UC Berkeley vs Stanford Asian Americans

notaznguy
Tue, 04 Dec 2012 17:32:17 +0000

Guys, trust me, it’s all about how your parents raised you, regardless of race.

Back in high school, when asked about careers, I knew a lot of kids who were thinking along the lines of:

a) Hmm, I want to know what I enjoy in life. It has to be my passion.
b) I want to do something fun in life.
c) I don’t know what I want to do, but I won’t have to worry about that for a long time!

Meanwhile, there were other kids who were thinking along the lines of:

a) Okay, I need to find a secure job that I don’t totally hate, but also don’t necessarily have to have a crazy passion for, that pays well and offers me benefits like medical insurance and retirement funds. What kind of jobs are there like that and how do I get there?

Oh, and if you think there’s no way a 16 year old kid could possibly be thinking of things like 401k and insurance…you are so, so wrong. Again, this goes back to parenting. Just because your 16 year old is playing Call of Duty all day long doesn’t mean the neighbor’s 16 year old is doing the same thing. A 16 year old is probably not sitting thinking, “Hm, what % of my prospective income should I invest in Fidelity?” but he or she is probably thinking of the requisites of getting there. In other words, that teenager is thinking about universities and majors required to secure such benefits and jobs. And before one can even get into the university level, one has to focus on high school first. It works one little step at a time. Some kids just see the big picture. Others don’t. Good parents will teach their kids this. Others won’t.

The parents that failed are the ones who decide to blame others for their mistakes.

“There’s not enough funding! We need more resources!”
“Standardized testing is unfair and prejudiced!”
“That school’s admission committee is racist!!”
“I am a victim of somebody else’s hard work ethic!!”