<p>I want to hear how you guys deal with your parents and family when you’re planning on going to graduate school. What was their reaction? How did they take it? Were they supportive or not? Also mention your field.</p>
<p>I’ll be the first one in my family to get a PhD (not if my genius 12 year old cousin gets it before me at MIT :p) so it’s not easy trying to explain to everyone who has “professional” degrees on why would I get my PhD in humanities/social sciences. My dad’s a ABD so he’s okay and values the graduate school education. My mom, only a BA holder, doesnt understand what grad school entails. Both of them don’t know exactly what’s involved. So they think I’m just going to school for a while longer and putting off the real world (which I am sort of doing :)). But I rationalized with them that grad school is a job itself. But ultimately they’re thrilled that I’m applying to brand-name schools. It’s still a battle now that Im applying to MA programs…</p>