THERE'S a common Chinese saying that to study abroad is to "gild the gold" (du jin) - to greatly increase one's prospects of wealth.

It dates from the last century when it was a luxury for parents to send a child abroad for costly study that would pay later dividends, and only rich families with top students could afford the expense.

Today many Chinese students study abroad. There were 144,500 in 2007 and 179,800 in 2008, making it the country with the greatest number of overseas students, according to UNESCO.

The number for 2009 is expected to exceed 200,000, but the Ministry of Education has not yet released the figures.

Among Chinese cities, Hangzhou ranks sixth in the number of students abroad, according to government officials who did not supply exact figures, noting that some are officially sponsored and some study privately.

Most students study at their own - meaning their parents' - expense these days, and students go abroad at a younger and younger age. Many parents believe that a solid Chinese basic education through high school combined with four years of overseas study is a winning combination for success in life.

But many people do not understand what foreign study and living involves, and many students are unprepared for the academics and lack life skills in coping abroad, according to experts.

Since parents lack information, they turn for all kinds of advice to education placement agencies that mostly receive high commissions from universities.

The market demand is enormous and more and more agencies are springing up. More than 400 college placement agencies are certified in China, but more than 1,000 with varying degrees of quality are operating around the country, according to industry insiders.

Agencies can help students prepare their applications, write essays, select a major, help with visas and sometimes teach foreign languages.

Many have close relations with overseas universities and many schools give commissions for supplying students, amounts ranging between 5 percent and 30 percent of annual tuition.

Monetary motives mean some agencies do not act in students' best interests.

For example, Zhang Bingsheng from Hangzhou is now studying for a PhD in computer science in Estonia. He says that in 2007 he received an offer from University College London, globally ranked No. 4 academically last year. But the agency tried to push him into lesser universities that paid commissions. The London college pays no commissions.

Han Ying from Ningbo applied to five US universities, so the agency received no commission. She only paid a service fee.

The agency messed up her applications, put every resume and all materials into the wrong envelope and wrote a cover letter saying she would definitely enter that school if admitted. She received no offers.

Because problems with agencies do arise, some students are applying and working out visas on their own, referring to university Websites and national visa policies online.

This DIY trend too provides a market for agencies that help students apply on their own.

The New Field Education Group's Zhejiang branch in Hangzhou offers three-day courses for 2,000 yuan (US$293). It helps in general preparation, selection of appropriate major and university, advises on visas, and how to study and live in an alien environment.

Sanda Sha, managing director of the branch, makes three suggestions:

First, be realistic about your own abilities and strengths. Since someone got high test scores does not mean he or she will excel in overseas study. Foreign language ability, speaking and practical experience is important.

"Don't force yourself into an A-level university if your actual competence in study is at C-level," Sha says.

She cites an example of a Hangzhou student beginning postgraduate study at the University of New South Wales in Australia, a top school. His actual academic performance had been quite unexceptional, but he did well on the TOFEL language test and was a good test-taker with other high scores. He received an offer and accepted.

He was way out of his depth. After just a month he called his mother and wept, saying he had decided to quit because he could not take the pressure and had no way to relieve his suffering.

His mother received a six-month visitor's visa and went to Australia to take care of her boy. Now he has calmed down but he still struggles to adjust to school and life in a foreign country.

Second, says Sha, be realistic about what you can afford. Some majors in better schools cost more than others.

For students without a lot of money, she suggests first choose a vocational school, earn tuition with a part-time job, and then apply to a good university after graduation.

This approach, however, is rejected by most Chinese parents who think it's shameful to tell people their children are studying abroad to be a low-status hairdresser or a baker.

Third, Sha suggests students pursue their real interests. Many parents want their children to study finance, trade, business and education because those majors lead to prestigious, stable and well-paid jobs.

Hobbies and interests are more important, however, and spending a lifetime doing work one doesn't like is a misfortune, Sha says.

There are other problems. As students going abroad are younger and younger, many are immature and unable to cope, says Sha. Many sheltered students in their late teens and early 20s lack basic life skills and have difficulty operating independently.

Xi Mengmeng, an editor at CCTV, published a book "Christmas in Summer" with her classmate Gu Ning in 2006.

It describes the difficult and messy lives of Chinese students in New Zealand. Some girls were so unprepared and unfamiliar with money that they were reduced to compensated dating (having sex for money) - not because they lacked money for basic expenses but because they didn't have money to buy big fashion brands.

"Spiritual emptiness comes from loneliness," says Cheng Yuhang, admission supervisor of Kaplan Shining Way International Pathway College in Hangzhou. "Different cultures and alien features can keep students from merging into local communities."

To help students integrate, Kaplan offers a "life skills" course. It includes basic Western customs and manners; how to handle emergencies and go to hospitals; how to handle basics like banking and renting an apartment. It covers study issues such as switching majors and schools and work issues like how to apply for jobs and be a responsible employee.