Despite the substantial benefits of family legacy in college admissions, current generations are moving increasingly towards individualism rather than following in their parents’ footsteps.
The common explanation for the goals of parenting is that parents want what is best for their child. Studies both at Marshall and across the United States, however, show that what is perceived as the best fit is not always a continuation of the life style that parents pursued.
According to Ancestry.com, a little over a century ago, nearly half of all children grew up to have the same job as their parents. Today that number has fallen to just 7 percent.
A poll at Marshall found similar results, as only 22 percent of subjects reported considering pursuing careers similar to their parents’.
While there are various explanations for this shift, including the vast decrease in the percentage of people working on farms and in factories in the U.S., what is even more shocking is the advice that parents are giving their children about career options. The Ancestry.com survey also found that 42 percent of parents actively tell their children not to follow their same career while only 11 percent encourage them to follow it.
“In my case, I have not been pressured or encouraged to embrace a similar college experience that my parents had,” senior Anna Brotman-Krass said. “I suppose the value could be that you might feel more grounded and connected at your school just knowing your parents went there.”
The low percentage of children applying to the same colleges adds an additional level of interest to the subject as high ranking universities, especially Ivy League universities, consider family legacy to be a significant part of the application process.
Although most universities claim that family legacy is not a major factor in the admissions process, the acceptance rate at Princeton University is over 25 percent higher for legacy students, and the University of Notre Dame has a student body comprised of 24 percent legacy students according to the Economics of Education Review.
The percentage of students who said they plan on applying to the same college as their parents, however, was only 40 percent.
“Personally I believe that one should make their own legacy and that continuing your parents’ legacy shouldn’t be involved in college admissions,” junior Bruce Stewart said.
While there might be substantial benefits to following one’s parents’ footsteps, the evidence seems clear that current generations are pushing increasingly towards individualism.