Zoe Dyer
Professor Felumlee
English 101
Nov 14 2022
Education Differences Between China and US
With the rapid development of the economy, international trade, and transportation, more and more people are enlarging their vision to every corner of the world. More and more people realize that countries can be much disparate. Talking about the differences, one of the hottest topics in China in the past 20 years is the differences between China's and the US's higher-level education. Although China and US high-level education vary, there are still students from China studying in the US increasing progressively over the years. In Chinese people's understanding, education is the foundation of an individual's life. Also, education is the historical influence leading to different outcomes. It was reflected in Gaokao, SAT/ACT, degrees, the number rise of abroad students, and Tuition & Living costs. These are the fundamental cause students and parents have different choices.
Historical Influence
Essentially, historical influence is the main reason that led to the School system in China colleges being precisely the opposite compared with US colleges. China is a feudalism country that has about five thousand years of history. According to the object of festivals sacrifices in Chinese Confucian culture: 天 (heaven), 地 (earth), 君(emperor), 亲(parents), and 师(teacher). Because of this culture, teachers and schools have been sacred in China since ancient times and cannot be desecrated. The cultural reason also affects the form of the school management. Thus the school designs all of China's community college schedules and sleep time in the dormitory. Besides, schools do not allow students to do part-time. Every student must be a full-time student. On the contrary, the US is a Democratic country and is a country of immigrants as well. The US education system keeps changing over time to adapt to the development of education and government needs.
Gaokao vs. SAT/ACT
In China, most high school students will take a Final exam in Math, Mandarin, English, and a comprehensive examination of liberal Arts or a comprehensive examination of Science. This series of exams are known as the Gaokao in China. Gaokao is crucial. Taking the Gaokao exam is the only way to get higher education in China. Gaokao is a reference to the Imperial examination with 1300 years of history. The grade of the Imperial examination is the only criterion to determine everything. Therefore, taking exams is written into the DNA of Chinese people. At least 90% of high school students will take Gaokao each year. It is a significant number for an exam. After one month of Gaokao, China Universities will give out offers to the better-grade candidates. Some students would study one more year in high school to get a better rank in China to get into a better university. Some of the students would attend a three-year community college in China.
Similarly, students will take an SAT or ACT exam to apply to a better university in the US. Unlike Gaokao is once a year, students can take SAT or ACT up to 7 times per year. Gaokao is only for China High school students, whereas SAT and ACT are for every student worldwide.
Degrees
Additionally, in the US. Unlike China community colleges, the US community college provides more options for students. Students will finish the community college application, and the college will accept the applications once the student is registered. Some students will take 60 general credits in community college and transfer to a university to get a bachelor's degree. Some students study work-ready technical skills in community college to get work opportunities. As mentioned above, US community college students can transfer to 4-year universities to get a bachelor's degree.
In the same way, there are options for China community college students to get into China universities by taking many exams. After they pass the exams, they will take the same courses as other university students. Although China community college students can take the same courses and exams as other university students. However, they will get a diploma or junior bachelor's degree when they graduate. China community college students can never get a bachelor's degree. That is also the modern embodiment of the millennia-old hierarchy.
Tuition & Living cost
China's government has had the budget for most public schools for years. Therefore, the average tuition for Chinese students is about $750-1500 per year(2 semesters every year). The tuition range of abroad students is about $2200-4700 per year, and the living expenses, including books, groceries, rental, and transportation, are about $1000 each month (Dana). Compared to China, US college has higher flexibility but more tuition of about $ 3000-5000 per semester, and living expenses are about $15000 per year, which is way higher than in China (Ben). The length of each semester in colleges in China typically begins in September and runs until June or July. Summer break is much shorter. However, the China colleges will take three to six weeks off around January/February for the Lunar New Year (Savannah). In the US, colleges typically start from September to May and are either divided into two semesters or four quarters. Moreover, US colleges provide summer classes for students, whereas China colleges do not.
Pros and Cons
After comparing these two countries' education systems, the existing Pros in China's high-level education are more efficient and economical for the government to manage due to China's huge population. The Cons of China's high-level education are that the school only gives students limited time to retake the exam. That is one of the reasons Chinese students study extra hard, and they always study under pressure. It is not a healthy way to get knowledge as a kid. The Pros of the US high-level education system are that the college is more like a business, gets the tuition from the students, and serves them as a customer. Therefore, High-level education in the US is more flexible and customer friendly. The con is that the tuition is higher than the average student can afford. Although the college provides financial aid, some students still live on a low budget and worry about their financial situation.
Additional data
Here is additional data, a chart of the rising number of China students studying in the US from 2010 to 2021(statista). In the past ten years, the average rate of the number rising is still about 3%-5%. Although the number in 2021 starts to drop down due to covid. According to the analysis above. The rising number in the picture has become reasonable.
Conclusion
The comparison above shows that China's and the US's high-level education systems are the opposite. This opposite is mainly because of historical influence. To find a suitable education system, students and their families should compare the pros & cons, tuition & living costs, and the probability of getting a degree. Although the two education systems are different, the author hopes that they can complement each other in the future to improve the quality and efficiency of education for themselves.