Frisco ISD has 113 students named 2022 National Merit Semifinalists (Dallas, Austin: loan, college)

[Taub201]

Vandy and UT aren't in the top 14 schools but seem to provide good opportunities in the South and Southwest.

OU dropped its huge NMF scholarship and Alabama has picked up a lot of them. Should the big money be spent on NMF full rides or spread around to more top students? It's a dilemma. Who gives back more? Does the NMF ranking help more than the US News ranking?

[20Hope20]

What other professions are popular among high achievers? There has to be a diverse list, intelligent students can’t be all zombies walking in a line towards medicine and law.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by Taub201

Vandy and UT aren't in the top 14 schools but seem to provide good opportunities in the South and Southwest.

OU dropped its huge NMF scholarship and Alabama has picked up a lot of them. Should the big money be spent on NMF full rides or spread around to more top students? It's a dilemma. Who gives back more? Does the NMF ranking help more than the US News ranking?

Great comments and questions.

It's interesting how it's changed over the years. With higher college costs than when I went they've made it much more of a differentiator.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by 20Hope20

What other professions are popular among high achievers? There has to be a diverse list, intelligent students can’t be all zombies walking in a line towards medicine and law.

Data Sciences, Actuary, Computer analytics....lots of STEM fields out there.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by 20Hope20

What other professions are popular among high achievers? There has to be a diverse list, intelligent students can’t be all zombies walking in a line towards medicine and law.

So high achievers going into medicine and law are zombies?

[LocalPlanner]

Originally Posted by EDS_

So high achievers going into medicine and law are zombies?

When I was in college in the late 1980s, there were a quite a few Asian students (I left TX for a West Coast school) who stated that they were on a pre-med track because their parents expected them to become doctors. It seemed kind of zombie-like. I wonder if that's changed?

My freshman roommate was the son of Chinese immigrants who expected him to do engineering or pre-med. When he decided to major in English, he had to tell them he would go to law school.

[biafra4life]

Originally Posted by EDS_

So high achievers going into medicine and law are zombies?

I think I understand what he means.
As a Nigerian, I can tell you that many Nigerian parents do put pressure on their kids to go into medicine, law or engineering. The American notion of "you can do whatever you want to do in life" is replaced by ruthless pragmatism and some ego as well. Majoring in dance/theatre/German Polka History would be met with disapproval. On the other hand, the "golden three" careers are universally respected, prestigious and pay very well (Law not so much anymore). Nigerian parents want security for their kids and to be brutally honest, bragging rights as well. I suspect that there is a similar dynamic in other immigrant communities with regards to their kids as well. Now does that mean that every immigrant kid succeeds? of course not. I put myself as exhibit A. I started out premed (due in large part to parental pressure), found out that it wasnt for me and became an accountant instead.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by biafra4life

I think I understand what he means.
As a Nigerian, I can tell you that many Nigerian parents do put pressure on their kids to go into medicine, law or engineering. The American notion of "you can do whatever you want to do in life" is replaced by ruthless pragmatism and some ego as well. Majoring in dance/theatre/German Polka History would be met with disapproval. On the other hand, the "golden three" careers are universally respected, prestigious and pay very well (Law not so much anymore). Nigerian parents want security for their kids and to be brutally honest, bragging rights as well. I suspect that there is a similar dynamic in other immigrant communities with regards to their kids as well. Now does that mean that every immigrant kid succeeds? of course not. I put myself as exhibit A. I started out premed (due in large part to parental pressure), found out that it wasnt for me and became an accountant instead.

There is no question the, "you can do whatever you want in life" canard needs to be retired. And for sure many parents pressure kids in ways that are simply not healthy.

My rub is the other poster's implication that high achievers who study law or medicine are zombies or otherwise worthy of ridicule or maybe pity.

Part of this is positioning by the other poster, or at least it seems........vague claims, lots of finger pointing and innuendo etc.

Anyway, as I've likely mentioned too often, I know or am related to a number of docs., residents, med. students and law types who are not zombies. A friends kid graduated #1 from SMU law last year. Is he a square? No. Bookworm-introvert? No. Zombie? No. He's a very impressive young man who knows how to work hard....being a gifted writer doesn't hurt.

_______


If the other poster's point is that not every NMSF or close kid should go into medicine and law s/he should say that directly.

[4Movingeast]

Some of it came from a couple of posters mansplaining to me that despite being related to/close friends with quite a few attorneys, and having a good idea of not only their student loan situation, present finances, and career satisfaction, that I have done a frankly irresponsible thing by having a few conversations about law school with my son who loves writing, history, and logic, and personality-wise is very confident and speaks well.

[biafra4life]

Originally Posted by EDS_

There is no question the, "you can do whatever you want in life" canard needs to be retired. And for sure many parents pressure kids in ways that are simply not healthy.

My rub is the other poster's implication that high achievers who study law or medicine are zombies or otherwise worthy of ridicule or maybe pity.

Part of this is positioning by the other poster, or at least it seems........vague claims, lots of finger pointing and innuendo etc.

Anyway, as I've likely mentioned too often, I know or am related to a number of docs., residents, med. students and law types who are not zombies. A friends kid graduated #1 from SMU law last year. Is he a square? No. Bookworm-introvert? No. Zombie? No. He's a very impressive young man who knows how to work hard....being a gifted writer doesn't hurt.

_______


If the other poster's point is that not every NMSF or close kid should go into medicine and law s/he should say that directly.

Here's what I'll say.
I wont speak for American kids. I can only speak for what I've seen in immigrants and children of immigrants. This is not based on some scientific study or poll so it's just my opinion.

I must have had hundreds of conversations with immigrant kids over the course of my 20 years here in the US. I would say probably 60-70% of them went into their careers based on the direction of their parents. Especially those that went the STEM route. It was rarely because they organically found that they had a knack/love for engineering/medicine as 9 year olds. In most cases it was the parents either hinting/steering or flat out telling them that they were going to have to pick a field in engineering/medicine etc. Now perhaps the term zombie is the wrong one but I would think the gist is clear. A lot of highly talented immigrant kids go in that STEM direction in large part due to their parents, not because of any independent thought process of their own, just the desire to be the obedient kid and please the Mom and Dad. And when you factor in the fact that in Dallas at least, it seems like the majority of doctors, engineers and IT seem to be of Asian descent, Im willing to bet that this applies to most of them too.

An anecdotal story; my wife comes from a family of nurses. Mother, several aunts, several cousins all nurses. So she grew up surrounded by it. She chose to be rebel and tried to get a singing contract. Didnt work out and she ended up working as a receptionist. Her mother was then finally able to persuade her to go to nursing school so she folded. She has a cousin who went to college on a volleyball scholarship and planned to study computer science. Her mother (also a nurse) sat her down and told her repeatedly that computer science could come and go, but people will always be sick. She is also now a nurse. These types of stories are repeatable in immigrant families all over the US.