Felicity Huffman really didn’t need to pull all that college admissions drama for her daughter Sophia Macy -- turns out she’s doing just fine ... actually, better than her!

We caught up with Felicity in NYC Tuesday, and when asked if she’s been giving her budding actress daughter any advice ... she flipped it, saying Sophia’s actually so good, she’s the one taking notes from her.

Check the clip -- the proud mom energy is loud and clear, with Felicity saying she just wants both her daughters happy, no matter what path they choose.

Safe to say, Felicity’s not meddling anymore ... especially after that admissions scandal that landed her 11 days behind bars.

Meanwhile, Sophia's keeping it clean -- grinding at Carnegie Mellon University and doing it all the legit way!