How to deal with overbearing parents with extremely high expectations?

As a parent who is decidedly not “Ivy or bust” (despite having attended a certain institution in West Philadelphia), I am always curious about why some parents take this POV. BTW, I too assumed they are immigrants as I’ve seen this mentality to be fairly prevalent among Asian parents I know (don’t hate, I’m one myself).

So here are my questions:

  • Did your parents go Ivy themselves?
  • Why do they feel that it’s so important for you to go to an Ivy?
  • What are you planning to study/do for a career?