“Describe a time you failed or made a mistake. What did you learn from the experience?”
It’s a common college essay prompt for a reason—successful people take appropriate risks, make mistakes, and learn from them. And kids who begin developing those traits in high school can bring them to whatever college they attend.
But too much parental intervention robs students of the opportunity.
Parents, it’s not always easy to step back when your child transitions to a young adult who’s preparing for college. It might be tempting to step in, to make all the decisions, to direct, and to protect. But while you’ll always be their parent, you won’t always be on-site to be their assistant, manager, and publicist. And part of stepping back means letting kids occasionally make—and learn from—mistakes.
Your kids won’t just have better answers for that prompt. They’ll also be better prepared for college.