[aPple]

So as this is my first topic in the "college forum" (o0o0o0) i guess i'll do a quick intro...

Hi i'm sarah!
<--that's me, and i go to UT

anyways... I'm currently a Business Honors Major at UT, which is a very good program.. BUT my parents are driving me crazy trying to get me to be an optometrist. They know not that much about the way college works, and only comprehend that i'll have to work my ass off the next four years trying to finish the required 122 credit hours for BHP and then an extra 60+ hours for pre-optometry...They even suggested i GIVE UP my prestigious BHP to completely pursue optometry (which isn't even a major)

For clearification, I am wanting to do pre-optometry, but if it came down to it, I'd rather pursue business over optometry...actually i'm in rather a rut as to which i'd rather choose, but i'm loathing my parents input...

anyone else having their parents breathe down their neck? please tell me i'm not alone

[oOh-her]

that really sucks. i don't like pushy parents.

for me, they had a problem with both my major and the school i chose to go to. i had my heart set on doing neuroscience at one school but my parents didn't find that as being such a good idea. instead, they pushed me to do biotechnology/chartered accountancy at another school that was even farther away from home. their excuse was that it'll lead to a more realistic and stable career, despite the fact that it has nothing to do with what i want.

in the end, we compromised; if i don't like my program at that other school, i'm going to transfer back into neuroscience.

[yoojiners]

Luckily, my parents and I are both content with Pre-pharmacy as my major..

My grandmother is ecstatic with my decision, and she's always pushing me to call my cousin (who's only a freshman in hs) and persuade her to pursue the same career path.

I understand that parents want what's best for you, but seriously-- it's your future that's at stake here. As for the decision between the business honors major and pre-optometry.. just try to imagine what you'll be doing with a degree in each major 10 years from now. Apart from how much money you'd be making, would you be happy with the job that you have? Good luck :]

[novemberbaby]

I'm a Psych major. And although my family members haven't said anything about not liking my major, I'm pretty sure they're not too fond of it either. Most of my cousins are majoring in Business and I'm the only one heading off in another direction. Sure they say, "Psychology's nice." But I got questioning looks from them when I first told them I wanted to major in Psych.

My advice is: You're the one who's going to stick with the major for four years (assuming you don't change majors) so you should be the one making that choice.

[globosapien]

i've been there and done that... and after about a year in some pre-pharm study program, i told them straight out i wasn't going to do it.

now, i'm a sociology major preparing for my LSATs hoping to get into law school... (all out of my own doing)

what i think is, if you're asian, it's an experience you're eventually gonna have to go through.
i advise you to have a talk with them, let them know you're serious about making your own decisions. the reason why your parents are dictating your life is not because they don't trust you, it's because they just want a better life for you, and from what they've heard from their friends probably, an optometrist makes good money and lives a comfortable life.
i think it's good to tell your parents that you're aware of their good intentions for your future, but that you would like their trust as you make your own decisions regarding academic decisions.

if they don't budge, i'd still go ahead with the business program. you GOT IN with YOUR abilities, and you should just go through with it.
and you said so yourself, that you enjoy the business program...
doing what you enjoy will reap in far more benefits than getting into something you dislike...

if you parents continue to push you, take some of the science pre-reqs for optometry school, and if you get bad grades, then isn't that reason enough for you to just do what you're good at?

good luck. it's a tough place to be in, but whether your parents approve of your plans or not, the most important thing of all is that you allow your parents to see that you are an adult responsible and capable of making your own decisions regarding your future.

[elavndrc]

Well I would say do whichever one you think you'll be happier doing...my parents are pushy too but they don't know much about college so basically as long as I pick a stable major and nothing like art or something useless, they'll be okay with it. Their problem with me is that I haven't been able to make up my mind and I'll be graduating in only two years...and i'm still w/o a major >_< - so until I make up my mind, everytime they call me or talk to me about school they start yelling about all these other people that decided what they wanted to do when they were four...

[UBStudent09]

Do what you love and don't love let anyone stop you from doing so. I wish you the very best

[AsOne]

definitely what UBStudent09 said. Do what you want and pursue it to the very end! Show your parents what your made of! ^^

My parents didn't really mind what I did as long as I got into university, so I guess I put them out of their misery by going to uni. hehe I would've been a drop out =D

[koneee]

oh my goodness, if you're not interested in their major you're going to die. SERIOUSLY you will die! Science major screwed my year over because I wasn't enthused enough and I hated science. Oh well I'm doing something I like now and I'm fine now, even though theyre not too fond of it, it's better than nothing.

[NO-1]

Hi cousin. How interesting I come across your topic

I doubt you'll go straight into your major classes, that usually doesn't happen as a freshman, so explore around and keep your parents in check about how you're doing in optometry-related classes (anatomy, science, etc.) and how you're doing in business, but how there is a need of either one, how much more beneficial business will be, etc. etc. You can't really start convincing until you experience it yourself and then know what you want.
Good luck S ;D

[sungaaah]

im in the exact same predicament as you ..

i started college interested in pre-pharm
but now i want to study intl business
and my parents are on my as.s about
how unstable a business degree is
and that im stupid to not want to
go into a medical field ...
i hate how theyre not forcing
the decision on me, but how
they try to make me feel bad
everytime i talk about anything
related to business ... >.<

[justwildbeat]

Well I say keep in mind of your parent's suggestion (why by the way do they like optometry so much?) but keep a greater focus on your business major. Also talk to your parents and reassure them that you are listening but also remind them that you are going to college and hopefully they trust you enough to respect your decision (that's it's not just some spur of the moment thing). You'll eventually have to take some sort of science class so if you end up liking that too then go ahead. Really once you choose a major it's not like you are stuck with it for the rest of your life, there are many people that I know have switched from business to science (vice versa)

[pinkch33ks]

If you are business savvy, then you can incorporate your knowledge and skills by developing your own optometry practice and thus, you get the best of both worlds. To my knowledge, you need a degree in order to get into optometry school in the first place, so you can keep up with your Business Honors Major and later decide whether you want to pursue optometry after having experienced the ups and downs of that career field. It'll probably take you a semester or two to finish prerequisite gen ed/pre-optometry classes.

"i'm loathing my parents input"

Cliche, but try placing yourself in their shoes. They've experienced the world of financial stress and instability and have the best in mind for their daughter. They're not purposely trying to ruin your life by having a say over your career choice, but after having faced the harsh reality of career and life, they know that you can't always get what you want. You learn that aeons later when its too late, so they're trying to help you out while your young.

But if you truly feel that business is what you're here for, then go for it because they will be understanding and eventually come to accept that you've made the final decision.

[jjin36]

What I did was major in Biology because it includes the subjects I like and technically they don't know much about the subject itself and what it entails so yeah. Haha

[hamster428]

do what you want so that you won't blame them later for your choice. i'm sure they don't want that either. i still get the "your cousin is a pharmacist and she's making 120K a year" but they've come to accept that i'm almost graduating as an engineer.

[rayna]

im being forced to be a NURSE!!!!! because it pays well<< that's what my parents have been told by my other family members who are nursing.

wtf?!??!!? i don't wanna be a nurse!!! i want to draw!! but then they threathen to leave me and most likely will disown me!!! big meanies@!!!!!!!!
arghhghghghg!!!@!@!! so mad!! because of them i am officially hating my life!!!! and i just failed another class jerks!!! << talking to parents ehehehe

[thislove]

I'm not being force to be anything but my dad keeps saying things like "med school, pharm. school" and all that. Now I dont even know why I chose my major which is Biochem to begin with. I really dont know wat I want to be but since my dad keeps saying medical related things I'll probably end up doing one of those thing.

[halcyondays]

my parents are the same way...
both my parents are like u should go into the medical field...blah blah blah
my mom wants me to be a nurse .... i straight out told her no way. she asked me y and i said cause i dont want to. and that was that. lol
my dad was harping on me to go into biotechnology or something or someother and kept on giving me newpaper pages with listing for all these biotech jobs still even after i told them im majoring in political science and economics

[theedqueen]

im being forced to be a NURSE!!!!! because it pays well<< that's what my parents have been told by my other family members who are nursing.

wtf?!??!!? i don't wanna be a nurse!!! i want to draw!! but then they threathen to leave me and most likely will disown me!!! big meanies@!!!!!!!!
arghhghghghg!!!@!@!! so mad!! because of them i am officially hating my life!!!! and i just failed another class jerks!!! << talking to parents ehehehe

wow I'm so sorry for you. My dad is sorta doing the same thing with me, he told me that if I didn't go to grad school he wouldn't pay for my undergrad. And everytime I see him or talk to him he always asks "when are you going to grad school?", "Is there no way for you to go right after graduating?" Argh, it's like no matter _how_ many times I explain to him how grad school in my field works he doesn't get it.

I understand parents want the best for you, but I wouldn't blame anybody for wanting to scream and pull their hair out over this. I know I am at least. *sigh*

[what~the~vu]

im being forced to be a NURSE!!!!! because it pays well<< that's what my parents have been told by my other family members who are nursing.

wtf?!??!!? i don't wanna be a nurse!!! i want to draw!! but then they threathen to leave me and most likely will disown me!!! big meanies@!!!!!!!!
arghhghghghg!!!@!@!! so mad!! because of them i am officially hating my life!!!! and i just failed another class jerks!!! << talking to parents ehehehe

im a guy and parents told me to do nursing too....did it for 1 semester and i was like f*** this im doing physical therapy. told the parents and they went yack yack yack yack. i basically told them its my life and i want to be content with what i do. ill probably get paid well too....maybe but its basically my life and nursing isnt my thing.