Parents can deal with uni applications

melancholly

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
the world has indeed gone mad and 18 year olds are no longer adults who make the decisions for themselves!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7570127.stm

Gemmzie

"There is a powerful sense of infantilism, where parents can't let go."

^ Completely agree

Oldernotwiser

Appalling, isn't it?

It was the bit about parents expecting to sit in on interviews, that really got me!

(Frank Furedi's always great, isn't he?)

melancholly

i've been reading through the comments at the bottom - i love the fact that parents are justifying it because their children don't tell them the details..... is that the fault of the university or their relationship?! but the majority of quotes seem to see this is a step in a very dangerous direction! which is good!

my other favourite quote:
"Sometimes Universities have only themselves to blame. My daughter was threatened with being thrown off her course, or perhaps it was just to scare her into working harder. She didn't know and there didn't seem to be anything to decide her fate other than the mood of the academic making the decision on the day. I don't know if the University understood the stress this caused or just didn't care but I'm pleased she turned to her parents to help clarify the position."

so again, the issue isn't that the silly daughter didn't do the required work and didn't keep the course handbook which always details all procedures, and didn't go and ask a tutor about it and clearly didn't tell her parents the reality of the situation (as if failing a student was easy enough to do on a whim - it's very difficult to do these days!)... it's all about the university.........

shocking

melancholly

do you think parents will be attending job interviews soon as well?!

Oldernotwiser

melancholly wrote: »

do you think parents will be attending job interviews soon as well?!

Doesn't that assume that the pampered little darlings are actually going to be applying for jobs?

CLAPTON

clearly anyone that thinks 18 years old are adults has yet to grow up

Oldernotwiser

CLAPTON wrote: »

clearly anyone that thinks 18 years old are adults has yet to grow up

Last time I looked, 18 year olds were considered to be adults, able to vote, drive and take out credit. Now, the world might be a better place if they weren't allowed to do these things but I suspect that this isn't what you're suggesting.

jay11_2

Poor kids, I think one of the worst things you can do as a parent is overprotect older kids. It's hard enough learning from mistakes and feeling foolish and dis-empowered at 18, how much worse will it be a few years later, when mum/dad aren't nearby to pick them up after every bump?

On my uni course the nicest young students were those who worked alongside the course, those with rich parents really struggled, emotionally and psychologically, with the work. They just weren't used to having to live independently and cope with pressures.

So as far as I'm concerned the best gift I can give my kids is the ability to stand on their own feet--best done by--letting them get on with it and not interfering unless things are really dire.

Who doesn't love the feeling of 'I did it, me, myself!!!' These parents are depriving their kids of that, as I said, I can only feel for the poor kids!

CLAPTON

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Last time I looked, 18 year olds were considered to be adults, able to vote, drive and take out credit. Now, the world might be a better place if they weren't allowed to do these things but I suspect that this isn't what you're suggesting.

yes of course 18 years old are legally adults but grown ups know that that's not actually so.... is it?

Oldernotwiser

CLAPTON wrote: »

yes of course 18 years old are legally adults but grown ups know that that's not actually so.... is it?

Sorry, I don't agree. They may be young adults needing guidance at times, but they're adults just the same. Grown ups thinking they're not and letting them be children with adult rights and vices is a recipe for disaster, in my book.