I have a few words of wisdom to share with Indian American parents that I hope can be helpful.
I have been doing corporate health screenings now on the East Coast since 2014. It has enabled me to screen employees at some of the top companies in the world like Google and JP Morgan Chase. I come in contact with a diverse set of people.
One big lesson I learned? Fortune 500 American companies recruit talent from all types of colleges and institutions, and not just the 7 Ivy League colleges, Stanford and MIT. The other day at JP Morgan Chase in NYC one employee had attended MIT and another one Rutgers.
It brought me to reflect on why are Indian American parents going insane over Ivy League admissions? I think Indian American parents are placing an unnecessary and heavy burden on their children by overemphasizing the Ivies as the diamond standard. It has become the be-all and end-all. The number of applicants keeps exploding year by year to these schools, but the number of slots has stayed the same! So you can have a super genius and talented kid but no guarantee they will get into Ivy.
It’s not the end of the world!!!
A healthier approach is to say that getting into Ivy is something to aspire for, but other amazing possibilities exist outside of this. There are still so many incredible colleges where you can achieve your goals. This is a land of endless possibility where with hard work and determination you can become what you want to be!
My younger sister is a case in point of what is possible in America at different institutions of various rankings. She did pre-med/Management Sciences at MIT. After that, she completed her medical school, general surgery residency and a research year at Rutgers Medical School in Newark, NJ. This is an average third-tier state medical school in an extremely poor and underserved area. For her subspecialty fellowship in Endocrine Surgery, she interviewed at Harvard Medical School and Columbia Medical School and chose Columbia for her fellowship year. Today she is a very successful Endocrine Surgeon in Madison, Wisconsin.
I am almost sure many Indian American parents would argue with me vehemently that your sister has MIT and Columbia Medical School on her stellar resume. That is not the point at all. She made the best of what was offered to her, both top and average institutions and fulfilled her dreams.
So I want to convey to Indian American parents to be open to exposing kids to all types of colleges. In America, in the end, you can still make the best of what an institution can offer and achieve your dreams.
Have faith in this!
Disclaimer: Many Indian American parents have the resources to give their kids the best education possible and to pay for college tuition. Their kids have a certain level of privilege not available to everyone so this piece is not meant to be insensitive, exclusive, and elitist. I realize many people and communities do not have these opportunities.
*Image via evanstonain.net
Author: Laavanya Pasupuleti
Please connect with us if you are seeking support or hoping to learn more about being part of a Supportive, Inclusive, Compassionate, and Kind community:
Join The MindReset!
Check out Events for support groups or live events:
- Follow The MindReset Facebook page
- Follow The MindReset Twitter
- Follow The MindReset Instagram
You are always welcome to connect directly with an individual from TMR at contact@themindreset.com or (802) 377-MIND.
