<p>A great article.. Maybe pretty similar for BS admission, or not??</p>
<p>Education</a> Week: Want to Get Into College? Learn to Fail</p>
<p>Thank you for posting this article, patronyork. “What do you do for fun?” is a question I want to ask every time I visit the “Chances” forum. During Christmas break, I hosted a young man at my home before he took a train to meet his parents. One day, my kids and one other friend took him out in a shell while I watched from the shore. This is a kid who is at the top of his class. Brilliant and driven… and very, very serious (and I think he thought we were all a little nuts).</p>
<p>Anyway- when they came out of the water, I asked: How was it? And he said, Exhilarating! (You gotta love BS kids) On the way home, I almost drove off the road because I couldn’t help watching him smile in my rearview mirror. I took a lot of photos that day and emailed them to his parents. My son says he’s still talking about it ( he’s an oarsman now don’t you know!) and he’s using one of my photos as his computer’s home page.</p>
<p>I wish parents/ students would put more of a premium on fun (and happiness). It always leads to good things. Balance is so important and I think AO’s are looking for it more than ever.</p>
<p>This is a very “Thacher-esque” article patronyork - I love it!</p>
<p>PhotographerMom: I just posted in the other “big” thread about a similar wish… that grades were not the be all and end all… my kid is feeling the pressure to BE something but she is not ready to decide what that should be … and is feeling like a slight failure because she is all about enjoying life! Sad right?</p>
<p>DS was in anguish at the beginning of this year because he has two deep passions which have caused some academic compromises along this way. Because the importance of junior year seems to have been drilled into all of the kids, he was feeling a lot of internal pressure to let at least one of his loves go to make an academic run for it this year, but we could tell it was killing him. So, we simply asked, How important is X to you? to which he responded without hesitation, I LOVE it! He had already answered his question and was looking for reassurance. We told him, as we always do, to give his studies his best in the time allotted, but never, ever give up on a passion. So, hes treating junior year no differently from his prior two years and is no longer feeling any increased pressure. Failure is not a B. Failure is squelching your heartsong to chase someone elses dream.</p>
<p>@London- Very sad. When I read threads like that I always think: Thank God my snooty/driven Dad had the good sense to marry a girl from the Midwest. That woman saved us all. It sure wasn’t like this when we went to BS. Sometimes I feel like I live in a foreign land… which is interesting and maddening at the same time.</p>
<p>I read your post and thought you made perfect sense. I almost resent the toll that other mind-set has had on everyone else. It’s pervasive. (Maybe we should start another thread to talk about that thread. Of course, I’m totally kidding! 
)</p>
<p>@CM- The last line of your post was music to my ears…</p>
<p>I really loved the article, patronyork. Thanks again!</p>
<p>DD once had to answer an essay prompt for a summer program that asked the student to describe a personal failure. She was very open about her difficulties and how she used creative thinking to turn things around. I guess the readers liked it, as she was not only accepted, but was awarded a merit scholarship as well. </p>
<p>I’ll add that kids need to see their parents struggle and work at things to develop a healthy attitude toward challenges.</p>