2009 Fall American Education Fairs in
Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan
US
Embassy Briefing at the ACEE in Beijing
Public Affairs Officer, Ms. Ingrid
Larson, together with IIE Country Coordinator Ms. Zhang Yi,
provided a briefing to AIEF’s U.S. education delegation at the
American Center for Educational Exchanges on June 12th.
Identifying several broad trends in
China, Ms. Larson referred to the country’s dismal job market,
the emergence of private colleges of questionable quality, and
the government’s policy of promoting scientific, engineering,
and business skills. A common concern of Chinese students is
tuition and living expenses for studying in the United States,
she said. It is a myth that it is tough to get a visa to the
United States, asserted Ms. Larson, who stated that there is an
over 80 percent success rate for all visas across the board, and
an even higher success rate for student visas. Despite this
fact, she noted that many students are very nervous at visa
interviews.
Ms. Larson said that many Chinese
students do not understand the U.S. education system. They think
it is centralized, as in China, and wonder why the U.S.
government doesn’t help them more, she observed. If a Chinese
high school leaves China for even a semester, it is almost
impossible for him/her to get into a Chinese college, she
stressed. As a result, such students may be viewed as intending
immigrants and as having opted out of the Chinese educational
system.
Among the suggestions that Ms. Larson
proffered to U.S. schools trying to raise their profile in China
was to participate in education fairs and to create a Chinese
language website. She cautioned that there are some ethical
agents in China, but many unethical ones. Some agents guarantee
admissions, but only schools can do so, she said. Therefore,
U.S. schools were advised to do due diligence. She said that
agents often prep students to try to make them look good. She
also warned against trusting any paper documents.
Ms. Zhang Yi commented that the State
Department’s EducationUSA website is a good resource that is
being upgraded to include different channels for U.S. schools as
well as for students and parents.
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AIEF's Orientation Summary: China's Study Abroad Market
AIEF’s Mr. Stephen Smith
outlined the value of participating in the Foundation’s American
Education Fairs in China, mentioning such benefits as face to
face meetings with students and parents; networking
opportunities with Chinese education officials and local school
educators; AIEF’s requirement for, and enforcement of, ethical
practices before and during the fair; and AIEF’s follow up
reports after the fair in the online and print media.
Citing statistics from
the 2008 “Open Doors” report, Smith stated that China is the
second-leading place of origin for students coming to the United
States, with 81,127 students in 2007-2008. This number shows an
increase of 19.8% over the previous year. During the 2007-2008
period, 65.4% of the Chinese students in the United States were
at the graduate level, 20.3% were at the undergraduate level,
9.5% were engaged in OPT (optional practical training), and 4.8%
fell into other categories.
As claimed by various
Chinese sources, 2009 may be a new peak year for Chinese
students to study abroad, said Smith. A factor contributing to
this trend may include overpopulation at Chinese universities,
and the current shortage of employment opportunities for China’s
college graduates is likely another important factor, Smith
said. He noted that around 10.5 million high-school graduates
took the college entrance exam in 2008, each competing for one
of only 5.6 million undergraduate places. Furthermore, about 5
million college students graduated in spring 2008, nearly 5
times the number that graduated in 2000.
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UScampus Center Tour
On the morning of June
19th, an open house was held at AIEF’s UScampus Center in
Shanghai for participants in the American Education Fair. Center
Director, Mr. Jeff Chank, gave an overview of the Center’s
resources and services. AIEF created the Center to provide a
study in the USA resource for Chinese students, as well as to
offer a professional environment for U.S. school representatives
visiting Shanghai. The Center features a library displaying U.S.
schools’ brochures and multimedia materials, video introductions
of American educational institutions, free Internet access for
students seeking information about studying in the USA, student
counseling, and a computer lab for English language proficiency
assessments online. The Center encourages students to apply to
U.S. schools on their own, without the need for costly
intermediary services. American school representatives have
found the Center to be a convenient site for offering speeches
or seminars, conducting individual or group counseling and
interviews, engaging in web chats with students, or for
implementing cooperative programs with local Chinese
universities. The Center also maintains a very active Chinese
language website, UScampus.com.cn, to provide up-to-date
information about studying in the USA to the student population
in China.
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Fair Venues & Attendance
AIEF’s 2009 Summer
American Education Fairs in China took place from June 13-15 in
Beijing at the China International Exhibition Centre, and in
Shanghai at the Shanghai East Asia Exhibition Hall from June
20-21. There were nearly 15,000 visitors to the American
Pavilion in Beijing, and nearly 10,000 visitors to the American
Pavilion in Shanghai. To each participating institution, AIEF
has sent a list containing the names and contact information of
the students who visited their booths at the China fairs.
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Special Fair Seminars
A series of special
seminars were offered at both the Beijing and Shanghai fair
venues. Topics included “Secrets of Admission to Top-Tier
Colleges,” “Taking IELTS to Study in the U.S.,” “Educational
Opportunities in Vermont,” “Standing Out: The Chinese Student's
Guide to a Winning Application,” and “Travel Work and Internship
in the U.S.” In Beijing, Consular Officer Mr. Alfonso Cortes
conducted a presentation on “U.S. Higher Education and Student
Visas.” Presentations on the same topic were also offered in
Shanghai by Consular Officers Ms. Bridget Davis, Mr. Jessup
Taylor, and Mr. Carlisle Davis.
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Special Fair Events
A reception with Chinese
education officials was held at the conclusion of the first day
of the fair in Beijing. In Shanghai, AIEF’s American Education
Fair participants were treated to a dinner buffet and a cruise
on the scenic Huangpu River.
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2009
Fall American Education Fairs in Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan
Registration is now open
for AIEF’s 2009 Fall American Education Fairs in Korea,
Singapore, and Taiwan. The upcoming 2009 Fall Fair schedule is
as follows::
Fall
Fairs:
September 24: Busan
September 26-27: Seoul
October 1: Singapore
October 3-4: Taipei
October 5: Kaohsiung
October 6: Taichung
Online registration is available at:
http://www.aief-usa.org/services/signup_fair.htm. For more information, please visit our Website or call the AIEF’s California office at 714-985-1995.
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