The article says that Smith College is “a top-ranked liberal arts school for women”, but they don’t explain where that rating comes from. The website, “What Will They Learn?” gives Smith College the grade of “F” because there are no general education course requirements.
Smith College, a top-ranked liberal arts school for women, is teaching them that life comes with disappointment, rejection, stumbling blocks — and it’s OK to experience such hurdles and learn from them.
The Massachusetts-based elite university, which costs about $67,000 annual in tuition, fees and other expenses, has rolled out a new program called “Failing Well.” And while the name implies it’s helping the young women cope with life’s really big screw ups, the fine print illustrates the initiative is actually more about helping students grapple with a thing called life.
“We’re not talking about flunking out of pre-med or getting kicked out of college,” Rachel Simmons, the program’s facilitator, told The New York Times. “We’re talking about students showing up in residential life offices distraught and inconsolable when they score less than an A-minus. Ending up in the counseling center after being rejected from a club. Students who are unable to ask for help when they need it, or so fearful of failing that they will avoid taking risks at all.”
The effort was recently featured in a lengthy New York Times article that noted Smith is just the latest in a parade of elite universities to offer students programs to help them cope with disappointment and rejection.
“Nearly perfect on paper, with résumés packed full of extracurricular activities, they seemed increasingly unable to cope with basic setbacks that come with college life: not getting a room assignment they wanted, getting wait-listed for a class or being rejected by clubs,” the Times reports.