26 A

Celebrating Failure



· Tell us about a time this past semester that you failed -- whether in this class, or outside of this class. Don't spare any details! It'd be even better if there was something you tried several times this semester, and failed each time.



This semester has been challenging for me. I just transferred here from Miami with my Associates of Arts degree. When I arrived in Gainesville, I reconnected with some old high school classmates. They informed me they were graduating in the summer of 2019. I am just now entering my junior year. I panicked and registered for more classes so I could graduate with my former high school friends. The first week of classes I saw the workload, with working and school I knew there was no way I could do both.



I called my mom and explained what was going on. She informed me that college is not a race and that I should concentrate on getting good grades even if it meant taking fewer courses. I followed her advice and dropped one class.


Tell us what you learned from it.

· I learned that my mother’s analysis of the situation was correct as I will be working for many years so an extra semester in college is immaterial in the grand scheme of life.

· Everyone accomplishes milestones at different times in their lives.

· I have also learned that my mental wellbeing is very important. I needed to learn to balance school, work, and play.

· I have proved to myself that I am intelligent and will complete my Bachelor’s degree in a time frame that works for me.


Reflect in general, on what you think about failure. Failure is hard, isn't it? It's embarrassing, sure, but it also means that we have to change something about ourselves. Talk about how you handle failure (emotionally, behaviorally). Finally, talk about how this class has changed your perspective on failure -- are you more likely to take a risk now than you were just a few months ago?


I hate the feeling of failing at something. I am only embarrassed when people know about my failures. Explaining to my mom, that I did not adhere to her advice and did register for another class, then dropped it was a very uncomfortable conversation. At that point it was no longer dropping a class, but I felt as if I disappointed her. I had a lot of soul searching to do. When I feel that I have failed at something, I always step back and analyze what went wrong and what I could have done differently to have achieved a successful result.


I have realized that I am in no rush to graduate anymore. It is more important to me that I succeed in my studies than finishing early.