Cambridge University admissions rumor reflects parents' ambitions

SOME CHINESE MEDIA OUTLETS have recently reported on a "new initiative" by the University of Cambridge that it will admit the top 0.1 percent of students in the gaokao, or college entrance examination. In an interview with Beijing News, Zhang Feng, a media practitioner, comments:

The university has made no changes to its admission policy for Chinese students. I don't know why this "new initiative" has been fabricated and widely circulated by the media. It may stem from a recent speech made by Stephan Toope, vice-chancellor of Cambridge University, at Peking University.

When asked about whether Cambridge University will compete for excellent students with Chinese universities, he said that gaokao scores are not the only indicator deciding whether an applicant is admitted, and that other factors also play a role in Cambridge University's admissions system. "Why we accept Chinese gaokao results is that we want to measure our applicants with as much information as possible," he said.

He made clear that the university has not expanded its enrollment scale in China because of the policy nor has it changed its admissions methods. The recognition of gaokao results is an old policy adopted several years ago.

Chinese gaokao results are taken as one of the reference standards for the University of Cambridge to admit Chinese students, but they are not the most important criterion, and many other criteria are also taken into account. For example, its different colleges set different requirements and organize their own interviews for applicants.

Why the University of Cambridge's "old policy" is being hyped up again in this way remains unclear. It may be intended to create the impression that the prestigious university is vying with its Chinese counterparts for excellent Chinese students. For some Chinese, the biggest misconception is that "recognizing China's gaokao results" is the same with "expanding enrollment in China". Many Chinese lacking basic knowledge about Cambridge University's admissions system even think China's gaokao is equivalent to the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) after the gaokao results are used by a university as a measurement for admitting Chinese applicants.

Behind the fabricated "new initiative" is not Chinese parents' worry about Cambridge University "grabbing Chinese students", but their eagerness for world's prestigious universities to join in the scramble for excellent Chinese students.