those two guys have their heads at the right place.

i agree with their view on the rat race in high school and crash/burn in college.

1) the general characterization of the chinese parents being obsessive, is just not always true. i certainly act nothing like the parents of that chinese kid. i just know crash/burn well based on my long-term observations. there is no point to push the kids far as to set them up for great failures at places where they dont fit naturally. they just can't succeed unless it's deep in them.

2) working excessive hrs does not just happen to chinese kids. at good high schools, whether it's a private or public school, you can't get away with just being smarts. projects, research papers, lab reports, etc., they're very demanding and one has to put in the time in order to produce a good hand-in. i know several excellent white students who work exceedingly hard. but they're very motivated. however, going to bed at 3am daily is just impossible to sustain.

thanks for this quality post.