One of the many joys of college is the freedom students experience once they step out of reach of protective parents. Gone are the days of the Saturday night curfew, the "trust-me-I'm-sober" stunt, and the ever-so-slight "push" from Mom or Dad to pursue that respectable activity, whatever it might be.
Not every Jumbo, however, experiences the thrill of absolute independence. Welcome to the world of the pressured pre-med student, the student whose parents say, "Of course you're going to be a doctor."
Freshman Alex Blum is one such example. Expecting to double major in chemistry and English, he described the latter concentration as "a second major fantasy to keep my dreams alive."
Blum, as well as other students in his situation, attributed his parents' pressure largely to his heritage, saying that Jewish culture tends to encourage careers in medicine or law. "They see I do well in science so they've chosen doctor for me," Blum said of his parents.
[Editor's note: Mr. Blum is also a writer for the Daily's News Department].
Senior Apurvi Mehta cited her family's Indian heritage as a significant factor that led her to go premed. "For Indian immigrants, the three choices are medicine, engineering, and business," she said.
Junior Augustine Pyo also said his ethnicity plays a role in his career path. "My parents are immigrants from Korea, and they want the best for their children. The perception of being a doctor is a high status."
But how exactly do parents insist that their kids pursue medicine? Pyo said that his parents never explicitly ordered him to study medicine, but that he felt an implied pressure to do so. "Growing up there was always that feeling," he said. "It was sort of ingrained in me going that route."
Mehta pointed to more specific maneuvers by her parents: "I wanted to drop chemistry but my parents forced me not to," she said. "I got a really bad grade, which brought my GPA way down."
Blum said his parents used the power they acquired from funding his education as ammunition. "When your parents are paying $45,000 a year for education, there is a simultaneous tacit and blatant pressure to do what they want," he said.
The stories of Blum, Pyo, and Mehta serve as evidence that parental pressure to go pre-med exists at Tufts. But just how common is it?
According to Carol Baffi-Dugan, Program Director for Health Professions Advising and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, parental pressure might exist, but has been on the decline. "There is less parental pressure on students to pursue medicine as a career than there was when I started [26 years ago]," she said. "I've found that most parents are much more hands-off and supportive than they are thought to be."
According to Baffi-Dugan, a shift in values is one reason for the decline in pushy parents. "Parents are recognizing how demanding [medicine] is," she said, explaining that parents today are more concerned about reducing stress in children's lives.
When a pressured pre-med student does walk into Baffi-Dugan's office, her response is standard. "I deal with it the same way that I deal with a student who is self-motivated, and that is I tell them that medicine is a very demanding profession, so they need to get as much exposure to it as possible."
The Tufts American Medical Students Association, an organization for pre-med students, offers additional guidance for pressured students. "People come to the meetings wondering if pre-med is right for them," Tufts AMSA president and senior Jeff Holzberg said. The organization offers opportunities to experience the health field, access a tutor, and learn about requirements for medical school.
Sophomore Sebastian Jara, secretary of the Tufts AMSA, recommended that pressured students utilize all their resources on campus. "Get a second opinion," he said. "Go to the pre-med society, go see Carol [Baffi-Dugan], ask your teachers, ask Career Services."
Students who experienced the pressure firsthand offered their own advice. Pyo emphasized the importance of strengthening connections with your parents. "Try to build a good relationship. What's most important is that parents and students understand each other," he said.
Blum, however, has taken a more passive approach. "I'm just a pawn of my parents," he said. "I've pretty much just completely given in."
In an effort to make the most of his career path, Blum said he tries to engage himself in his studies. "I'm trying to convince myself lately that I do [like my courses]. I think I can enjoy anything," he said.
So far, Blum's strategy has served its purpose. "Now that chemistry is in my academic consciousness, it has grown more to my liking," he said.
Not all students, however, have followed Blum's route. Mehta said students should trust the goodwill of parents and more importantly, should follow their passions like she did.
After a three-year battle, Mehta has emerged victorious. "I finally convinced them," she said. "They've finally come to terms with the fact that I'm not going to be a doctor."
Mehta confronted her parents and shifted her career plans from medicine to public health. "I told them I can't concentrate on my weaknesses. I have to concentrate on my strengths and what I love, which is public health," she said. Mehta is now a psychology and community health double major.
"Parents want the best for you, but they also want you to be happy. In the end, my parents wanted me to be happy. Figure out what you want; figure out what's going to make you happy. Pursue that field because you want to," she said.
Mehta used her own situation as an example of the rewards that accompany such action. "My parents have pressured me a lot, and it's hurt me as a college student, and I've overcome it by studying what I love. I'm at the happiest moment now that I've ever been at Tufts. I'm breaking the status quo," she said. "It's just amazing."
