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Just want to add that parents play a major role. My parents, being highly educated and well off financially themselves, put enormous pressure on us to do well
by Zdup 6y ago
Just want to add that parents play a major role. My parents, being highly educated and well off financially themselves, put enormous pressure on us to do well in school. We grew up with the idea that nothing surpasses the importance of performance in school. No (or little parties), no clubbing, no going out, we sacrificed our teenage years studying and as a result, that hard sacrifice paid out. It seems to me that the huge sacrifices we made are not accounted for at all (as if they don't exist) and the article only focuses on the parents financial status as a driver of success when in reality, talking with many or these students, is not the major driving factor, but the family culture and pressure from parents to perform in academia.
- dilatedmind 6y agoAlso this, and maybe this is where social background comes into play. If my parents didn't value education, they wouldn't have moved us to a good school district or taken the time to look over my homework and assignments.
- learc83 6y agoThere’s more too it that that. There are advantages to wealth that go beyond encouraging children to study instead of partying. Things like going to a good school, not having to work through high school, not dealing with money stress in general. And I don’t know that we necessarily want to encourage people to “sacrifice their teenage years” by rewarding people who do so. I did well on the SAT, and I didn’t spend all my time partying. But I definitely don’t feel like I sacrificed my teenage years. I certainly don’t want my children to look back on their childhood like that.
- Fnoord 6y agoThat, and money allows you to cheat in this world. Bribery. Seen it happen on a private school. I believe earning some money for yourself as young kid (edit: specifically, I mean ~teen and later) is good, as it allows you to feel accomplished and teaches you to deal with money (ie. learning to save). It feels very different to do that with your own hard earned money than with pocket/birthday/clothing/allowance money. Not too much though, as the wage is ridiculously low, and the work likely repetitive and boring. It also teaches discipline. And that last word, is a keyword to higher success, on top of money. You need both; not either.
- Fnoord 6y ago> My parents, being highly educated and well off financially themselves, put enormous pressure on us to do well in school. Sorry, this is BS. I come from a competitive family. My parents put enormous pressure on me to do well in school, too. Pressure I could not handle. They wanted me to do 2 years in 1 to save 2k EUR on travel costs. I failed. If they had a tad bit more savings and listened better to me, I believe I would've succeeded. I'm good now, after a long struggle, but I should've learned a trait at age 12 instead. Not everyone is meant to take a traditional, higher education road to success. Not even when they have a high SAT score, or rich parents. Mine were average wealthy, though I had a chronically ill father. My cousins had no ill parent, and I suspect this is why they lack a general compassion for human beings in need.
- bloodborne 6y agoIf you were poor, you would not have the time to make those sacrifices. Instead all your free time would go into minimum wage job whose long term return is not being homeless and barely scraping by. Wealth give you the opportunity to not be homeless and invest in yourself instead of working, the long term returns of which are dramatic.