Chinese students heading overseas
By Wang Qingchu |
June 11, 2011, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
ZHAO Chunyi, an 18-yearold high school graduate, says she didn't hesitate when she decided to go overseas for undergraduate studies - in fact, she didn't even bother to take the exam that could have ensured her a seat in the country's prestigious Peking University.
Zhao, a top student in one of Beijing's best high schools, declined to take the justconcluded national college entrance examination, and instead is to attend Bowdoin College, a liberal arts school in the United States. She rejected offers from eight top 30 universities in the US.
Zhao, who describes herself as a "tireless challenge taker," had long planned to go to a renowned American university, which she believes may help unleash her full potential.
"Peking University only values how much I score on the national exam, but Bowdoin values who I am," she said.
Zhao has been studying at the Experimental High School attached to Beijing Normal University, which was set up two years ago for those planning to go abroad after graduation.
This year all 80 students in the school's two classes received at least one offer from top universities in the US and Canada. In recent years, similar classes have been set up in many top schools in China.
According to the US-based Institute of International Education, 39,947 Chinese undergraduates were studying in the US during the 2009-2010 academic year, up 52 percent from the year before.
US universities favor Zhao for her impressive score, 2,240 out of 2,400 on the College Board's SAT, as well as for her active involvement in extracurricular activities, ranging from a global business plan contest to a campus water conservation campaign.
What attracted Zhao to Bowdoin most was winning funding to conduct research in any field in which she had an interest.
"The funding, named President and Faculty Prize, is the highest honor for the college's freshmen. It also promises to provide more resources after I launch the program," she said.
Zhao suspected the prize might have stemmed from her application essay. "I lashed out at China's exam-oriented schooling and expressed a strong willingness to make a difference," she said.
Zhao, a top student in one of Beijing's best high schools, declined to take the justconcluded national college entrance examination, and instead is to attend Bowdoin College, a liberal arts school in the United States. She rejected offers from eight top 30 universities in the US.
Zhao, who describes herself as a "tireless challenge taker," had long planned to go to a renowned American university, which she believes may help unleash her full potential.
"Peking University only values how much I score on the national exam, but Bowdoin values who I am," she said.
Zhao has been studying at the Experimental High School attached to Beijing Normal University, which was set up two years ago for those planning to go abroad after graduation.
This year all 80 students in the school's two classes received at least one offer from top universities in the US and Canada. In recent years, similar classes have been set up in many top schools in China.
According to the US-based Institute of International Education, 39,947 Chinese undergraduates were studying in the US during the 2009-2010 academic year, up 52 percent from the year before.
US universities favor Zhao for her impressive score, 2,240 out of 2,400 on the College Board's SAT, as well as for her active involvement in extracurricular activities, ranging from a global business plan contest to a campus water conservation campaign.
What attracted Zhao to Bowdoin most was winning funding to conduct research in any field in which she had an interest.
"The funding, named President and Faculty Prize, is the highest honor for the college's freshmen. It also promises to provide more resources after I launch the program," she said.
Zhao suspected the prize might have stemmed from her application essay. "I lashed out at China's exam-oriented schooling and expressed a strong willingness to make a difference," she said.
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