<p>I recently saw a television show entitled “Make My Child a Star,” in which a television crew followed a group of parents and their children through a series of competitions in which the “winning” child would ultimately get a hollywood contract. The parents discussed how much it meant to their CHILDREN to become a star, and how much their CHILDREN enjoyed going through the competition. The point of the show, however, was to demonstrate how LITTLE the competition actually meant to the children, and how it was indeed the PARENTS’ OBSESSION to “win” the competition. The parents were living vicariously through their children, and the children seemed to hate every minute of it and despised the pressure their parents were putting on them. </p>
<p>In watching the show, I immediately began to see a direct parallel to what I witnessed all too often during my 30-year career as a college counselor. Instead of “Make My Child a Star,” however, it was “Make My Child an Ivy-Leaguer.” Many students whose parents were “Ivy Obsessed” seemed to feel the same way as the children on the television show. All too often, the parents were living vicariously through their children, and the children hated every minute of it. In many cases, it was obvious that the parents were looking to bask in the glory of their child being accepted at a prestigious college, sometimes ignoring what they were putting their child through in order to gain admission to such a college. The saddest part of the whole thing is that the parents of these children would be in complete denial of their “Ivy Obsession,” just like the parents on the TV show were in denial.</p>
<p>Just wondering if there are students or parents out there who have also seen this. If so, any advice for:</p>
<p>(a) Students who may be in the midst of such a situation
(b) Parents who may be like this.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>