EVERY year, when exam results are released, many students will try to squeeze into popular courses such as medicine, law and other professional disciplines.
Almost all the students, aiming for these courses, have excellent grades. Some who cannot get into local universities or choose not to study in one, will go abroad for further studies if their families can afford it.
Nowadays, kids are luckier. They have a variety of courses, countries and universities to choose from.
I (the original author) do have patients with whom I have become well acquainted after several check-up appointments. Some of them have children who are interested in the medical field. They will bring their children when they visit me and ask for my opinion as to which university or country they should send their children.
Besides the Ivy League universities such as Harvard, Cambridge and Oxford, a lot higher learning institutions in many countries provide very good medical courses. The key to a doctor’s success depends how much effort you are prepared to put into your career. The learning only starts when you graduate.
Some parents fear their children cannot take care of themselves once are abroad. I would think these concerns are unnecessary.
Do not underestimate the young. They have very strong adapting capabilities.
I remember the time when I was studying abroad. Like many of today’s pampered children, I didn’t know how to cook. In fact, I never went near the kitchen.
I also did not know how banks operated or how to look for an apartment. But once I set foot in a foreign country, I had to quickly learn to adapt to the new environment, be independent and fend for myself.
That’s why sending your children abroad for further studies is a great way to train them to stand on their own two feet.
Besides independence and critical thinking, studying abroad also widens one’s horizon. One would start viewing things differently, adopt a more open attitude and be more accepting of different views and opinions as well. So sending your child to a foreign country for higher education is actually a good idea.
I had the privilege of living abroad for more than a decade, and given the choice again, I would have no hesitation walking down the same path. The experience has really benefited my life.
Many children today are like flowers in a garden. They are given undivided parental attention and become a bit spoilt. They cannot face pressure and are not flexible enough or have the gumption to deal with problems on their own.
Whenever they encounter difficulties, they would run to their parents, and if things do not go their way, they would quit straightaway.
Some parents would even mollycoddle their children – incredibly to the extent of depriving the children of any opportunity to learn essential life skills. By being deliberately over-protective, parents are openly “encouraging” or telling their children it’s all right not to persevere.
It takes time, hard work and, of course, ability, to become a good doctor. There are no shortcuts.
I have heard of some interns reacting adversely to working long hours and their parents actually approaching the hospital management to exempt their children from on-call duties.
What they don’t understand is that this is part and parcel of a doctor’s job. Parents who are not doctors do not appreciate this. Their intention is to shield their children from the exacting demands of practising medicine but what they do not know is that they are actually harming their children’s prospects for a bright future.
Thus, I would advise parents to let go of their children’shands for the sake of helping to advance, not impede, their career as doctors. Give them their space and set them free to find their own destiny.
If parents bring up their children well, there is no reason why the children should stray from the true path. (Translated from Oriental Daily).