Celebrating Failure

1) 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 past semester I had an interview for an investment banking internship for Summer 2020 in which I had to spend an extensive amount of time preparing for. Although I had to start my preparation later than I had hoped, due to schoolwork that I needed to prioritize, I felt I knew a decent amount of information that I would be asked about. However, during the interview there were several questions I was not prepared for and although I have not heard back yet on the status of my application, I consider this to be a failure of mine. Knowing that I could have better prepared and set myself up to be a more qualified candidate is a mistake that I have been able to absorb and learn from. 

2) Tell us what you learned from it.  

What I learned the most from this experience is that you can never be over prepared for an interview and any questions are fair game. Also, I learned to take this experience and instead of look at it as a failure, look at the positive aspects of it. I was given the opportunity to have more interview practice and if I do not receive an offer, I will only be more prepared for the next interview. 

3) 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?

Typically, I think I have learned to handle failure fairly well. Overtime, failure is something you learn is inevitable and can be positive if you are able to look at the silver lining. I like to take my failures and turn them into valuable lessons in which I can use to grow from and better myself in my next endeavors. This class has changed my perspective on failure because I have realized that an initial idea can change in so many ways and failure is included in those changes. Although something may be considered a failure, it doesn't mean you shouldn't have pursued that avenue or your idea was dumb, rather it is just a constructive lesson for you.