Past failures that ended up becoming invaluable learning experiences
Reflect upon some past failures that ended up becoming invaluable learning experiences. Select one that you’d like to share with classmates; use your judgement in terms of what is appropriate for our online discussions.
Write a brief story that frames your failure that proved to be transformational. Provide enough background context so that your readers can understand and appreciate the challenge/failure, why what you learned proved so valuable. The minimum length requirement is two grammatically complete paragraphs (300 – 400 words total).
Sample Answer
One of the most transformative learning experiences of my life came from a failure. I had always been a good student and I had high expectations for myself. In college, I decided to take a challenging course in mathematics. The course was difficult and I struggled to keep up. I was embarrassed to ask for help and I didn’t want to let my classmates know that I was struggling. As a result, I fell behind and I failed the course.
I was devastated. I had never failed a course before and I felt like I had let myself down. I was also worried about what my classmates and professors would think of me. However, I decided to learn from my mistake. I realized that I needed to be more humble and that I shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help.