"Priya, a client of mine, had a strong LSAT score, but anxiety still consumed her. Her parents never pressured her, yet among friends from Ivy League feeder schools, anything short of the "right" acceptance felt like failure. In her South Asian (SA) community, Ivy credentials serve as shorthand for intelligence and worth. Priya worried about whispers: "How did she not get in?" or "Guess she's not as smart as we thought.""
"Scarcity Mindset and Prestige Many immigrant families carry an intergenerational "scarcity mindset"-a belief that only the most prestigious professions guarantee safety. Ariana Dindiyal, an attorney from New York, explained: "In my Indo-Guyanese family, success came from being in a white-collar profession and hardship was expected as part of the journey." For her, intellectual growth made the struggle worthwhile: "Even during the parts of the process where I doubted myself, I knew that becoming smarter would make the process worth it.""
Many immigrants bring a scarcity mindset alongside aspirations, viewing only the most prestigious professions as guarantees of security. South Asian women pursuing law often encounter an implicit script: Ivy undergrad, elite law school, Big Law, early partnership. Community prestige serves as shorthand for intelligence and worth, creating anxiety when elite placements are not achieved. Families often push toward prestigious careers while lacking specific knowledge about law or pathways into the profession. Immigrant and legal cultures share tendencies to mask vulnerabilities, increasing pressure and internalized comparisons among women who also face gendered expectations.
Read at Psychology Today
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