Parents need to BACK OFF

girlincross
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 11:17:20 +0000

I’m a rising senior and I have started looking at potential colleges. Apparently, my parents are going with me, too.
Ever since I was a little girl, my dad has always told me that I’m going to go to Harvard. He always talks about how proud he’s going to be at my graduation where he will know that I’m finally set for life.
A couple of months ago, I realized that I j don’t share his dream. I HATE Harvard. HATE it. I’ve been through the whole cutthroat competition atmosphere in high school and I don’t want to go through it again. I also don’t want to go spend four years somewhere I know I will be very insecure. My family is from Ethiopia, so the schools that truly “matter” are world-famous institutions such as Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, and the schools I’m considering are not sub-par to his level by any means. He will be paying for my tuition, so I am trying to be as understanding as possible, but I don’t know if it’s worth it. I’ve tried talking to him about it, and he gets really defensive and says I have “self-esteem” issues and should be more than happy going to a school as great as Harvard. I don’t know what to do. What should be the most terrifying yet exhilarating chapter of my life is turning out to be plain stressful. Can anybody else share their experience with meddling parents and what I can do to make this situation better?