When college application season arrives, many feel pressured in filling out their applications and deciding where they may want their futures to be. Some students take this time to explore what truly interests them, and others look for guidance through their family members.

As senior Ivana Fonkwo gets ready to attend Howard University for the next four years, she recognizes the importance in taking advice from people who have already walked in her shoes.

“My aunt is a Howard alumni, so she told me about her experience at Howard and how it really shaped her into the person that she is today by being around a community of young Black scholars,” Fonkwo said.

While many students encounter disagreements with their parents when it comes to deciding on a major and a college direction, social science teacher Jean Liao believes that conflicting viewpoints are a way for students to learn more about the potential benefits and drawbacks of the career they want to pursue.

“Students will want to pursue a college degree that is financially very risky, and while there’s always somebody who succeeds, some majors are just a lot riskier than others,” Liao said. “Your family might be able to give you feedback on it financially.”

Monetary concerns are also an important aspect of the college decision making process for many students like senior Iryna Biziukova. She had long conversations with her parents, taking into consideration college expenses, in order to decide which college she was going to attend in the fall.

“I’m not considered a California resident and right now, going to university will be crazy expensive,” Iryna said. “In two years after community college, I will already be a California resident, and then it will not be as expensive. The issue mostly is just saving money because we don’t have that much.”

Liao acknowledged that some may face conflict as they struggle to balance their plans for the future with their parents’ expectations. Liao reflected on how sometimes the truth about one’s abilities does not undermine them but uplifts them instead.

“My parents were always very critical of their kids in general, but I actually came to appreciate that because it made me feel like my worth was not tied to whether or not I was good at a particular thing,” Liao said. “If you’re bad at something, you can always find something else to be good at.”

Likewise, Fonkwo acknowledged that many parents are looking to see what their children are strong at in order to encourage them to pursue a pathway through their strengths.

“Everyone in my family is in a STEM career,” Fonkwo said. “My dad sees that I’m strongest in math and physics, so that’s something that he’s always pushed before.”

Biziukova was in a similar situation, with multiple family members having pursued the career she is interested in. While this was not the sole reason she chose to study electrical engineering, it served as an important influence and source of guidance, in terms of both career and morals.

“Well, I wouldn’t say my parents (made) me to choose this, but my grandfather, he’s a physics scientist,” Biziukova said. “I wasn’t boosted to this major, but watching them, I really respected them and… I think (that’s) pretty much affected me from a young age.”

Though some students may complain about the overbearing nature of their parents’ influence when deciding their majors, senior Alessandra Medenilla acknowledged the unconditional support of her parents for her career choice.

“I know it’s a stereotype where Asian parents will influence you into picking a career path, but my parents never did that for me,” Medenilla said. “They always told me to choose whatever I wanted.”

Going to study biology at University of California, Santa Cruz, Medenilla is passionate about becoming part of the medical workforce, a career path she is looking forward to starting at college.

”In healthcare, being able to help people and make an actual substantial impact, I can see people recover, and I know what I’m doing is creating a positive impact. That’s a big thing for me,” Medenilla said.

As hundreds of thousands of high school seniors get ready to go to college to pursue their dreams, it is important to recognize that the college decision marks the first of many important decisions.

“Having input from your family is so important because those are the people that know you best, but I think that the input reaches a certain extent,” Fonkwo said. “They can give you recommendations, but they should never tell you what to do with your own life.”