作者：北美考试教学中心 托福写作组 曹优优
With respect to the question whether children should be given the complete freedom of choosing which courses to take in their university, my answer is not affirmative. I think it is a wise choice to get parents involved in course selection.
Some people may contend that university students are mature enough to make their own decisions, especially those related to their academic life. However, I am not that optimistic. In my view, parents are much more experienced than children, indicating a more comprehensive perspective of the elder. Most young people are inclined to be less sophisticated instead, the result of which is that they may go astray or make terrible choices. Imagine the scene: a freshman chooses to devote all his time to music courses merely based on his interests or conformity to his friends, but ignores the fact that he lacks artistic talent. The chance is slim that he will feel delighted or confident in classrooms. Thus, I am convinced parents’ advice might not be a bad source for children to refer to when choosing courses.
Furthermore, course selection can be an optimal topic for parents and children to communicate about. Although quite a few university students aspire to become independent and stop relying on their parents, mainly out of self-esteem, it does not mean they enjoy being totally isolated from their parents. Instead, children always love to be cared. Such thought makes interaction a struggle for both parties in a family. In order to have a harmonious relationship, children had better try to share their thoughts with parents and schooling is a nice topic. For example, my cousin Zoe is an introvert and she barely talked with her parents, but someday her campus life worked as an catalyst for change. When she had to negotiate with my aunt about which university to apply for and which major or course to choose, their relation became better.
To sum up, considering the positive results of parental involvement, I think university students had better consult their parents before selecting courses.
