Did anyone become a doctor because of their parents?

[ThrowawayAccount1]

Hello all.

This question has probably been asked before but did anyone (or did anyone you know) ever become a doctor because their parents pressured them into it? Are you/they still practicing?

I ask because I have parents that are pressuring me into doing medicine. I come from an Indian background and although the culture is okay in some ways, it is strongly anti-freedom in that people are being pressured into careers they don't want. That's part of the reason why the caste system exists in India, because everyone is told what career to do and who to marry. My problem is that I'm a wimp and a fool so I went along with what they said and have even managed to get into medical school but I have serious reservations about starting as I have no interest in biology and even less in helping people. I tried talking to my parents multiple times but all they see is the money and status. Also, my brother was under similar pressure but failed out of college so no one bothers him anymore. I'm thinking of taking the same route and failing out of medical school. The only problem is (other than wasting time and money), I would feel really badly about taking someone's spot. Whenever I meet premeds, they seem obsessed with getting in and I feel like I am taking someone's chance away. So I guess should I actually try to do it then and become a doctor? Do people like me survive in the system or get burned out and retire early?

Thanks

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[Goro]

What I see happening with you is that you will do poorly, and then get dismissed. It's like "suicide by cop".

I have yet to figure out how many of my students are here because of parental pressure, but have long suspected that it's a large number.

I have a particular interview question I ask of children of doctors to weed out those under strong pressure. No, I'm not sharing.

OP, you're an adult now. You're old enough o vote, drink, drive, work, pay taxes, smoke, and fight and die for your country. You're old enough to say to your parents, "sorry, this is my life, not yours."

Then get a job and move out, if you're still at home. They won't disown you.

Hello all.

This question has probably been asked before but did anyone (or did anyone you know) ever become a doctor because their parents pressured them into it? Are you/they still practicing?

I ask because I have parents that are pressuring me into doing medicine. I come from an Indian background and although the culture is okay in some ways, it is strongly anti-freedom in that people are being pressured into careers they don't want. That's part of the reason why the caste system exists in India, because everyone is told what career to do and who to marry. My problem is that I'm a wimp and a fool so I went along with what they said and have even managed to get into medical school but I have serious reservations about starting as I have no interest in biology and even less in helping people. I tried talking to my parents multiple times but all they see is the money and status. Also, my brother was under similar pressure but failed out of college so no one bothers him anymore. I'm thinking of taking the same route and failing out of medical school. The only problem is (other than wasting time and money), I would feel really badly about taking someone's spot. Whenever I meet premeds, they seem obsessed with getting in and I feel like I am taking someone's chance away. So I guess should I actually try to do it then and become a doctor? Do people like me survive in the system or get burned out and retire early?

Thanks

 

[Nietzsche's Barber]

Hello all.

This question has probably been asked before but did anyone (or did anyone you know) ever become a doctor because their parents pressured them into it? Are you/they still practicing?

I ask because I have parents that are pressuring me into doing medicine. I come from an Indian background and although the culture is okay in some ways, it is strongly anti-freedom in that people are being pressured into careers they don't want. That's part of the reason why the caste system exists in India, because everyone is told what career to do and who to marry. My problem is that I'm a wimp and a fool so I went along with what they said and have even managed to get into medical school but I have serious reservations about starting as I have no interest in biology and even less in helping people. I tried talking to my parents multiple times but all they see is the money and status. Also, my brother was under similar pressure but failed out of college so no one bothers him anymore. I'm thinking of taking the same route and failing out of medical school. The only problem is (other than wasting time and money), I would feel really badly about taking someone's spot. Whenever I meet premeds, they seem obsessed with getting in and I feel like I am taking someone's chance away. So I guess should I actually try to do it then and become a doctor? Do people like me survive in the system or get burned out and retire early?

Thanks

You're an adult. If you have any reservations, forfeit the game before it starts. Since you admittedly have next to no interest in helping people, I suggest that you find something else to do with your time. It's not about surviving the system or avoiding burnout, it's about doing what makes you happy...and medicine obviously isn't it.

There are other ways to make money. And status? Please. I just saw a third year come in with a black eye after getting socked by a psych patient. Status is dead. The only professions that have any status are the following: 1. Military, 2. Actors, 3. Musicians, and 4. Professional athletes...all but 1 make a heck of a lot more than doctors (Patrice Bergeron, a person who plays for the Bruins, makes $250k biweekly...that's status). People in our society no longer look up to doctors, my friend. They look up to people they see on TV.

 

[Runner500]

I have a particular interview question I ask of children of doctors to weed out those under strong pressure. No, I'm not sharing.

"Are your parents pressuring you to become a doctor?"

You're not as clever as you think, Goro...

 

[Dagrimsta1]

Sometimes you just gotta tell your parents to f*** off. You don't wanna be 5 years down the line, up the ass in loans and not enjoying what you do. It's your decision not theirs. Don't beat around the bush and let them know how it is.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Imagine this: spending the next 7-10 years of your life doing something you hate. You're going to be burning through your 20s, and if you're not satisfied with your career at the end of the day, then, by god, you've wasted your time. You're an adult now. You can still respect your parents and not take their advice.

 

[Astra]

What I see happening with you is that you will do poorly, and then get dismissed. It's like "suicide by cop".

I have yet to figure out how many of my students are here because of parental pressure, but have long suspected that it's a large number.

I have a particular interview question I ask of children of doctors to weed out those under strong pressure. No, I'm not sharing.

OP, you're an adult now. You're old enough o vote, drink, drive, work, pay taxes, smoke, and fight and die for your country. You're old enough to say to your parents, "sorry, this is my life, not yours."

Then get a job and move out, if you're still at home. They won't disown you.

whoa goro, ur on probationary status?

fight the powaa

 

[deleted838145]

I also grew up in a very pressurred environment with more conservative parents. They were definitely more lenient than their own parents, but rigid nonetheless. I've learned to just smile and nod. But when it's really time to make decisions, do what you believe will make you happy. What they want is for you to be happy. Even though they will be upset at first, after seeing that you are doing what you truly love, they will eventually come around. I suggest you don't contact them for a while and give yourself time to find yourself independently.

 

[Goro]

whoa goro, ur on probationary status?

fight the powaa

Unfortunately, I do not suffer fools lightly

 

[Endoxifen]

Here's another question: who's going to foot the bill? I suspect that your parents aren't going to be paying for all of medical school. Do you think they have the right to throw you into $300,000 of debt for a job that you don't want? Even if you're lucky enough to have family that is willing and able to pay, I'm sure they'd support another job that's equally lucrative and something that you'd enjoy.

 

[Lawpy]

Hello all.

This question has probably been asked before but did anyone (or did anyone you know) ever become a doctor because their parents pressured them into it? Are you/they still practicing?

I ask because I have parents that are pressuring me into doing medicine. I come from an Indian background and although the culture is okay in some ways, it is strongly anti-freedom in that people are being pressured into careers they don't want. That's part of the reason why the caste system exists in India, because everyone is told what career to do and who to marry. My problem is that I'm a wimp and a fool so I went along with what they said and have even managed to get into medical school but I have serious reservations about starting as I have no interest in biology and even less in helping people. I tried talking to my parents multiple times but all they see is the money and status. Also, my brother was under similar pressure but failed out of college so no one bothers him anymore. I'm thinking of taking the same route and failing out of medical school. The only problem is (other than wasting time and money), I would feel really badly about taking someone's spot. Whenever I meet premeds, they seem obsessed with getting in and I feel like I am taking someone's chance away. So I guess should I actually try to do it then and become a doctor? Do people like me survive in the system or get burned out and retire early?

Thanks

What I see happening with you is that you will do poorly, and then get dismissed. It's like "suicide by cop".

I have yet to figure out how many of my students are here because of parental pressure, but have long suspected that it's a large number.

I have a particular interview question I ask of children of doctors to weed out those under strong pressure. No, I'm not sharing.

OP, you're an adult now. You're old enough o vote, drink, drive, work, pay taxes, smoke, and fight and die for your country. You're old enough to say to your parents, "sorry, this is my life, not yours."

Then get a job and move out, if you're still at home. They won't disown you.

OP, I would 100% follow Goro's advice. I get the cultural differences and how parents in some cultures have an authoritarian parenting style because they want to ensure the best of their children. But you need to realize this is your life and you should decide what you want to do. Continually deferring life outcomes to your parents is the fastest way to become burnt out and depressed, since if things don't turn to be well, you could always blame your parents for the hardships.

Taking responsibility for your own actions and doing what you want are essential to succeed in the real world. If you want to pursue medicine because you are sincerely passionate about helping others in need, as you find volunteering to be personally meaningful, then do so. You can align your personal ambitions to parental expectations but it requires a lot of soulsearching and personal drive at your end.

Remember, this is your life and you should make the most use of it. Parents are always there to guide you but they don't have an absolute say.

 

[Astra]

Unfortunately, I do not suffer fools lightly

you should join my friends at the spanish inquisition.

 

[Goro]

you should join my friends at the spanish inquisition.

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!

 

[deleted838145]

Unfortunately, I do not suffer fools lightly

In today's words, "I am a savage."

 

[cactusman]

whoa goro, ur on probationary status?

fight the powaa

Unfortunately, I do not suffer fools lightly

Every thread for the past 2 weeks has included this exchange.

 

[AttemptingScholar]

I feel like you already know the answer if you're asking this question. Be brave!

 

[Goro]

Every thread for the past 2 weeks has included this exchange.

People here are fine!!

 

[esu aves]

My parents said I can be any type of doctor I want.

 

[mwsapphire]

My parents tell me not to cry at the possibility of not getting into medical school.

 

[marcelo12]

Will your parents pay off your loans? If you end up dropping out or realizing that this career is not for you, are you okay with being deep in debt?

 

[ScottTenorman54]

Do you want to be miserable for the rest of your life? Cuz that's how you end up miserable for the rest of your life. Med isn't really a good career path for a "i hate this, but i'll put up with it because it pays the bills" kind of mindset. I mean I'm sure plenty of people do it, but it's still one of the worst careers for that.

There's not much you can do about those wonderful Indian cultural values, but what's adding onto the pressure is the fact that you're a wimp (you said it), and your brother is washed up, which means you're their last chance and they probably don't have much confidence that you can figure things out on your own. If you can be assertive and proactive and show them a concrete, well-thought out alternative plan for how you're going to rake in cash outside of med, they may back off somewhat.

 

[ThrowawayAccount1]

So for more background,


My parents are paying partly but still expect me to take loans at some point. The thing is that I actually didn’t major in bio but did a far harder STEM major and have even managed to get job interviews (and I’m confident I will still be able to get a decent job even if I drop out of med school).

However, my parents think it’s all pointless because those jobs don’t have the same level of status. They won’t even be ok if I decided to do a phD in a STEM field. I hate this. Most other parents would be proud but mine think only an MD is ok. I just talked to my dad and he said that I am investment and he will pack up and leave this family (go back to South Asia) if I don’t do medicine. Right afterwards, he submitted my deposit for next year as if I the conversation I just had didn’t mean anything.

I also don’t even see the big deal about being a MD. I aced most of the premed courses and am pretty sure most people could do it if they put their mind to it. I think my big problem was showing too much potential. I should have just been a bum early on like my brother. No one bothers him.

This is somewhat off topic but something I’ve realized over the past year was that even though I would never vote for Trump, there was definitely some bit of truth when he said we have immigrants coming to this country that have wrong values and don’t assimilate. My parents came here with stupid values.

 

[Astra]

Every thread for the past 2 weeks has included this exchange.

srry I haven't been on SDN religiously for the past 2 weeks

 

[cactusman]

srry I haven't been on SDN religiously for the past 2 weeks

WHAT?!?!?
I'll be right back, headed to the /r/pitchforkemporium so the mob can deal with you appropriately.

 

[Astra]

WHAT?!?!?
I'll be right back, headed to the /r/pitchforkemporium so the mob can deal with you appropriately.

Good thing I have a built up immunity to pitchforks. I started with forks and worked my way up.

 

[cactusman]

Good thing I have a built up immunity to pitchforks. I started with forks and worked my way up.

Then we'll have to use a more powerful weapon: the tuning fork.

 

[sallyhasanidea]

I'll chime in. I have indian parents. They want me to be a doctor, but they conditioned me from a young age to want to be a doctor - read: brainwash, so I can't see myself doing anything other than going into medicine.

In retrospect I don't really mind that they did this - in other careers that can make as much as a doctor can it's much harder for Indian people to move up the ladder: Finance, law, etc. At least with medicine you can go into a lucrative career (400k+) straight out of residency, if it turns out you hate it work for 5 years and you have enough **** you money to do whatever you want: start a business, etc. If it turns out you like medicine but not enough to work like a dog, you can still easily make $200k a year working more normal hours. If you're 22 now, it's not unreasonable to retire by 35 as a doctor. Many of your friends from highschool/college will work for 40+ years to save up $1M+ for retirement, you can have that liquid by 35.

But it matters what your goals in life are. My goals in life are simple, and going down the route I was conditioned to go down does not hinder my goals, and actually helps them. As far as losing my twenties goes - I ask myself the following question: what would I be able to enjoy/ what would I do if I wasn't going to medical school. And the answer is not much, our generation seems to have a fascination with travelling/finding one's self, I'm not too interested in that, and it seems as though Indian parents are much more rooted in reality and oppose this and want to push their kids through the medical school pipeline as fast as possible, no breaks on the indian doctors train.

 

[Goldentide]

Coming from an Asian family, I think I can see where both sides are coming from. I think your parents just want the best for you. What they value is for you and your brother to be successful and to be able to provide for yourselves (though they do have a strange way of showing this).

I think it is best to do what makes you happy and just give your rents some time to come around. Just kick ass at whatever career you end up being passionate about and they'll support you. After all, your dad already put in a lot of money in you...so he can't just totally cut bait (god, I hate it when parents view their kids as investments...)

 

[cactusman]

If you're 22 now, it's not unreasonable to retire by 35 as a doctor. Many of your friends from highschool/college will work for 40+ years to save up $1M+ for retirement, you can have that liquid by 35.

That's actually very unreasonable.

If you do 4 years of med school (though many people entering competitive specialties do a research year) and have 7 years of residency (required for many high paying specialties) you become an attending at age 31. You likely have $200k+ debt. 4 years of 400k (before taxes) is not enough to feed yourself, pay back 200k, and save enough to live comfortably for potentially 60+ years (with those later years likely in a costly nursing home).

Maybe you even want to pay for your children's education. But that's not likely either without a whole lot more savings.

 

[precisiongraphic]

ThrowawayAccount, you are not a wimp or a fool, you just don't want to disappoint your parents who (however misguided) do want you to be happy and successful. My suggestion is to try to get a deferment for one year from your med school and work somewhere where you can get some exposure. Work in a hospital or in retail or in a lab. A year to live with the decision while getting exposure to other fields could help. Or join AmeriCorps. If you haven't lived on your own, live on your own or with other relatives besides your parents. The answer may become clear to you over that time.

Your life is long and you don't want to be unhappy.

Hello all.

This question has probably been asked before but did anyone (or did anyone you know) ever become a doctor because their parents pressured them into it? Are you/they still practicing?

I ask because I have parents that are pressuring me into doing medicine. I come from an Indian background and although the culture is okay in some ways, it is strongly anti-freedom in that people are being pressured into careers they don't want. That's part of the reason why the caste system exists in India, because everyone is told what career to do and who to marry. My problem is that I'm a wimp and a fool so I went along with what they said and have even managed to get into medical school but I have serious reservations about starting as I have no interest in biology and even less in helping people. I tried talking to my parents multiple times but all they see is the money and status. Also, my brother was under similar pressure but failed out of college so no one bothers him anymore. I'm thinking of taking the same route and failing out of medical school. The only problem is (other than wasting time and money), I would feel really badly about taking someone's spot. Whenever I meet premeds, they seem obsessed with getting in and I feel like I am taking someone's chance away. So I guess should I actually try to do it then and become a doctor? Do people like me survive in the system or get burned out and retire early?

Thanks

 

[SunsFun]

If you got into a school in the states, statistically speaking, you will do fine. You may even do well. Most of us go into medicine for reasons that in retrospect look silly and laughable.

Whether those who go through this process for "right reasons", whatever those may be, are less likely to burn out is debatable.

A bigger problem for you may be a feeling of grudge you will continue build up towards your parents if you continue feeling that what you do is not what you want but what they want. If allowed to continue, it is far more likely to jeopardize your well being than being a doctor.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[DexterMorganSK]

OP, why didn't you just act like an idiot in your interviews? (Similar to Kumar did in Harold & Kumar Goes to WhiteCastle )

If you didn't get into a school, you wouldn't have to worry about being a doctor and your parents can't really force you then!

Anyways, in the word of Russel Peters, "Be a Man"

 

[787593]

What I see happening with you is that you will do poorly, and then get dismissed. It's like "suicide by cop".

I have yet to figure out how many of my students are here because of parental pressure, but have long suspected that it's a large number.

I have a particular interview question I ask of children of doctors to weed out those under strong pressure. No, I'm not sharing.

OP, you're an adult now. You're old enough o vote, drink, drive, work, pay taxes, smoke, and fight and die for your country. You're old enough to say to your parents, "sorry, this is my life, not yours."

Then get a job and move out, if you're still at home. They won't disown you.

*secret message* ???

 

[efle]

So for more background,


My parents are paying partly but still expect me to take loans at some point. The thing is that I actually didn’t major in bio but did a far harder STEM major and have even managed to get job interviews (and I’m confident I will still be able to get a decent job even if I drop out of med school).

However, my parents think it’s all pointless because those jobs don’t have the same level of status. They won’t even be ok if I decided to do a phD in a STEM field. I hate this. Most other parents would be proud but mine think only an MD is ok. I just talked to my dad and he said that I am investment and he will pack up and leave this family (go back to South Asia) if I don’t do medicine. Right afterwards, he submitted my deposit for next year as if I the conversation I just had didn’t mean anything.

I also don’t even see the big deal about being a MD. I aced most of the premed courses and am pretty sure most people could do it if they put their mind to it. I think my big problem was showing too much potential. I should have just been a bum early on like my brother. No one bothers him.

This is somewhat off topic but something I’ve realized over the past year was that even though I would never vote for Trump, there was definitely some bit of truth when he said we have immigrants coming to this country that have wrong values and don’t assimilate. My parents came here with stupid values.

Being a professor or other graduate-educated professional is not high status in the indian culture ??

It is possible to get an MD and spend little to no time with patients (classic examples being rads and path), or even little to no time practicing medicine (can go work for a company in biomed or even in an unrelated field). No idea how accessible or appealing that stuff is for you personally compared to your chem or physics or engineering alternative. Or if you don't love working with people but are neutral about it/tolerate it fine, you can go the classic derm type lifestyle focused route, where even viewing your practice as "just a job" it's a damn high paying one with reasonable hours and more interesting work than many alternatives.

 

[ubc2017]

All the time; people "choose" to become doctors because of their parents all the time. It could be the guilt of letting them down, or not wanting to seem ungrateful for all they've done, or just no energy to rebel but there are plenty of reasons.

I'm Indian too. I absolutely relate with the fact that it's not easy to just say "my life my rules" to the parents. Kind of similar to you, I feel, the path to medicine for me may have started as their dream, but it eventually became mine too. It also helped that there wasn't really any alternative field/career that I felt too "passionate" about. At the end of the day, you have to get a job in some field or another.

I think you need to ask yourself, what about medicine do you really hate?
The only thing that bugged me was the insane 80 hour work weeks (everything else seemed amazing to me), and if that's a concern for you too, you can always become a psychiatrist/FM doctor (you don't really need to make half a million $$ to be happy; ~200-250k$ is more than enough). That's 40-50 hour weeks, and you will still have enough time left over to pursue your hobbies. If the issue is you hate dealing with ill people, or patients in general - you can pursue pathology, medical genetics, radiology, etc. And if pathology is too boring and you're not about lab work, then dermatology is an amazing option - high pay and very reasonable hours, similar to all other job fields.

Hell, if their only concern is that you have an MD behind your name that they can brag about at social events, get that MD and then use it in the business/law field. You can become a consultant - work for Accenture, Deloitte, McKinsey, etc. + they recruit right of medical school, so you don't even need to do a residency (again if you hate the insane hours required).

If you wanna travel, same thing - get into consulting - there's a lot of travel involved (and $$).

If you like teaching and research (you mentioned option for PhD) - you can become a professor and teach courses in human biology/medicine at a university.

There's honestly so many options in medicine that you can go into. You don't have to be the typical internist at a hospital on call, working late night shifts, all that Scrubs stuff. Your MD will be what you make of it. And honestly, most people don't pursue medicine for altruistic reasons. So it's okay, if you don't care much for "helping" people either. Do consulting! Do derma, do radiology, do teaching, do research, do medical journalism.

I don't think your parents are being mean; it's just they want the best for you and your future, and this is the best that they know.


But at the end of the day, if none of this works for you, then yeah, during your first year, just call everyday and pretend how hard it is, how mentally drained you are, how it's depressing, and they'll let you off the hook.

 

[md-2020]

Being a professor or other graduate-educated professional is not high status in the indian culture ??

It's not in higher-income East Asian communities either. At least among my family's social circles, going to general grad school with the intention of becoming a professor is not something to be especially proud of.

Not fair on many levels, but the world isn't fair.

 

[Endoxifen]

It's not in higher-income East Asian communities either. At least among my family's social circles, going to general grad school with the intention of becoming a professor is not something to be especially proud of.

Not fair on many levels, but the world isn't fair.

That's really weird. Is it only money that correlates with prestige in your family's eyes?

 

[theonlytycrane]

 

[md-2020]

That's really weird. Is it only money that correlates with prestige in your family's eyes?

Not specifically, and its definitely not only my family (whom I fully consider to be the more liberal of Asians). Theres some sort of unspoken subdivision between whats considered prestigious and whats less so. Teaching, even as a professor, doesnt factor into the former category as well. Similarly, there is very little respect for professional athletes despite their monetary income.

 

[Endoxifen]

Not specifically, and its definitely not only my family (whom I fully consider to be the more liberal of Asians). Theres some sort of unspoken subdivision between whats considered prestigious and whats less so. Teaching, even as a professor, doesnt factor into the former category as well. Similarly, there is very little respect for professional athletes despite their monetary income.

Hmmm, that's really fascinating. Out of curiosity, how are scientists viewed?

 

[efle]

Not specifically, and its definitely not only my family (whom I fully consider to be the more liberal of Asians). Theres some sort of unspoken subdivision between whats considered prestigious and whats less so. Teaching, even as a professor, doesnt factor into the former category as well. Similarly, there is very little respect for professional athletes despite their monetary income.

So is there anything that rivals physician status? Like if your kid has a bachelors and masters in engineering and is literally a rocket scientist for NASA, that's not something to brag about?

Or how about making a quarter mil a year off running your own small business? Not considered extremely successful?

 

[md-2020]

Hmmm, that's really fascinating. Out of curiosity, how are scientists viewed?

like lab/research professor appointments? Probably with more acceptance, b/c such a significant proportion of first generation Asian immigrants themselves ended up doing this for a while/permanently after moving here. Maybe mix in a small degree of pity too, given that they all know how tough grants/endowed positions are to get these days

keep in mind my perspective is from a very particular community of highly educated white/asian families with extensive achievements and experience in the medical field; Im sure many other viewpoints on this exist.

So is there anything that rivals physician status? Like if your kid has a bachelors and masters in engineering and is literally a rocket scientist for NASA, that's not something to brag about?

no thats definitely something that people brag about (basically my neighbors kid...trust me they dont ever shut up). I think whats considered prestigious is a combination of 1. income 2. difficulty in attaining said position/competitiveness 3. education level/terminal degree value.

 

[Endoxifen]

like lab/research professor appointments? Probably with more acceptance, b/c such a significant proportion of first generation Asian immigrants themselves ended up doing this for a while/permanently after moving here. Maybe mix in a small degree of pity too, given that they all know how tough grants/endowed positions are to get these days

keep in mind my perspective is from a very particular community of highly educated white/asian families with extensive achievements and experience in the medical field; Im sure many other viewpoints on this exist.


no thats definitely something that people brag about (basically my neighbors kid...trust me they dont ever shut up). I think whats considered prestigious is a combination of 1. income 2. difficulty in attaining said position/competitiveness 3. education level/terminal degree value.

It's interesting because it doesn't fit perfectly with the jewish perspective of prestige, which has the same criteria as you described. To my family, anything with high income or something that is intellectually demanding is considered prestigious. While my family is really excited that I'm going after medicine, they would have been equally happy if I'd gone into academia or finance. They may have even been happy if I went into music, though that's slightly more tenuous.

 

[Frogger27]

Not related, but I think it is hillarious when people make anonymous accounts for an anonymous forum

 

[md-2020]

It's interesting because it doesn't fit perfectly with the jewish perspective of prestige, which has the same criteria as you described. To my family, anything with high income or something that is intellectually demanding is considered prestigious. While my family is really excited that I'm going after medicine, they would have been equally happy if I'd gone into academia or finance. They may have even been happy if I went into music, though that's slightly more tenuous.

Finance would have been fine for me too. In fact, that was very much my path for 95% of college.

Academia isn't so much look down upon, maybe I could have expressed that more clearly. its more of a "meh" reaction.

Music I can definitively tell you, would NOT have played well.

 

[Endoxifen]

Not related, but I think it is hillarious when people make anonymous accounts for an anonymous forum

It's not as crazy as you might think. People will be able to identify you by your story if they're on here long enough. We know that adcoms are watching. I posted a thread a couple weeks ago and someone quoted my GPA back to me in such a way that it implied that they didn't just look it up. While not a problem, it's clear that people remember you.

 

[mwsapphire]

It's not as crazy as you might think. People will be able to identify you by your story if they're on here long enough. We know that adcoms are watching. I posted a thread a couple weeks ago and someone quoted my GPA back to me in such a way that it implied that they didn't just look it up. While not a problem, it's clear that people remember you.

But they still don't know who you are, as in, what's your name/where you live/ what you look like, so it's still a bit silly from my perspective. People are more than just their stats/EC's. But to each their own. I remember people's stats as well

 

[Frogger27]

It's not as crazy as you might think. People will be able to identify you by your story if they're on here long enough. We know that adcoms are watching. I posted a thread a couple weeks ago and someone quoted my GPA back to me in such a way that it implied that they didn't just look it up. While not a problem, it's clear that people remember you.

I know and that is kind of my point. You hang around here long enough and you get to the point where you have to conceal your anonymous identity because 1) you think people might know who you actually are IRL or 2) you have to protect your alter ego.

Sorry to divert- back on topic. I know that choosing this path is one that made my parents extremely happy, but I was really fortunate to have my parents understand that there are a lot of people who do this because of pressure. My parents sat me down multiple times and made it clear to me that they would be proud of me no matter what I do (even though deep down I know they wanted me to do this) and to have me reassure them I am doing this for myself and not them. Very grateful to them for this.

 

[efle]

People will be able to identify you by your story if they're on here long enough.

*gulp*

 

[Endoxifen]

But they still don't know who you are, as in, what's your name/where you live/ what you look like, so it's still a bit silly from my perspective. People are more than just their stats/EC's. But to each their own. I remember people's stats as well

Maybe I'm more concerned because I have some fairly unique components to my CV. I'm aware that if I ever talk about them during interviews, its entirely possible that someone will be like "hey endoxifen".