<p>i am so so terribly sorry for making that the title, but i felt that it was necessary.</p>
<p>but while we're on the topic, i was wondering if your parents went to college and what impact that had on your higher education plans/goals. neither of my parents even started college and they never really put much emphasis on us (my sister and myself) going to the best school or anything. they actually never even told us we had to go to college. they just want us to do our best. but anyway, i was just wondering what it was like for all you people.</p>
<p>my mom just finished college some years ago and my dad never graduated high school. this has definitely influenced my decision to do well in school and go to college. i hate being poor >:0</p>
<p>well. technically, both my parents got their master's degree in their home country. my dad's a vet after having gone to vet school at UCD, so I guess he's a bit of a "success" but my mom became a homemaker and er, pretty much was a "failure" (though it's unfair to say so). But fact is that they had good higher education.</p>
<p>Because my parents had had such backgrounds in at least their home country, the expectation was that of course, we'd go to college. My mom was honestly hoping I could make it into a tier one college (i.e. Duke, etc) but my horrible high school immaturity obviously ruined that. So bottom line, expectations were high. But I must say it didn't do much for developing me as a person. It was only after I opposed her so much and went through some personal struggles to break off that I kind of developed. I myself have set my goals on medical school, but it wasn't because of my parents; I was totally against "Asian mentality" (yes I'm Asian) until I realized for myself that I shouldn't care about what my parents pushed and did some soul searching for what I did want.</p>
<p>I envy families that really encourage their kids to "do their best" but I can imagine also that expectations aren't high; not saying that really negatively, but I'm saying that they'd probably accept it if you go to a community college, if that was your best. But I really wish my parents had the mentality of hoping that I just try my best. Would've helped me gain some maturity earlier, I suppose.</p>
<p>my parents both went to grad school.. but that was in vietnam. after the war they came here to the states where their creds became crap. it was basically too late to start things all over so its like, they lost their chance.. so thats why im working so hard to like.. i dunno. work double hard for them too.</p>
<p>I come from a somewhat wealthy upbringing; both my parents went to UCLA (dad got his doctorate in Law), and insisted that both me and my two brothers do our best in high school and that we all go to a college (we dont have to go to harvard, any college is fine -- but harvard would be nice).</p>
<p>My oldest brother graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and might go back for his masters, and my other brother just recently transferred from University of Oregon to University of Las Vegas NV (UNLV = home), and he has no desire to even finish out his degree... he's not the academic type, and would rather just join the work force. My parents are insisting that he finish his degree (epescially having put 3 years into it already), so he's off to school again to finish up his senior year.</p>
<p>For me, it was just a gimme... two brothers already headed off to college, I had decent grades (I DID get into UCSD after all, heh heh), the only question for me since the beginning was a matter of where I would end up.</p>
<p><em>feels very stuck-up now</em></p>
<p>totally unrelated: my friend is in the process of transfering from ucm to unlv.</p>
<p>my dad got his masters at the best university in his country and my mom got her bachelor's degree...so I was definitely expected to go to college. Then my brother set the standards by getting his bachelor's and master's degree at ucla. heh..so there was quite some pressure on me</p>
<p>I'm your traditional, first-generation, American slacker child. At least in my parents' eyes. Both of my parents lived in poverty in their respective countries and worked tirelessly to receive higher levels of education. They're both smart, but they hit the books really hard in order to have a better life. It paid off in the end. Literally.
I was born in the U.S., and though I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth, I didn't exactly live in penury. I work hard when I NEED to, but not constantly like my parents always did. Their poor lifestyles motivated them to excel in school, whereas I admittedly don't have that kind of motivation.</p>
<p>Since both of my parents went to college, there was no question that I would be also be attending a university immediately after high school. It was just a matter of where I was going. The underlying conflict in our household right now is that I could have gotten into a better school (an ivy league or Stanford), but I didn't have the grades for it. I ultimately chose UCSD, and although my parents consider it a good university, they feel I didn't live up to my potential in high school and thus, could have done better.
It's true, and I've accepted responsibility for it and learned from it. The best I can do now is make the most of my college experience. I just hope that I can find that motivation to do well and focus more while I'm at 'SD so I can go to a good grad school.</p>
<p>I just read your post, Syneria, and I agree on almost every count. I don't want my parents to sell my abilities short, but any kind of acknowledgement for the accomplishments I DID have would be appreciated. </p>
<p>For years, my dad had this elaborate, self-concocted dream of me going to Stanford and becoming a doctor. I love the man, but I ended up hating Stanford and inconveniently became squeamish at the mere sight of blood. It was not that I disliked the road to medical school. It was more of the fact that I was being forced into something I didn't want. </p>
<p>It would have been nice if they had just let me make and achieve my own goals from the beginning. Maybe then I would have had more room for personal growth earlier on.</p>
<p>Oh well. In the famous words of Vonnegut, "So it goes."</p>
<p>Both my parents are immigrants and didn't go to college. My dad went to the army(Israel) and my mom had to work. They both worked HARD to get to where they are today, and as such, have huge expectations of me. Sometimes I think that if they had gone to college though, I would have a much easier time when it comes to applying for college, getting in, doing well in school, yadda yadda. My parents know jack about anything that has to do with American education and schools. </p>
<p>Then again, I wouldn't have gotten those first-gen college student points if it weren't for them. ;)</p>
<p>my dad has b.a/m.a./law degree from ucla
my mom has her b.a/m.a. from ucla too</p>
<p>one time i told my parents i wanted to be a circus freak and they were okay with it.</p>
<p>my sisters take the cake though
berkeley, yale, and columbia
but my parents assure me that they are still proud of me.....
and my mom even got a ucsd decal to put on her car
i have no idea how the one that went to berkeley got in, i think she sleept with someone on admissions or maybe h-w was better at getting kids in then</p>
<p>now you're calling your sister a whore, and saying that she is stupid. lol. i kidd.</p>
<p>i do love her dearly!</p>
<p>Circus freak? What an aspiration. It's not too late, Nieck. ;)</p>