Week 2_Emerald Vang_A03

In the article, Beyond the Tiger Mom Anxiety: Ethnic, Gender and Generational Differences in Asian American College Acces and Choices, by OiYan Poon and Ajani Byrd, they explain the process of college applications for Asian Americans which include the influence of family, gender, academic counselors, and generation. As said in the text, "Asian American students value their parents' opinions" (pg. 30). The article also claimed that women were most likely to act upon their parents' opinions more than men (pg. 28). Looking back now, I did find myself always reaching towards my parents to ask them, "Is this college okay for me to go to?" There is definitely a parental influence when applying for colleges. Of course, most of our parents come from a place where education was not as important as survival. With the lack of their own opportunities, they need us and want us to go to college to open up doors that can help make ourselves be successful. I don't know the reason why the influence of parents is more important to Asian women, but I can say that this data claim is applied to most Asian American. Emphasis on "most." As mentioned I asked my parents about college and which one they would like me to go to; However, in the process of applying, I was so sucked into my own benefits of choosing a school that I had disregarded the schools my parents told me to apply to. Even after admissions, I tried convincing my parents to let me go to Davis and here I am now. I also want to prove the other side of the claim of most males who find it less important to choose a college based on their parents' opinion. My older brother was completely influenced by my mom and chose a college close to home as she told him to. This is partly why I did not find the article as relatable personally, but I did see how my Asian female friends and male friends fit perfectly into this claim. Even after the evolution of our parents' time as children, when will they be able to acknowledge that we, too, have our best interest in choosing colleges and should not pressure us to pick one that we aren't interested in? I know that they just want to give us a better future, but sometimes looking through our mind would be okay.

References: 

• Poon, O and A Byrd. "Beyond Tiger Mom Anxiety: Ethnic, Gender and Generational Differences in Asian American College Access and Choices." Journal of College Admission, 2013.
• (Tiger mom image.). Retrieved from                http://www.myseoulsearching.com/2012/02/tiger-moms.html