Taking your ACT, getting your score back, filling out the application for the college of your dreams, scholarship essays, itching to graduate: a typical American high schooler's preparation for college. Take a stretch across the world, and things are quite different there. The college life for an American student takes a leap of differences compared to the life of a college student in China.
In an Article by Siqi Wang on the Daily Iowan on the International Programs Website (URL below), she's provided plenty of stats and experiences. On average, nine million students in China expect to go to college after graduation. Of this nine million, only 75% actually get accepted to do so. Like the ACT, they take a college acceptance test prior to graduating. This test is called the GAOKAO. The test-- as well as everything else school related-- is highly competitive. Once admitted to college, there's still major differences. These differences include studying, majors, transportation, and living arrangements.
How often do American college students study? It really is based off the student. The time is flexible and if you're struggling, you may spend more time than you would if you find the class to be really easy. Our flexible study time teaches us self-discipline. In China, students go to an enforced mandatory study hall from 6-10pm. This teaches the students time management. China also has a one major rule. This rule prevents students from switching majors. They also decide on their major prior to entering college. They have to think long and hard to be sure it is what they really want to do. In America, it is easier to pursue what we want to do in life. We are able to switch our majors in a day and we can also choose to have more than one. We also rely on cars to get us places. We might just walk or ride a bike around campus, but when it comes to going across town, we drive our own car. In China, no one has cars. Luckily the colleges are usually in big cities, so you can mostly walk to get where you're going. China's college living arrangements are similar to ours, however we usually stay in the dorms our freshman and sometimes sophomore year, then we would get a place of our own. in China, they live in the dorms all four years.
Things are significantly different in America compared to in China, but we are all reaching for the same goal: being successful at doing what we want. We just go around the goal in different ways.
How often do American college students study? It really is based off the student. The time is flexible and if you're struggling, you may spend more time than you would if you find the class to be really easy. Our flexible study time teaches us self-discipline. In China, students go to an enforced mandatory study hall from 6-10pm. This teaches the students time management. China also has a one major rule. This rule prevents students from switching majors. They also decide on their major prior to entering college. They have to think long and hard to be sure it is what they really want to do. In America, it is easier to pursue what we want to do in life. We are able to switch our majors in a day and we can also choose to have more than one. We also rely on cars to get us places. We might just walk or ride a bike around campus, but when it comes to going across town, we drive our own car. In China, no one has cars. Luckily the colleges are usually in big cities, so you can mostly walk to get where you're going. China's college living arrangements are similar to ours, however we usually stay in the dorms our freshman and sometimes sophomore year, then we would get a place of our own. in China, they live in the dorms all four years.
Things are significantly different in America compared to in China, but we are all reaching for the same goal: being successful at doing what we want. We just go around the goal in different ways.
http://cetacademicprograms.com/2011/11/08/college-life-china-vs-usa/
