What Chinese students really need?

Walking on U.S. campuses, colleges and high schools alike, I cannot help noticing a growing number of Chinese students passing by. I know they are Chinese because they talk in mandarin. American professors told me it is effortless for them to tell Chinese students from other Asian students without knowing the language. Chinese students may dress like others on campus, but often walk in a group among themselves. They seldom mingle with American students. When talking to professors, Chinese students tend to speak slowly, softly, and avoid eye contact whenever possible.

U.S. schools are welcoming more and more Chinese students to its colleges, high schools and even middle schools, whose average age goes lower each year. The latest figures from the Institute of International Education in New York City show that more than 274,000 students from Mainland China were studying at U.S. schools in 2013-2014. That number has tripled in six years, which is also a 17 percent jump from 2012. Now China is the biggest source of international students to the U.S., which I believe will keep the momentum in coming years.

Back in the mid-1990s when I first came to the United States, all the Chinese students I knew were graduate students who came here because they had the tuition waived plus a stipend from US colleges. Without the full scholarship, none of them could afford studying here. To their American professors and students, these Chinese students were extremely hardworking, quiet and polite. At the beginning many might not speak English well, but they usually became top students by the end of the first semester. To American students, they were good test takers who spent most of the time in two Ls – library and labs. Living on tight budgets, they cooked every day, and even learned to cut hair each other. During vacations, they often chose to stay at school because many could not afford flying back to see their families. I knew quite a few Chinese students did not return home for five years until they obtained their degrees.

Today a large number of students come from China's wealthiest and most powerful families as the country becomes the world's second largest economy. The US-China relationship may be tenuous in certain areas, but Chinese parents believe U.S. education system works better. As a result, they tend to outsource the education of their children to U.S. schools. More importantly, they can afford the full cost of a U.S. education experience. Most international students at undergraduate level or high school are ineligible for U.S. financial aid. But who cares?

The image of Chinese students is undergoing a major change. If you haven't visited U.S. universities lately, you may be surprised to find Bentleys, Lamborghinis and Maseratis driving around. What's more striking is those behind the wheel are often young Chinese undergraduates who just got their U.S. driving licenses. At Penn State University where I work, I know not all the 2,500 Chinese students come from wealthy families, but a few of them have made a bold statement by driving luxury cars around.