Chinese Students in the United States of America - Research Paper Example

Chinese in the United s of America Introduction China is the world’s leading country in terms studying abroad – the number of students studying abroad increased by 30 percent in the year 2009-2010 to 229,300. Chinese students are the dominant migrants in the United States of America. More than half of the aforementioned number of students (about 128,000) went to study in the United States of America, which was about 18 percent of all the foreign students (about 690,923) who went to study in the United States of America from all over the world. These students have used available opportunities and vacancies to do further studies and get quality education in the United States of America. Other than sending students to study in the United States of America, China sends its students to study in other western countries like France, England, Australia and Canada. The numbers have greatly increased over the recent years. Accreditation of United States education programs almost everywhere in the world is the biggest reason as to why students from all nations of the world go for studies in the United States of America (Lin, 2). Chinese students are not an exemption and they view their universities not as good as those in the United States. Apart from a few universities in China like the Tsinghua University, Perking University and Fudan University whose programs can be recognized the world over; others are inferior to those in the United States of America and those in the western countries. This makes Chinese students flock the United States of America in search of universities that will offer them the opportunity to study in better universities (Bartlett and Fischer, 1). The economic growth of China has seen a rise in the numbers of parents who can afford the expensive studies in the United States of America. Those parents who value education and belong to the wealthy class send their children to study abroad. The United States of America’s education system is seen as prestigious and hence some more parents send their children not only to study in the US, but also as a way of showing prestige. According to Chen Yafeng an Ambow Education operation director in a Chinese consultancy firm involved in preparation of students willing to study abroad, while Chinese student doing studies abroad relied on scholarship in the past, there was a rise in the number of students paying their full tuition to about 60 percent (Spak, 1). As mentioned earlier, lack of many good universities in China is a major contributor of students from the country to going to the United States in search of good universities that could offer them courses that they want. Universities in China cannot accommodate all the high school graduates and hence a bigger number of those locked out of the universities are forced to look for alternatives. While most of them go to study in colleges to achieve diplomas, others feel that Chinese diplomas will lock them out while looking for jobs. They also feel that a diploma is not a good qualification as a degree and hence opt to going to foreign countries to study. This group of students forms a large potion in many universities in the United States of America (Lin, 2). Other Students from China have also gone to study in the United States in search of a more flexible and accommodative programs that allows innovation and creativity. Chinese students like Ariel Lai who studies at the University of Southern California observed that studies abroad allowed someone to learn many practical things, which included topics relating to life after school, something she believed that Chinese universities could not offer. One Chinese female student (Zhen Ye) doing studies in the United States of America observed that though there are various Majors for Chinese students in China to choose from, the universities offered low flexibility more so after one started school. She also observed that she could not choose the course to do since the courses was predesigned throughout colleges in China. This, she claims, was the reason she and 29 of her classmates in China opted to study in the United States of America (Schmitz, 1). Like other young people all over the world, the chance of better living and higher living standards has also made many Chinese students to go to the United States of America. Another group of other students has a desire to travel in around the world. They have found education as the best reason for advancing and fulfilling their desires. They keep travelling in and out of China and the countries they are doing their studies in and most of them even remain in the United States for longer periods. Chinese students have also used studies as a shortcut to gaining entrance to the country. Most of these students go to the united states of America with a view of remaining there (Ho, 4029). Parents to Chinese students also prefer their children going to study in foreign countries especially so the United States in order to make them different and better from other students studying in China. This is because China produces a large number of local graduates every year and a foreign degree is considered superior. The parents therefore think that a foreign degree will make their children have an advantage in the job market over other children who studied locally. These parents therefore are willing to pay higher fees for their students to study in foreign countries in the west and more so in the United States (Hathaway, 2). Parents believe that Studying in the United States and in the western countries places Chinese students in better positions to work in the international and foreign cooperates in China and other places throughout the world, as these graduates are able to communicate with people from other nationalities well. A consultant with Business Director Atomic Consulting by the name Jeff Hu working with a company in Shanghai China agrees that a person who studied in the United States has an advantage over the local graduate, as he/she would be considered more qualified for Management Trainee Program in the top five hundred companies. The graduate is better positioned to have a better understanding and relation with international companies’ managers that are interviewing and hiring them. Hu also notes that the skills acquired in foreign institutions also make promotions in the work place easier and faster. He also observed that during his work in the human resource in China, those employees with international exposure and who are fluent in English are well able to work in multinational companies and are therefore well paid than those who studied in China since they lack good English command and international exposure (Harris, 1). Universities from the United States of America have sent agents and liaison companies that have greatly increased the number of students studying in the United States of America. The agents are used to guide the students through the application process and as marketing agencies. In China where most of the students use Chinese as their official language, the filling of forms that are largely written in English pose as a major problem to the Chinese students willing to study abroad (Lin,2). These experts provide guidance to this process and through other necessary steps like securing currency, which they will use to pay tuition fees. Agents have also seen an increase in the number of students passing the pre qualification exams for joining the universities (ToFEL and SAT) that are aimed at testing the students’ knowledge and proficiency in the English language (Marklein, 2). Works Cited Bartlett, Tom and Fischer, Karin. The China Conundrum. 2011. Web. Harris, Dan. Chinese Students in America. It's Bad Out There. 2012. Web. Hathaway, Tim. Opening the Door to American Universities with Lies. 2011. Web. Ho, Denise. Passport to the World: Chinese Students at the University of Kentucky. 2011. Web. Lin, Vivian. Chinese Students Pour into the United States. 2010. Web. Marklein, Beth. Chinese college students flocking to U.S. campuses. 2009. Web. Schmitz, Rob. Chinese students, too qualified to be true? 2011. Web. Spak, Kara. Chinese Students Enrolling in U.S. Colleges in Record Numbers. 2011. Web. Read More