<p>Having only a C+ average through mid junior year isn't enough for my parents to realize that I can't gain acceptance to any Ivy League or Elite schools. They feel that I'm giving up on myself and even worse, they'd be ashamed of me if I decided to attend my first choice school (Monmouth University). They now apparently want me to shoot for Fordham, but I really don't feel like overexerting myself just to get a high SAT score for the sole purpose of being admitted to a school that my parents want me to attend. I also have fears that they'll choose which schools I do and don't visit, which would really put me at a significant disadvantage come application time. But when you have a dad who finished top of his class in high school and graduated from the best university in Nigeria, I guess that it's going to be expected.</p>
<p>Are any of you also pressured to apply to/attend a certain college because of your parents?</p>
<p>My friend is, for different reasons. She is being forced to go to an in-state college for low tuition rather than go to her first choice college in California. Here’s something you can try to tell your parents in order to reason with them: Explain that you won’t do your best if you are in a place you don’t want to be. This college is meant to please you, not your parents and it’s your further, you will be 18 so you can (potentially) go wherever you want. Reason with your parents, visit their schools and ask if you can visit yours. Express your interests and make sure they know it’s your life. Good Luck</p>
<p>Outside of me going to a college we couldn’t afford (which is understandable), they always seemed to look down on the idea of me going to a college they hadn’t personally heard of, and they’ve never heard of anything other than nearby state flagships and a few other private schools in Ohio. So Ohio State would have been okay, but something like Dartmouth wouldn’t have been. </p>
<p>Have you thought about the costs of these schools and who is going to pay for them? If the student pays 100 percent, then I can understand the choice. If the parent is expected to pay for a private or out of state school, then think again. Chart out the costs of the schools you can gotten into. There might be huge cost differences to account for the parental preference. Your parents might have other kids to put through school or have to pay their own bills. Many students don’t think about these things at all and expect that their desires trump all. Perhaps that is not your situation, but for many it is. </p>
<p>@hurdle1996 that’s good. Another way to explain it is: “Mom, Dad, I feel that if I’m pushed to go to [insert incredibly competitive school name here], then I won’t be able to do very well at all. I’ll have to break almost every bone in my body to even stand a chance at being a competitive student. Going to a school of my own choice will work wonders for me and I’ll be able to concentrate fully on my studies and extracurricular activities rather than always having the what ifs in the back of my mind”.</p>
<p>@halcyonheather pretty much the same thing with me: they’ve heard of my second and third choice schools (Quinnipiac and Hofstra), but not of Monmouth (fastest rising school in the Northeast). Therefore, they automatically think that it’s not a good school. My dad even thinks that Fairfield and Towson aren’t very good schools. They’re such prestige snobs, it’s ridiculous.</p>
<p>@researchperson cost is the least of our worries. They’re paying for my college experience. They don’t care whether the school is public or private as long as it’s a good school. However, the prospect of them picking the school that I attend just for the sake of a big name irks me. Not to mention that I was basically forced to stay in my high school and denied the opportunity go to another high school where I probably would have been much happier. I don’t feel my parents should be making my life decisions.</p>
<p>@dsi411 mine confuse me. They tell me that they don’t care which school that I go to as long as it’s a good school, then they tell me that they want me to go to Fordham all because of some generic spam mail I got -_-</p>
Wow. This thread was a year ago. I ended up staying in my current high school and getting a 2000 on my SAT. I also ended up not even applying to Monmouth and getting rejected by Fordham. Pretty close to making my decision now, even though that may still be hijacked by my parents (for nonfinancial, health or academic reasons). They may actually pay more to force me to stay within a two-hour radius instead of letting me go to school that is about a nine-hour drive away, but is the best possible fit for me in every way imaginable.
@TheSlacker16 I mentioned it in the post above yours, and it’s in my profile picture…but I don’t mind saying it again. THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA WILMINGTON!!!
