The faces of all beings behind China’s wave of younger students studying abroad: Hopes and worries coexist

The faces of all beings behind China’s wave of younger students studying abroad: Hopes and worries coexist The American Overseas Chinese Newspaper reported that in 2011, it was far higher than the GDP growth data of mainland China...

The American Overseas Chinese Newspaper reported

In 2011, what was far higher than mainland China's GDP growth data was the substantial year-on-year increase in the number of overseas students, 340,000, a 20% increase, making China the world's largest sending country of overseas students. The growing base of students studying abroad has also made "study abroad at a younger age" increasingly becoming a trend. In September, more underage "little international students" will soon travel across the ocean to the United States, the "first choice country for studying abroad", to embark on their own study journey away from home. Study abroad institutions are "secretly fighting" against Zhongguancun, and "looking at the appearance" is the key. If you want to know how popular the study abroad industry is, please go to the "village" for a tour. In Beijing, Zhongguancun, the "China's Silicon Valley" famous overseas for its traditional electronics industry, seems to be undergoing a grand industrial transformation. Looking around on Haidian Middle Street, where Zao New Oriental Education Group, the largest foreign language training institution in the country, is located, there are nearly 20 study abroad institutions of various sizes. At 1 o'clock in the afternoon, under the scorching afternoon sun, sales staff from various "camps" targeted potential customers based on the appearance of passers-by and diligently handed out flyers; vendors pulling out tricycles tried to sell pirated teaching aids covering TOEFL, IELTS, and SAT, all necessary subjects for overseas exams. The scenery in Zaocun in late summer and early autumn has also become a silhouette of the overt and covert competition among various merchants around the booming study abroad market in mainland China. A street salesperson told reporters that according to the new strategy formulated at the beginning of the year, in addition to young people, the company will give more consideration to mature families with strong financial strength and high-end education needs when defining target customers. Therefore, street sales will pay more attention to those groups with children. "Of course (the children) cannot be too young. As long as they are not holding hands, it seems that junior high school-sized children are quite suitable. We will provide customers with tailor-made and personalized one-stop services for studying abroad based on different family conditions." Regarding the effective feedback received from those who are willing to take the bait and "fishing" sales, the salesperson's answer far exceeded the reporter's expectations, "About three or four out of ten. Although the competition is still fierce, it is really better now than in previous years." The reporter consulted the "2011 Survey Report on Chinese Students' Intention to Study Abroad" released by Kai Tak Education Group's "International Education Research Institute" and found that as the income of Chinese families increases, more and more parents choose to let their underage children become international students, and studying abroad at a younger age has begun to become mainstream. The survey statistics of more than 17,500 students and parents in 14 cities across the country show that the top five hot countries for studying abroad that domestic students are most interested in are: the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and Singapore. Among the top three, the United States accounts for 33%, the United Kingdom 17%, and Australia 14%. In terms of country selection, studying in the United States is even more popular. The reporter called Qiantu Abroad Consulting Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of New Oriental, and a study abroad consultant surnamed Chen introduced that the international courses currently offered by high-quality public junior and senior high schools in mainland China have greatly changed the previous monopoly of private schools in the international education field and have become an important channel for mainland students to study abroad. "These high schools that offer international courses for underage junior high school students are called international high schools in terms of positioning. Currently, there are many schools in Beijing offering international courses in many forms, but the curriculum basically consists of three parts: Chinese courses, language courses and foreign courses. The courses are closely connected with the purpose of studying abroad. If the destination is the United States, things like SAT and AP must be involved. Public schools such as the High School Affiliated to Renmin University and Beijing No. 4 Middle School are now also AP exam test centers," said Consultant Chen. Driven by the craze for studying abroad, in Beijing alone, 10% of high school entrance examination graduates choose international classes in high schools. The industry generally predicts that this proportion will continue to rise steadily for a long time to come. At the same time, the craze for offering international classes is spreading across the country from popular first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

The expectations and worries of young international students and their families growing up. Why has the United States become the first choice country for studying abroad? The 2011 study abroad survey showed that education quality and cultural atmosphere have become the two primary considerations for Chinese students in choosing a destination country to study abroad, each accounting for nearly 30%. When it comes to college selection, professional rankings and employment prospects have become priority factors. In the consultation hall on the first floor of the New Oriental Building, a gentleman who picked up his children at the door said this: "Look at today's high school students, who have to put three meals a day into their mouths. They don't care about anything except exams every day. How will they enter the society in the future? Moreover, the competition for getting into a good university in China is too fierce. If children fail to pass the exam, their future will be particularly delayed. Although it will be hard to study in the United States, you will definitely experience real growth." In mainland China, more and more parents believe that domestic education resources are limited and there are too many outstanding students, so it is better to "save the country" by studying international courses in international high schools. "As long as they come here, their family spending power and willingness to study abroad are basically relatively strong, so the tuition fee is not their focus. Usually, what they are most concerned about is the education and teaching situation, such as the courses offered, school running experience, teachers' situation, etc." According to the study abroad consultant in the consulting hall, 100% of parents and students who choose international high schools will embark on the road of studying abroad. "You should go abroad as early as possible", but can you really gain growth by going abroad early? In recent years, negative reports about young international students' corrupt lives, extravagant consumption, gatherings for gambling, and even illegal crimes have been spread back to China from time to time, which has also made parents worry about the risks of studying abroad at a young age. Unlike the group of high school students who do not perform well in the college entrance examination and choose to go abroad, younger children are often influenced by family factors. Since the decision-making power of these young international students is more in the hands of their parents, the will of their parents is particularly prominent when choosing a country and school, and it is not impossible for them to be "student abroad". In a study abroad career that is not driven by one's own wishes, the possibility of developing a rebellious mentality is also very high. As a person who has experienced this, Mr. Dai, a Shanghai lawyer, told reporters with his own tortuous experience that for the sake of underage children, the efforts made by families are often beyond imagination. Mr. Dai's child, Dai Zhu, is 12 years old. He is still playful, but his life path has already been planned by his family. His young face is serious. He finished sixth grade in China, took the SSAT exam, and was admitted to a private school in the Los Angeles area. The family has even considered his future high school for him. "In the end, I still don't worry. I want to be able to see and control him at all times." Because there are strict requirements for "accompanying students" in the United States. In order to meet the "F2 accompanying student visa", "the status of either spouse is legal; both spouses have sufficient funds to prove that they can bear all the expenses during the period in the United States." "More than ten years ago, the "forward-looking" Mr. Dai began to work hard for this purpose, choosing companies and careers with international backgrounds, and working hard to make money. "I had two thoughts at the time. First, my child must go to the United States to study, and second, I must earn 10 million for him." At present, Mr. Dai has resigned from his job in China and is about to leave for the United States in early September to start living with a family. According to him, there are actually many families in his situation, and the next step is basically to immigrate. Mr. Dai's situation may be an isolated case, but besides him, how can those young international students who are far away from their parents' sight and lack self-control grow up healthily in an open environment lacking discipline? Leaving home at a young age coexists with "growing pains", which makes it difficult to feel at ease.

The "Third Pole" Profit Point of Study Tours Highlights New Trends in the Study Abroad Market The era of "younger students studying abroad" has begun. The growing demand for high-end education from mainland families, study abroad service companies, and American schools have become more closely integrated than ever before. Of course, the U.S. government and private schools will not turn a blind eye to the nearly 24% annual growth rate of studying in the U.S. In mainland China, from Obama's active promotion of Sino-U.S. relations, the relaxation of study visas, the widening of OPT internship opportunities to the appreciation of the RMB, more and more "good" news has been released. As an important manifestation of the development and evolution of education internationalization, in 2012, the attention and demand for overseas study tour programs for teenagers increased significantly, becoming the "third pole" of the high-end education market after studying abroad and enrolling in international high schools. Study abroad service agencies with numerous overseas education resources have launched slogans such as "preview study abroad and reduce barriers to study abroad" and have become important promoters of these study tour programs by virtue of their unique overseas school resources and relationships. On the basis of traditional projects such as visits to famous schools and English learning, China Study Abroad Service Corporation has developed a richer range of new projects. The reporter saw on the official website of an educational institution that for young children’s study tour in the United States, the institution has launched study tour groups with different themes such as “Quality Improvement Camp”, “Language Immersion Camp”, “Study Abroad Language Camp” and “Special Vocational Training Camp” to cater to the individual needs of more students and parents. The essence of studying abroad is a process of training students' ability to live independently. Everything cannot go smoothly. However, through a "preview" study tour, young children can understand in advance the difficulties they may encounter in studying abroad, such as learning, language, and social interaction. The experience of living independently away from their families will help them judge whether they are suitable for studying abroad. In addition, not everyone will have the opportunity to study abroad in the future. Through these experiential programs, students can attend Harvard or Yale at a relatively low cost. Students will gain a valuable experience of experiencing and studying at the world's top universities, which will inspire them to set life goals and plans.