You've got a really good point - you can learn something from those experiences even if you do them for the wrong reasons. I don't think your case is the common

You've got a really good point - you can learn something from those experiences even if you do them for the wrong reasons. I don't think your case is the common one, but nor is it rare. I guess, colleges want people who could have learned those lessons. Exposure is a requirement. Unfortunately, they've not been really good at telling whether the lessons are learned.