Hey guys!
I read my mother’s parent statement and she noted my perfectionist tendencies as a weakness.
Would you consider this to be a weakness? Why or why not?
Definitely a weakness. But most overachievers have it and need to learn to deal with it (I was a kid and young adult). Perfectionism prevents people from starting things or finishing them. It is a sign that people don’t know how to prioritize or don’t know what is really important. It can make you crazy and stressed about things that are not stress worthy. It can be hard to live with someone who is a perfectionist because no one is perfect.
That’s just off the top of my head. I live with one. She drives me nuts but it will help her achieve great things if she can rein it in.
Mistake #1 if it’s going to cause you to obsess over her choice of words.
I would not consider it a strength, let me put it that way. If the desire to be perfect, which none of us are or will be, interferes with other aspects or causes an imbalance in work/life or prevents completion of other tasks on-time, then it’s not ideal, IMO.
It is also a very cliched response to interview questions - “What is your greatest weakness?” Because you can never answer “I have no weaknesses.” 
It’s a common essay/interview tactic, when asked to give a weakness, to give a weakness that can be sometimes considered negative, but is often considered positive. Being a perfectionist is an example. It often leads to excellent quality work, attention to detail, demanding the best of one’s self, etc. But, at its extreme, it can lead to anxiety, being critical of others, etc.
Google something like “weaknesses for interview” or something like that and you’ll get other examples. You don’t want to give answers like “can be verbally abusive”, “often disregards the feelings of others”, “really hates working with people”, etc. Those are not feel good weaknesses. Some may legitimately argue that schools are also looking to support a child in every way they can, so you could be more open with true weaknesses.
@skieurope @dogsmama1997 Thank you for your thoughtful responses.
You know, I’ve always thought of myself as an easy-going person so this came to me as a surprise.
@Altras I can see how perfectionism could be a weakness of mine. I tend to question my competency and intelligence quite often and that might stem from the “unattainable” standards I have for myslelf.
Truth be told, should I be admitted into one of these boarding schools, a fear of mine is the possibility of dealing with imposter syndrome.
That will not be a unique feeling, and in almost all cases is unfounded. The BS that admits you knows you can succeed there, even if you don’t.
Just to clarify: ski meant “if you don’t know,” not “if you don’t succeed.” (A perfectionist with imposter syndrome might be worried about the second fill-in.) 
@ChoatieMom is correct in her interpretation of my writing. Clearly, I long ago realized that I don’t need to strive for perfection. 
Perfectionism is more of a weakness than a strength. However, if you work for NASA, a software company, as a civil engineer, etc. you will be forgiven this weakness and be considered a better employee. IF you are married and expect perfection, you will soon be lonely. People are not perfect though they can strive for excellence and extreme attention to detail in some regards (mainly work). But they have to weight their need for perfection against other human interactions. They are often inflexible. In human interactions, perfection is quickly seen as a negative since collaboration and perfection are often at odds. A perfectionist who knows how to collaborate is rare and is an excellent person to know/hire.
OP: There is a significant difference between one with “perfectionist tendencies” & a “perfectionist”.
Perfectionist tendencies can be a positive personality trait which is highly valued in some professions & tasks.
However, being a perfectionist is both a maturity issue & a psychological issue. Being a perfectionist is more of a negative than a positive. A true perfectionist typically has a great deal of disorder & chaos in a substantial area of their life and the perfectionist quality is an attempt to bring order into the perfectionist’s life.
In short, when I recognize a person as a “perfectionist”, I know that there is a very troubled soul inside.
In other words, it’s not a “weakness” weakness.
Perfectionism is also fear. The fear you won’t get it right, aren’t on the right track, will lose status if you aren’t absolutely 100%. Different than trying to do your best and then some.
I wouldn’t say they’re very troubled. Many learn to control it, see limits, accept their fallibility. As far as prep admissions goes, I’ll bet the assume your mother used the term wrong.
Btw, imposter syndrome: in early tests, they discovered feeling like this is so closely tied to high performance that they could spot a person with high imposter doubts and predict they were a top performer.
Many valid thoughts but I wouldn’t worry about it and I suggest you stop reading things that have already been submitted! I just think re-reading things you cannot change is a recipe for worry. You need to relax and concentrate on school work and friends and normal kid stuff, the stress of BS admissions is not normal or healthy (IMO) even if it leads to great things.