The Power of the Parents

During high school, students face the pressure of making many decisions that will largely impact them for the rest of their lives.  Students must select what careers they would like to pursue, what colleges they are going to attend, and what they are going to major in.  It is very hard for some students to make these decisions, and many times, parents have a large impact on these decisions.

Parental pressure is a huge factor in the child’s decisions for the future.  A parent’s education is often the deciding factor between whether or not a child will continue on to a higher education program.  For instance, children who have at least one parent who earned a college degree have a far higher chance of earning a college degree themselves.  According to research by Richard Fry, “some 70% of adults 22 to 59 with at least one parent who has a bachelor’s degree or more education have completed a bachelor’s degree themselves. Only 26% of their peers who do not have a college-educated parent have a bachelor’s degree.”  Parents often feel obligated to help their children succeed, so they may place an importance on college if they attended it themselves.

Parents also play a huge role in which colleges their children will attend.  Many parents, if they are able, help their children financially with college.  Household income and savings often play a large role in where a child attends college.  Some families simply can not afford the high costs of certain colleges.  In a survey conducted by Discover Student Loans, they found that nearly half of parents are limiting their children’s college options based on price alone.

Parents also play a role in which college their children attend because some parents are very strict about going to a local college.  Some parents want their children to stay close to home while others may allow their children to go further away.  Parents play a huge role in their children’s education based on the cost and location.

Parents of college-bound children may also impact what major their children will select.  Many children look up to their parents and may try to do the same things as them, especially if they have been successful.  According to Paul L. Menchik, a professor at Michigan State University, “…it has become a long-standing trend that wealthy parents produce wealthy children.”  With this being said, about 20% of children will continue on to the same major as one of their parents.  This number is larger for children who have a good relationship with their parents because they may aspire to be like them.  The opposite is true for children who have a poor relationship with their parents.  Parents want to see their children succeed, so they may push them in a direction that they think will be successful. 

Parents have a large impact on many aspects of their children’s futures.  Many of these decisions will ultimately lead to the child’s career.  According to journalist Katherine Donnelly, “among first-year students with one parent a doctor, 20% chose medicine, and where both parents are doctors, it rises to 33%.”  This is a large number considering less than 1% of the population in the United States are doctors.  Parents who are successful themselves may try to persuade their children into the same careers.  In addition to this, an article from USA Today stated that the “number of adults who say earning potential is more important to their child’s education than what they major in is up, at 42% vs. 38% last year.”  Parents are more likely to push their children into programs that will have a better financial outcome in the future.  Parents want their children to succeed and may play a large role in the decisions their children make for the future because of this.