part of that should be teaching failure.
According to a New York Times report, in Massachusetts’ Smith College, students can now enroll in a class called “Failing Well.”
When students enter a class, they receive a certificate that says, “You are hereby authorized to screw up, bomb or fail at one or more relationships, hookups, friendships, texts, exams, extracurriculars or any other choices associated with college… and still be a totally worthy, utterly excellent human.”
During class, they talk openly about their shortcomings, which is an eye-opener for students. “On our campus, everything can feel like such a competition, I think we get caught up in this idea of presenting an image of perfection,” shares 20-year-old Carrie Lee Lancaster.
The course aims to instill resilience in students, and imparts information like the fact that over half of students receive grades below a B.
Rachel Simmons, a leadership development specialist in Smith’s Wurtele Center for Work and Life, dropped out of a scholarship program and hid it in shame for years. Now the failure expert on campus and an author of books on girls’ self- esteem, she says failure is an important component of learning.
Universities such as Harvard and Stanford have taken the inability to cope with struggles as being linked to stress and poor mental health of students. These institutions each have initiatives that address these, such as students who can openly talk about their struggles in websites or videos.
One of the classes at Smith also tackles competitive stress, which is when one feels unworthy if not busy. With social media feeds broadcasting peers’ life achievements, it is a common feeling in today’s youth.
Students are in high-pressure environments and need to fulfill high expectations now more than ever. Life skills such as getting back on one’s feet after a setback are what will count towards any future success.
Simmons says, “Especially now, with the current economy, students need tools to pivot between jobs, between careers, to work on short-term projects, to be self-employed. These are crucial life skills.” Niña V. Guno/JB
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