<p>my friend's mom's reaction to a 98 on a science test:
"ninety eight??!! why not 100??!! NO MORE TV!!"</p>
<p>I have an Asian friend who's only ambition in life is to get into HYPS. She'll attend another top ten school only if she doesn't get into one of those, and to her, going anywhere below ten is simply an abomination and a shame to her herself and her parents. LACs are unthinkable as well, regardless of rank. I have no problem with that, but she feels the need to criticize people who decide not to. Which is SO ******* ANNOYING. GRRRR. Fortunately, not everyone's like that. :)</p>
<p>I'm Asian too, and I won't be going to HYPS. I got a lot of crap from the aforementioned friend, my family (for a little while), and many other Asian parents for applying to LACs and non-top ten universities, but as I'm happy, I don't really care. </p>
<p>Most of my other Asian friends won't be going to HYPS, and I have many who already aren't. They're perfectly happy with their decisions too. One goes to a 2nd tier LAC, and last time I checked, he's having a great time. Sure, like my parents, their parents weren't that thrilled either at the beginning, but they've learned that you can still be successful in life by going to those places. So I don't get what's the big deal about how life is ruined if you don't attend an Asian approved university.</p>
<p>Last night I was at a Stanford admit reception and somehow I got stuck with a table of Asian parents.</p>
<p>Yeah. It sucked. </p>
<p>Apparently, getting into Stanford isn't enough for them. You have to get into all the Ivy League schools (or at least the most prestigious ones - a favorite combination was HYS). </p>
<p>It just goes to show that these people will never be happy - upon getting their child into HYPS, they will push their kid to get into Johns Hopkins MD/Phd for 10 years, and once that's done, they won't be happy until they get residency at a famous hospital and then they should end up working at the Mayo Clinic for millions each year and be nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine. </p>
<p>Which is why this is all very sad. Case in point: the dean of Johns Hopkins, who is the foremost child neurosurgeon in the world and poised to win the Nobel Prize in Medicine very soon. </p>
<p>The downside? </p>
<p>His family has to make an APPOINTMENT with him so that they can eat dinner together.</p>
<p>I admire his work in saving these children's lives, but I personally don't care if I don't bring home a million+ a year or am not famous. I want a life when I'm older - one that isn't exclusively work. I want to spend time with my family and will make sure my husband does so too. I don't think I could survive like that.</p>
<p>It's sad because I was under the impression S didn't have that much of a problem with pretentious people. Maybe it's just the parents, but I'm hard pressed to believe the kids aren't the same way...</p>
<p>What is it with Asians and prestige? I mean seriously, I got accepted into Johns Hopkins, Upenn, Umich in ann arbor and grinnell and mom didn't even know where umich and grinnell was??!! (okay, so not many people know grinnell, most responds with: where the hell is grinnell?) but ironically, grinnell is the school that has appealed to me the most even though it is a LAC school. Mom is dead set on me going there and has said that she will disown me if i choose grinnell over an ivy. she also says that i'll end up as a hobo and won't get into med school if i go to grinnell. Argh...I'm so stressed out right now that i'm sick...literally...why can't i just choose where i want to go?????</p>
<p>go to grinnell</p>
<p>It's your decision. Don't let your parent's force you to go to UPenn. </p>
<p>Just imagine that UPENN didn't appeal you that much compared to grinnel but by force, you went to UPENN. Oh no, guess what, apparently you DON'T like UPENN. Many aspects of UPenn sucks to you and you don't like it. Furthermore, you regret your "choice" to UPenn.
Just imagine this happened to you. If I were you, I would be so sick and angry.</p>
<p>If you feel more comfortable with Grinnell's atmosphere, go there.</p>
<p>Just tell her you'll flunk out of UPENN and that you'll end up a hobo anyways. That'll shut her up. :)</p>
<p>My mom was dead set on me going to med school as well, but due to my absolute obstinance and refusal to pull up my science grades (I DESPISE Science) she gave up on that. She was actully dead set on UC Berkeley. I was like ok, until I saw the racial distribution. 41% Asian?!?!? I'm like no *****ing way I'm going there. Oh well, I'm only applying to UIUC, UMich and colleges EAST of UMich, UVA and colleges NORTH of UVA. She thinks I'll end up a hobo if I major business, but I know she's wrong so whatever. I know a history teacher at my school who went to UMich (where I would go if I had my way), became a stockbroker, then insurance salesperson, then teacher, and is currently doing really well. </p>
<p>Just ignore them for awhile. Just let them lecture, and give them the "you can rant all you want, but it's going in one ear and right out the other, so keep babbling." look. They'll stop eventually when they get that you're not listening to them anymore.</p>
<p>My mom flipped out because I didn't know the word "chronologist." I'm like what the hell? It's medical jargon. I may know business jargon because I'm interested in business, but I don't know medical jargon. I bet there are about 15 people between the ages of 15-30 who know what this word means. So whatever. "I spent $$$$ to go to private school, and you don't know that stinking word?" "I'm not going to med school. Of course I don't." "Then look it up!" </p>
<p>If she forces me to apply to med school, I'm going to screw up the essays, sleep through the MCAT, and tell adcoms that I despise science and am only applying because of my mom. Then I'll get rejected. Great now I can go on with my life, become a successful stock/currency/mortgage trader, get my Wharton MBA, then Hedge Fund Manager. Oh well, I ended up richer than all my doctor friends. :)</p>
<p>UCBs good, but 41 % asian? OMG. that sux. Im asian too, but i would get "Sick of my own race" overpopulating UCB. Ugh.. Instead, i would like more people from the middle east (like India, pakistan, etc. they're interesting and kind people)</p>
<p>They're obviously more interesting. At least they're not the "I love math and science and I'm going to med school and I'm going to become a Chinese/Korean/Japanese/Indian/Taiwanese/(insert asian race here) doctor/engineer who speaks Chinese/korean/Japanese/Hindi&Urdu/Cantonese/insert language here) and plays a stringed instrument." types who do nothing but fraternize among themselves and create this cliquish thing that you're shunned from if you are different from them.</p>
<p>I know why they fraternize among themselves-because by the time you get to college, the only people doing anything more than the requirement for science is asians. :)</p>
<p>
[quote]
It is only your opinion that prestige is not "what really matters." You've just commented that he's being arrogant by not considering less competitive schools, but you're just as arrogant as him if you are condemning him for not considering them. Perhaps he has achieved a different level of success than most students.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Hmm, how shortsighted. Prestige is not what matters. The person described in the OP wouldn't be arrogant if he at least has some direction/influences on his college choices, but at this point, the only factor he's considering is prestige, and that's what's bad.</p>
<p>kevster, INDIANS ARE NOT FROM THE MIDDLE EAST!!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>The proper reference is South Asians (People from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka).</p>
<p>East Asians are (Chinese, Koreans, Japanese).</p>
<p>The thing about prestige is that there's a reason some of the best school's are prestigious. They have excellent academic programs in nearly every field. So even if these guys choose their schools based on prestige, they'll probably like it.</p>
<p>Pretty much, it goes either way. If you care too much about prestige, you're a attention seeking snob. If you think people who try to find prestige are arrogant, then you're fighting human nature.</p>
<p>Let people who want to find prestige find it any way they want. If they're wrong, they'll figure it out, and if they're right, life goes on as normal!</p>
<p>No need to get all worried about it.</p>
<p>Prestige=great academics.</p>
<p>I agree with you here. However, I also believe that great academics says very little about your connection with the school. Sure the academics rock, but what if you hate the core classes? Or the dorm locations? Or the way your major is taught. We can get a bit more picky--what if you hate the location, the weather, the research ops, the size? The list goes on and on.</p>
<p>According to my mom:
Prestige=Well-known-ness</p>
<p>Here's the real deal:
Tier 1: Ivies, Northwestern, UMich-Ann Arbor, UVA, Berkeley, NYU, Williams, Bowdoin, Amherst or similar
Tier 2: UCs, BU, Penn State, Holy Coss, Lafayette, Ohio State, Univ of Miami or similar.
Tier 3: University of Colorado, CSU, ASU (AZ) or similar
Tier 4: Everyone else</p>
<p>NOT TIERED: Specialty Schools like Babson.</p>
<p>My mom's "wise" opinion:
Tier 1: HYP, Columbia Cornell, Gtown, Berkeley, JHU, MIT, Williams, Amherst, UCLA, or similar
Tier 2: Brown, Dartmouth, UPENN (including Wharton), Carleton, UChicago, NYU, UC's or similar
Tier 3: UMich-Ann Arbor, Claremont McKenna, Syracuse, Penn State, UIUC, or similar
Tier 4: Everyone else (including specialty schools)</p>
<p>GRRRRRRR I hate my mom's prestige-whoring attitude. :)</p>
<p>Oh yeah she also thinks people who don't become doctors/lawyers/engineers become homeless and jobless. She said that when I said I wanted to go into private equity at some point after college and trading. She's like "Have fun living in a box." ***? The biggest homes in Greenwich, Westchester, and Long Island are owned by Hedge fund managers, private equity fund managers, traders, and bankers. The wealthiest people are mostly businessmen/women. </p>
<p>This is the real deal:
Upper Class: Successful businesspeople, bankers/traders/hedge fund managers, Movie stars, etc.
Upper Middle: Doctors/Lawyers/Engineers, average bankers
Middle: Teachers, Lower-paid bureaucratic jobs, Professors, Pastors, etc.
Lower Middle: Unsuccessful entrepreneurs, some small business owners, skilled laborers
Lower: Unskilled laborers</p>
<p>This is what my mom thinks:
Upper Class: Doctors/Lawyers/engineers/hotel heiresses/movie stars
Middle: Businesspeople, bankers/traders/hedge fund managers, salespeople, stockbrokers, teachers etc.
Lower: Everyone else. </p>
<p>***? Some asian parents just don't understand how our society works. :( It's fine if they push us to succeed, but there's a fine line between guiding and influencing and forcing a child to go the direction they want said child to go. And most asian parents simply don't know where that line is.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I find that extremely funny and feel for you since you had to put up with that ordeal.</p>
<p>Professors actually make lots of money (upwards of $150k for the tenured ones).</p>
<p>The college selection process, by my dad:</p>
<p>(1) Purchase a copy of US News Best Colleges of 2006
(2) Look up College A on list.
(3) Look up College B on list.
(4) Go to the college ranked higher.
(5) Repeat for graduate school("you are going to grad school aren't you? no? oh then have fun collecting trash in urban ghettos for the rest of your life")</p>
<p>Yeah that was kind of out of line. But I'm frustrated.</p>
<p>I told my mom "The highest degree I'm getting is an MBA. That's IT. Nothing else.". "Ok then have fun doing telemarketing for the rest of your life." </p>
<p>Um.....WHAT?</p>
<p>haha its the same people.</p>