<p>haha i personally have no problem with that question-i think it’s asked in a different nature than if you went on a job interview: because honestly, if you’re a teenager applying to an ivy, there’s a good chance your biggest failure was something that, in the grand scheme of life, doesn’t mean much. i think it’s a great indication of how well students rebound from adversity; the student might say “i failed at X thing and i curled up into a ball and cried for a month” or they might say “yeah i failed, but then i tried something else” or “i failed, but i couldn’t wait to try again! I got a medal next time!” it’s a good judge of character. even if they royally screwed up in the past (say, crime or drugs or whatever) the fact that they composed themselves enough to try for an ivy league school is kind of commendable. it just helps the interviewer to see the whole person, not just the good stuff, because honestly are our live always fantastic?</p>
<p>and if they have no failures? …if the student can’t think of something they’ve screwed up in their life then someone’s been inflating the kid’s head. sorry if that sounds harsh but i’m pretty sure everyone’s fumbled a pass or colored outside the lines or played the wrong note at one point. we’re ivy applicants, not robots.</p>
<p>hahah and omg my harvard interview was a nightmare: “name” “intended major” “courses presently studying” “WHAT DO YOU THINK OF NORTH KOREA.” “Do you watch Howard Stern?” i mean i knew enough to sound intelligent with it but that caught me totally off guard. my yale interview was brilliant-it turned into something closer to a really nice conversation and i actually had a great time, don’t think the guy even looked at his question sheet. guess it just depends on the people.</p>