Golden Child Gets A Reality Check After Seeing Sister Get Into The College Of Her Dreams

We might think that this generation is far from old school, but there’s one tradition that matters to them a lot, and that’s education. According to a 2019 Gallup poll, 51% of Gen Z think that a college education is very important. To some, it’s so important that they’ll go above and beyond to get into the school of their choice.

One woman thought good grades would be enough, but she was rejected. Her sister, in turn, had good test scores and did extracurriculars, and got into the same college on a scholarship. The woman held a grudge against her sister for years, but was put in her place when the sister had enough and pointed out how her entitlement came from being the golden child.

Two sisters clashed over one getting into the college of their dreams and another receiving special treatment from parents

Two young women having a tense conversation on a couch, depicting sibling rivalry and emotional reality check.

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One sister snapped at another for insisting that she had only gotten into the college because of luck

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Sister getting into the college of her dreams while golden child realizes a tough reality check.

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Sibling disappointment after sister gets into dream college, showing reality check for the golden child in family dynamics.

Two young women at home, one sitting curled up looking upset while the other watches with concern, capturing a reality check moment.

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Sibling rivalry and college acceptance emotions after golden child sees sister get into dream college.

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Almost 20% of American students forgo their first-choice college because of tuition costs

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Getting into the college of your dreams may seem like a trivial thing when you consider that some never even have the chance to attend at all; some people are just happy to get in at all. But for many people, a certain university may be a lifelong dream. The sisters in this story, for example, wished to study at their parents’ alma mater.

Unfortunately, dreams don’t always come true. Many students have been in the “golden child’s” position where they had to decline the offer from their first-choice college. The 2024 American Freshman Survey found that more than half of students apply to seven or more institutions in addition to the one they decide to attend.

And many don’t get to attend the college they put down as their first choice, even when they get accepted. Just like the “golden child” in this story, some students are unable to take on the financial burden. According to the 2023 survey, 70% were accepted into the institution of their first choice. However, only four in five students attended their first choice, with 14% going to their second-choice college and 4% attending their third-choice college.

Just like for “Cara” in this story, many students choose another college because of the tuition fees. In a 2016 survey, 18.6% of the students cited “cost of attendance” as the main reason they decided not to attend the college of their first choice. 9.4% also said the campus environment was the main reason they chose another institution.

However, many students are able to turn their situations around and be happy with the institutions that were lower on their wish list. There’s always a chance to apply to the college of your dreams later; some students take a gap year and earn some money to pay for their tuition. Others make do with other colleges, and sometimes they are even happier there than they would be at the college of their dreams.

Sibling rivalries are often caused by parents favoring one child over the other

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Parental favoritism is not uncommon. Psychologists have done a lot of research over the years and found that parents tend to favor daughters and oldest siblings. In this story, although both siblings are sisters, the eldest still seems to be treated as the favorite.

When parents treat siblings differently, it has a negative effect on a child’s development. Researchers of a 2001 study wrote that children who feel their sibling is getting preferential treatment from their parents have issues with self-esteem, an unhealthy relationship with their sibling, and are more likely to engage in sibling rivalry.

Authors of a recent study also found that a child’s character plays a part in how favored he or she is by the parents. According to the researchers, the more conscientious and agreeable the child is, the more likely he or she is to be favored by parents. Similarly, the researchers suggest that because girls tend to be more agreeable, that is why they are favored over boys.

Essentially, parents may favor those children whom they see as easier to parent. However, experts aren’t quick to judge parents who do so; it’s all about how they choose to deal with these feelings of bias.

A professor of human development at Cornell University, Karl Pillemer, told The Guardian that parents can’t help how they feel, but they can help how they act toward their children. “Parents do differentiate among their children, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that they like or love one more than the other,” he pointed out.

“The problems occur when nearly universal feelings of preference among children translate into treating them differently.”

Their parents, of course, sided with the golden child sister

Scholarship committee member explains how extracurriculars impact college decisions, giving a reality check on college acceptance.

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Commenters discussing scholarships and quirky schools that value academically gifted and interesting students over test scores.

Most commenters sided with the sister, vilifying the parents and the golden child

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Others believed she didn’t need to clap back: “You stooped to her level”

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Comment on Reddit discussing someone stooping to her sister's level after seeing her get into the college of her dreams.

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