<p>"Experts say China's increasing wealth, fewer delays in obtaining visas and technology that makes it easier for Chinese students to learn about U.S. schools have helped fuel the boom." </p>
<p>I wonder if that "technology" includes the College Confidential forums?</p>
<p>I think technology is probably referring to websites which talk about the colleges. They are probably referring first and foremost to the college’s sites themselves, which no doubt make it easier for international students to apply. But I think that CC falls under the umbrella of their discussion.</p>
<p>Speaking from experience, a portion of the Chinese students who enroll in US colleges are extremely brilliant, outstanding scholars; the other portion just comes from rich families who are sponsoring their kids abroad because they couldn’t get into a decent Chinese university.</p>
<p>I just read the article and the way they present themselves with their “book” resumes is crazy…</p>
<p>I thought colleges liked minimal information and the college application itself should suffice. I agree that presentation is an important thing, but seriously, are they even necessary?</p>
<p>I’m surprised that the word hasn’t got out to China that some admission offices say, “The thicker the file, the thicker the applicant.” Of course those students are being cut some slack for their lack of knowledge of American culture, but none of the admission offices are reading 100 page books cover to cover while evaluating admission files either.</p>
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<p>I’ve always sort of wondered why Chinese parents are so eager to send their kids to American schools. Are Chinese universities not competitive academically? Or is it that having an American university degree is a sign of high social status? Or is there a practical career value for understanding American society and culture?</p>
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<p>Some Chinese universities are very competitive academically, but if a student isn’t sure about getting into one of those, it may be a better admission strategy to apply to an American university. The admission cycle is timed differently in China, so it is possible to get news from United States universities first, usually. </p>
<p>A degree from a United States university can be very prestigious in China and in several other countries in east Asia. Many of the professors at the top universities in China have graduate degrees from the United States. </p>
<p>There is practical cultural value in understanding American society and culture for people from any country with extensive foreign trade.</p>
<p>yep, agreed. my friend moved back to china (she was born here) when she was 12, and all she’s talked about since then is coming back to go to princeton, yale, etc etc…I think that even tho China most definitely qualifies as a rising hegemon, America still holds a lot of influence and has the impressive rep among the international community. its also lots easier to get into many american colleges than it is to get into chinese colleges, where acceptances are tougher b/c of all the domestic competition</p>
<p>Don’t worry guys, a lot of my Chinese friends are actually heading to England now because of the competition here.</p>
<p>From what I am hearing from my parents, many applicants apply to US school because getting into a Chinese University can be tough. Every year, Chinese students take an exam, tougher than the SATS that sort of “decides” their future. The exam is a “make or break” test, that decides what school their going to, if they are going to one, prestige or not prestige etc etc etc. So many applicants apply to American school as sort of a safety school.</p>
<p>When that Chinese middle-class grows, they’re just going to overwhelm and agitate the entire world.</p>
<p>Couple that with a communistic government and the pompous EU bigots will realize how much they took America for granted when it was the sole power.</p>
<p>Chinese parents can use their contacts in the US if they have them. A friend asked me some questions about US colleges for a friend in China. The student had a degree in something that he wasn’t interested in and wanted to go for an MBA or similar. Money wasn’t an issue - it was where he could get in. He was accepted to two noname schools and then to a big name Boston school - we have a common friend that’s in the MBA program at the school so I suggest he contact him. It appears to me that the ability to pay full fare helped him to get in.</p>
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<p>I know a lot of Chinese kids who did really well on that test but decided to go to US schools anyway…</p>
<p>Colleges are businesses. While technically not for profit, they are indeed profit oriented. Kids from China who pay full load tuition and room and board are very enticing to most admissions officers. They are not known partiers and rowdies, they come here, study hard, major in hard sciences or mathematics/computers and return to China to make a lot of money. They are generally not “humanities” oriented, with some exceptions. They are not that interested in a liberal arts education, just math/science degree from the most prestigious university they can get into, then return home and forget about it. </p>
<p>On a more nefarious note, the Chinese government “sends over” an army of “students” to the United States to “gather information.” They scoop up whatever scientific secrets they can, learn as much about American culture and business and perhaps make headway into classified information. </p>
<p>The Pentagon gets attacked daily thousands of times by Chinese hackers in Mainland China and Taiwan. </p>
<p>China has come a very long ways in a very short period of time since Mao Tse Tung died in 1976. They are no longer a backwards agrarian society of rice farmers riding bicycles. </p>
<p>The good news is that they are being transformed and will soon become a huge consumer society, buying the highest quality goods from overseas, including American automobiles.</p>
<p>KFC/Taco Bell (YUM Foods on the NYSE) have more than 50% of their growth worldwide coming from China.</p>
<p>I was accepted by the best college in China. But I am going to an Ivy League school, way better than crap Tsinghua university.</p>
<p>The Chinese government is completely and totally despicable, there are no two ways about it.</p>
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Keep in mind that only K-9 education is mandatory in China, high school admission is also competitive though not as tough at college admission, and not everyone has a chance to go to high school. So even the ones who can not get into a Chinese University are pretty decent students compared with some of the high school students here.</p>
<p>@endlessrecession,</p>
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<p>Any proofs? Enough of those scientific researches are done by the Chinese over here. Do they have to steal them? An example, at somewhere at one of the Merck’s research labs, the whole lab has 25/30 Chinese scientists. Do you think that the Chinese need to steal the secrets from … whom?</p>
<p>To the OP,</p>
<p>FYI, the Chinese students already have their own american college community, CUUS (Chinese Undergrads in US). As Chinese students face the disadvantage of inadequate interview opportunities, this online community actually helps them pair with Ivy/Top LAC alumni</p>
<p>ewho: Yes I have proof. No, I am not putting it up here. Think about it.</p>
<p>Not all chinese students are “working for the chinese government”, but I can assure you, they are interviewed by the chinese government upon their return. </p>
<p>Chinese students and scientists on exchange have been stealing our national security secrets, particularly with regard to nuclear power and weaponry for decades. </p>
<p>There have been numerous high profile prosecutions, which are but the tip of the iceberg.</p>
<p>Of course, a great deal of what is “stolen” isnt classified information, but is merely scientific and/or engineering research which has enormous economic potential in China. </p>
<p>That is not to say there is not a place for joint/shared research and developmental projects. </p>
<p>The Chinese are not coming here for the American College Experience. There is a purpose. And its to advance the cause of the motherland.</p>
<p>And its not just the chinese doing it, either. Its a huge problem, particularly in graduate school research. Economic and scientific espionage is all the rage. </p>
<p>Our “friends” and enemies know we are an open society that leaves the doors unlocked.</p>