The Student Room Group

Parent Problems! grrrgh.....

I just had a row with my parents bout university. They have it in their heads that you can only succeed in life if you go to oxbridge- I said *******s.

Anyways, I go to quite an expensive private school, and the deal for me to stay for sixth form was for me to get more a*s than A's at gcse (and no B's) so I could apply to Oxbridge. I did it, but I only really wanted to stay because I didnt want to leave my mates. Anyway, so Ive finished my As's and obviously its time to start thinking about uni. Well yo cant imagine the amount of grief Im getting, as Im starting to say, actualy my first choice would be LSE. Its better for what career I want to go into, it is as well regarded as oxbridge for econ/political sciences, and also is in London- which is where I want to go. These reasons just seem to bounce off my parents and they just act igorant to anything I say to them about it. And here's the best one- they think that because I got 6a*s at gcse, my ,"exceptional (:confused: ) gcse grades should mean I have a better chance than others"- I mean ive never heard this amount of **** spew from their mouths in the same night.

Now they want to arrange a meeting with my headmaster as they think I am acting childish and that 'I' dont know what Im talking about. Apparently I have no idea about the real world and my parents are carrying me-:rofl:


haha omg, she has just walked in my room and started blaming me that we cant get cheap train tickets to london tomorrow because we didnt book before 6 o clock today, even though I told her to book two days ago and she says I didnt.

I cant believe I have to put up with another year of this ****. Anyone else got parents as ****ish as mine?

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Reply 1
My god! I'd start doing some drugs and fail in life if I were you....just to teach them a lesson!
Reply 2
They need to realise that uni is my choice, I wont be a child anymore, its my life and I choose what I want to do and where I want to spend that 3-4 years of my life. Cant see that happening though.
Reply 3
You could also point out that 6 A*s at GCSE is hardly "exceptional" in terms of Oxbridge applicants. It's around average.

If you wanted to go to Oxbridge, then I'd definitely say go for it. But if you want to go to LSE, then there's no reason why you shouldn't do just as well there. Have you looked that Oxford or Cambridge at all? How much do your parents know about the places? If they just want you to go there because of the name, then that's silly. It's your decision and they can't force you into anything you don't want.
Reply 4
Let them have their meeting with the headmaster, but have a chat with him first if he's sufficiently approachable. Maybe hearing the stuff about LSE being good and an Oxbridge place being far from guaranteed from him will bring it home to them.
Reply 5
LSE is a good university, but the reputation of oxbridge does hold water with a lot of top firms, especially internationally and you do get a greater variety of people there as its not a specialist university. By all means tell your parents to **** off, but make sure you do your research and don't go to LSE to spite your parents.
Reply 6
**** what crazy parents you have... i mean 6A* in GSCE they should be proud of what you can do and praise you for how smart and hard working you are. FFS you should prolly ask them if they achieved the same feat as you have.. i mean.. thats totally ridiculous.. they should be supporting you and not telling you that oxbridge is the only way you become succesful... wtf is up with that .

the worlds most successful man is even a harvard drop out... But even though, always tru to do your best, because i know a lot of mates who have pushy parents and they rebel and they destroy themselves in the process...

Sometimes we have to think that parents dont know everything, sometimes they can be selfish of their opinion cuz they always want the best... however i think parents know what the limitations are supposed to be.

My parents are just there to tell me that i should do well and blah blah, guide me through... remind me.. but they dont push me around if i fail or get low grades. They even give me options as to what uni is good and what courses are good.. and its up to me to choose between them or if i dont like any thats fine.

Its your life that your making, not theirs so they should not make ALL of the decisions for you
Reply 7
Why not try for Oxbridge to get some peace from your parents and if you did get an offer for Oxbridge and LSE you can still decide which to take.
If you don't get taken you will have at least tried in your parent's opinion and if you do get in, well, maybe you will want to take up the offer.
This tactic should buy you some time and peace and quiet.
Reply 8
Leisure17
Why not try for Oxbridge to get some peace from your parents and if you did get an offer for Oxbridge and LSE you can still decide which to take.
If you don't get taken you will have at least tried in your parent's opinion and if you do get in, well, maybe you will want to take up the offer.
This tactic should buy you some time and peace and quiet.



Yeh, Im doing this anyway. Im not saying I dont want to go to oxbridge, but that I would prefer to go to LSE. Having an offer from both would be an absolute nightmare for me (as stupid as that sounds).
My mum didn't try to help me with university choices or courses or anything to do with going to uni barring taking me all the way to Portsmouth and Plymouth and UEC when we were on holiday and currently helping me to cope with the financial situation I'll be in. She feels that uni is my choice and that I'm old enough to sort it out myself except for the stuff you get from colleges like personal statement. Thinking about it my mum is pretty great :biggrin:

Anyway, yeah your parents should be there to support you but leave most things about uni up to you.
Reply 10
Logan
FFS you should prolly ask them if they achieved the same feat as you have.. i mean.. thats totally ridiculous.. they should be supporting you and not telling you that oxbridge is the only way you become succesful... wtf is up with that .



They have four low grade gcse's between them.
Leisure17
Why not try for Oxbridge to get some peace from your parents and if you did get an offer for Oxbridge and LSE you can still decide which to take.
If you don't get taken you will have at least tried in your parent's opinion and if you do get in, well, maybe you will want to take up the offer.
This tactic should buy you some time and peace and quiet.


Yeah there was a guy in the geology class a year ahead of me who turned down a chance to study at Oxford and chose Leeds instead.
Reply 12
Quite honestly, it seems the path of least resistance and it would give you time to think about what you really want and plan on how to get it.
Anonymous
They have four low grade gcse's between them.


They've obviously got talents and been successful if they can pay for you to go to private school though. Either that or a very rich uncle died.
Reply 14
I also guess they only "want the best" for you, which can be very strenous, because what they want may not be what you want. The more they push you the less you will comply.
Do what you want, regardless whether it might happen to be what they want as well. I did not do what my mum tried to push me to do at the time, just to show that the decision was mine..... (even though I actually did want to go and study)...anyway I did it a few years later, in my own good time, it being my decision. It came out alright for me, but looking back it was not neccessary.
Reply 15
Anonymous
They have four low grade gcse's between them.



They must be in some way successful if they can afford to send you to an expensive school. Is this not proof that if you dont go to oxbridge, even dont go to uni at all, you can still do well?

Show them the league tables for the course that you want to do, if its in writing they might take notice. And get them to go to open days with you, and go to obridge ones aswel. Make them see that you will meet them halfway!
You are lucky to a certain extent because your parents are so supportive and want the best for you.
Mine are very set against me going to university.
Reply 17
Make sure you go to that meeting with them. If you calmly state your case then the headmaster will realise that they are talking rubbish and will likely side with you to a fair degree. He might help them see sense.
Reply 18
Lucyj
You are lucky to a certain extent because your parents are so supportive and want the best for you.
Mine are very set against me going to university.


:frown: oh my lucy, you parents shud think that education is very important.. =( oh my

we got two cases that are axact opposites and are on the extremes.

this world is so cruel!
Logan
:frown: oh my lucy, you parents shud think that education is very important.. =( oh my

we got two cases that are axact opposites and are on the extremes.

this world is so cruel!


And now you seem to be taking the view that you will only succeed if you go to uni.