Want to Get Into College? Learn to Fail

By Angel B. Pérez

I 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...