The Student Room Group
Uni students - Complete our survey >>
Uni students - Complete our survey >>
Uni students - Complete our survey >>

Parents' expectations?

Hello,

I am an A-level student in Cambridge who came to study here two years ago.
I applied to some top unis a few days ago but haven't applied to Cambridge as my grades are below their average.
Now my parents keep constantly asking me why didn't I apply to Cambridge, I am already studying there, why didn't I get better grades etc. They think its an obvious thing to apply to Cambridge if you already live there and go to sixth form there. I don't know what to tell them, I tell them Cambridge is very hard to get in and competition is huge and very few people make it actually but they keep asking me why didn't I study harder and get the best grades... It's like asking a businessman why isn't s/he a billionaire.

My parents are not from the UK so they don't clearly understand the level of competition here and they also think if you go to a good sixth form college you are guaranteed a place at a top uni. How do I explain them that its not such an easy thing to apply to Cambridge?? :confused:


Thanks.
Consider giving them statistics of acceptance rates, either for your particular course or the university as a whole (play it like a politician; give the statistic which best supports your argument). Explain that it would not have such a high level of prestige if it didn't take the top of the top students, both nationally and internationally, to give a scale and difficulty of the competition.

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you