The style of American college life
已有 294 次阅读 2012-05-18 14:35 标签: college elite families programs receivedChinese Undergraduates in the US
Each year, elite American universities
and liberal arts colleges, such as Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Amherst and
Wellesley, offer a number of scholarships to Chinese high school graduates to
study in their undergraduate programs. Four years ago, I received such a
scholarship from Yale.
What are these Chinese undergrads like? Most come
from middle-class families in the big urban centers of China. The geographical
distribution is highly skewed, with Shanghai and Beijing heavily
over-represented. Outside the main pool, a number of Yale students come from
Changsha and Ningbo,swhereseach year American Yale graduates are sent to teach
English.
The overwhelming majority of Chinese undergraduates in the US major
in science, engineering like ball mill design or
economics. Many were academic superstars in their high schools - gold medallists
in international academic Olympiads or prize winners in national academic
contests. Once on US campuses, many of them decide to make research a lifelong
commitment.
Life outside the classroom constitutes an important part of
college life. At American universities the average student spends less than
thirteen hours a week in class. Many Chinese students use their spare time to
pick up some extra pocket money. At Yale, one of the most common campus jobs is
washing dishes in the dining halls or excercise in sand maker
workshop. Virtually all Chinese undergraduates at Yale work part-time in the
dining halls at some point in their college years. As they grow in age and
sophistication, they upgrade to better-paying and less stressful positions. The
more popular and interesting jobs include working as a computer assistant, math
homework grader, investment office assistant and lab or research assistant. The
latter three often lead to stimulating summer jobs.
Student activities are
another prominent feature of American college life. Each week there are
countless student-organized events of all sorts - athletic, artistic, cultural,
political or social (i.e. just for fun). New student organizations are
constantly being created, and Chinese undergrads contribute to this ferment.
Sport looms much larger on US campuses than in China. At Yale, intramural sports
from soccer to water polo take place all year long; hence athletic talent is a
real social asset. One of the Chinese students at Yale several years ago was a
versatile sportsman. His athletic talents and enthusiastic participation in
sporting events, combined with his other fine qualities, made him a popular
figure in his residential college.
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