Are you scared of debt you'll have? I AM!!!

[OG1]

I agree with jirotrom; in general, higher socioeconomic status parents will have higher expectations of their children and be more involved in their schooling. If you've read The Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell discusses the American school system's summer breaks. Children who are lower socioeconomic status come back from the break having forgotten much and scoring lower on tests. Children from higher socioeconomic status come back from the summer scoring better on tests because they have been intellectually engaged over the summer by their parents. These are obviously generalizations and there are exceptions, but it makes sense to me.

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[ozzie33]

How was your life when your parents were still paying for things? Or have your parents been withholding money since childhood? You can't disregard the foundation which got you to dental school in the first place.

The majority of students live meagerly on loans in D-school, but there are people who have been doing it for much much longer.

Pretty much the same because I don't treat money like it grows on trees, and I taught myself that.

I'm more playing devils advocate at this point because, I'll admit, I get pissed when I see the kids you are talking about (party 24/7 in a joke major driving a new Audi acting like they earned it all) but I also have seen people who are very motivated, harder working than me, and very intelligent who's parents have paid their way. Basically what I'm saying is don't generalize, you only notice rich kids who show off, not the ones who hide it and keep their head down while working hard.

 

[1992Corolla]

Pretty much the same because I don't treat money like it grows on trees, and I taught myself that.

I'm more playing devils advocate at this point because, I'll admit, I get pissed when I see the kids you are talking about (party 24/7 in a joke major driving a new Audi acting like they earned it all) but I also have seen people who are very motivated, harder working than me, and very intelligent who's parents have paid their way. Basically what I'm saying is don't generalize, you only notice rich kids who show off, not the ones who hide it and keep their head down while working hard.

+1
Beware the generalized statement on SDN.
"Rich kids are spoiled and do cocaine and don't get good grades"
"Poor kids drink EtOH and drop out of school because their mom's are all crack heads"

 

[jirotrom]

I agree with jirotrom; in general, higher socioeconomic status parents will have higher expectations of their children and be more involved in their schooling. If you've read The Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell discusses the American school system's summer breaks. Children who are lower socioeconomic status come back from the break having forgotten much and scoring lower on tests. Children from higher socioeconomic status come back from the summer scoring better on tests because they have been intellectually engaged over the summer by their parents. These are obviously generalizations and there are exceptions, but it makes sense to me.

Ive been wanting to read that book, interesting stuff.

 

[redchesus]

+1
Beware the generalized statement on SDN.
"Rich kids are spoiled and do cocaine and don't get good grades"
"Poor kids drink EtOH and drop out of school because their mom's are all crack heads"

Of course we have to speak in generalities a little bit when talking about societal trends, since there are exceptions to every rule. That's kind of given, and I think we all appreciate the nuances of exceptional cases. The debate came about when charles posited that rich kids have it worse than poor kids, as a general observation (based on his own kids?), which I find to be improbable.

You know... as somone who in early childhood grew up with the poorkids and transitioned into middle class in my teenage years I think some of you are sadly far off the mark. You neglect to realize the impact of PARENTS on a child. The reason most poor kids dont have the same advantages as those of the rich is simply due to parenting.

...

Agree for the most part , but I wouldn't claim that it is "simply parenting," because access to money does play into the shaping of one's (or the parent's) values.

All the more reason I believe the familial situation in which you start is pretty important, in terms of both prioritization of hard work and socioeconomics.

 

[sweetdaises2000]

You know... as somone who in early childhood grew up with the poorkids and transitioned into middle class in my teenage years I think some of you are sadly far off the mark. You neglect to realize the impact of PARENTS on a child. The reason most poor kids dont have the same advantages as those of the rich is simply due to parenting.

My parents are foreigners, Nigerian in fact, my father was poor as was my mother when first coming to this country. I am considered african american, but I can tell you right now, out of the community I grew up out of when I was younger (majority African American) I'm one of the few that has actually gone to college and will be entering professional school.

But I know this has to do with parenting and I know for a fact the parenting practices of most parents from countries outside of the US. There are cultural values with education... I know i'm not the only one when I state that as my parents were foreign the only sane path for them considering my career choice was medicine... (my dad is still dissapointed even though he tries to hide it with the fact that I have chosen Dentistry over his precious MD... I couldn't see myself doing something i would dread for the rest of my life but thats beside the point)

The point Im trying to make is that alot of these poor kids come from really bad homes with horrible parenting, yes there are those kids that in poor families have wonderful parenting and they teach their child what work ethic is and those kids often make it out of that life. The parent or parents understand that their child is apart of their future and they give all they can and that child succeeds.

More often than not though, the child will come from a sometimes abusive family where there may be verbal, physical or drug abuse that does nothing to improve the childs outlook on life. Let alone in the African american community (where this hits close to home) the large number of fathers leaving mothers to care for a child on their own. These are not positive influences.

I forget the stats but the average middle class parent compared to the average poor parent gives way more positive reinforcement to a child over the poor parent. The vocabulary of the middle class parent is often vastly higher than those of your typical poor parent.

Because of this the cycle continues, the inherent class system in the US goes on. Are there those kids in those bonds that beat what they have been unfortunately dealt... yes, but I can tell you this... in my years of teaching... i have spoken to some kids in truly depressing situations. That truly dont have the same opportunities due to the psychological influence received from their parents or lack of.

If you think rich kids have it easier in this country on the whole... you are simply being naive and blind to what is really happening out there. Not everyone is getting excellent parenting. As much as my dad gets me fired up I'm thankful for his strict attitude... i learned quite a bit and I am fully a product of their parenting, for the things I agreed with them and the things I disagree with.

EDIT: If parenting values were the same there would be true equal opportunity, that is simply not the case. Have you all not noticed the high rate of foreigners entering the health professions, Its because most of our parents who packed up and moved to this country was because of the opportunity it offered for them and their children. You better believe it that most of them will instill these values of opportunity in their children...

Jirotrom!! Your story completely resonates with mine, both nigerian parents who worked their butt off to get back to their original profession, medicine. Both who thought the sane path for myself was also, medicine...lol I hear ya on that. But certainly there are values instilled in Nigerians that you just will not find in the African American community-hard work, perseverance, work ethic, self-discipline. I grew up seeing my parents in their 40s study USMLE books like no other, so I have no excuse to not try my best to ace every test possible-I just remember too much of the struggle. Even now that my parents have achieved their goals, its just inspiration to press forward. I am fortunate and lucky to be middle class now, but I have still worked every summer since high school, and will be doing a summer research program after graduation in May. Anyways, just wanted to agree with your post

 

[lmaozedong1]

Jirotrom!! Your story completely resonates with mine, both nigerian parents who worked their butt off to get back to their original profession, medicine. Both who thought the sane path for myself was also, medicine...lol I hear ya on that. But certainly there are values instilled in Nigerians that you just will not find in the African American community-hard work, perseverance, work ethic, self-discipline. I grew up seeing my parents in their 40s study USMLE books like no other, so I have no excuse to not try my best to ace every test possible-I just remember too much of the struggle. Even now that my parents have achieved their goals, its just inspiration to press forward. I am fortunate and lucky to be middle class now, but I have still worked every summer since high school, and will be doing a summer research program after graduation in May. Anyways, just wanted to agree with your post

Kind of a bigoted statement...why is it that people assume that ALL people born in America share the same values if they look the same? You must not judge people by how they look. Don't worry, you'll figure that out soon enough.

 

[womp]

Why is it that dental schools cost so much more than medical school? Many medical schools also give scholarships, and you do get paid during medical residency (and because of the lower tax bracket, isn't too bad)....

Salaries are about the same afterwards....

 

[mr24]

Why is it that dental schools cost so much more than medical school? Many medical schools also give scholarships, and you do get paid during medical residency (and because of the lower tax bracket, isn't too bad)....

Salaries are about the same afterwards....

and they usually dont have to buy a practice!

 

[KristopherTruth]

I honestly don't know but it pisses me off but I can't do anything about but be pissed off.

Why is it that dental schools cost so much more than medical school? Many medical schools also give scholarships, and you do get paid during medical residency (and because of the lower tax bracket, isn't too bad)....

Salaries are about the same afterwards....