Is there an obvious younger age group studying abroad?

The age of students studying abroad is obviously getting younger.

According to the "2014 China Study Abroad Development Report" published by the Social Science Literature Press of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and released by the China and Globalization Think Tank (CCG) at the end of 2014, the number of Chinese international students studying in high schools in the United States in 2013 exceeded 30,000, a figure that has increased 60 times in 10 years. There is no doubt that the trend of younger students studying abroad is surging.

Since the first batch of self-financed international students in 1981, my country’s international students have gone through a journey of more than 30 years. With the development of China’s economy and the continuous increase in family income, many new international students have added young ones. face. What is the threshold for studying abroad at a young age? What risks do international students born in the 1990s face? Is going abroad directly proportional to employment income? These are questions that this set of data cannot answer.

Increased 60 times in 1.10

The "2014 China Study Abroad Development Report" revealed that China has become the largest source of international students in the United States for five consecutive years. At the same time, the development of China's study abroad shows an obvious " "Younger age" trend: High school students have become the third largest group of people studying abroad after graduate students and undergraduates.

The "Report" revealed that Canada is the most popular study destination for Chinese high school students, with nearly one-third (32%) of Chinese students choosing to study high school in Canada. The United States, Australia and the United Kingdom ranked second, third and fourth respectively. In terms of popularity, in the past seven years, the most popular high school study abroad destination for boys was the United States (33%), and the most popular high school study abroad destination for girls was Canada (34%). The number of Chinese students holding F-1 visas in public and private high schools in the United States has increased more than 60 times in the past 10 years, from 433 in the 2003-2004 school year to 26,919 in the 2012-2013 school year.

2. How much does it cost to study abroad at a young age?

Compared with international students who go abroad to study for undergraduates, most of these younger international students come from better backgrounds. Compared with the undergraduates in the third wave who took the college entrance examination and prepared to study abroad, the international students in the fourth wave simply made clear their goals from the beginning of high school, gave up the college entrance examination, and concentrated on preparing for studying abroad. They were jokingly called "determined to go abroad." party".

The survey data in the above-mentioned "Report" show that families of students studying abroad for high school and undergraduate studies generally show the characteristics of the "three highs", that is, at least one parent has a high degree of education, a high position, and a high income. Among the nearly 1,000 parents interviewed, 70% have a bachelor's degree or above, nearly 70% have higher decision-making power in their workplace, and 60% of the families have an annual income of more than 300,000 yuan. According to Max's survey data on high school graduates, nearly 32% of parents pay tuition fees of 200,000 to 300,000 yuan for their children every year, and 23% pay more than 300,000 yuan.

The main reason for studying abroad is that foreign education and examination systems are relatively loose, assessment indicators are relatively diverse, and more emphasis is placed on cultivating social practice abilities and social participation. Secondly, many foreign high schools are the cradle of world-renowned universities. High schools that send a large number of students to famous American institutions of higher learning every year are called "little Ivy" by the Chinese. Secondly, rapidly improving language skills and cultivating independent living abilities are also one of the reasons why many parents send their children to study abroad early.

Faced with this craze for younger students to study abroad, Chen Yonghui, a tenured professor at the New York Institute of Technology and a former assistant judge of the Federal Court for the Eastern District of New York, believes that although younger international students have advantages, they are still young and underage when going abroad, and their worldview and Values ??have not yet been formed and self-management capabilities are limited, which will result in a lack of self-protection awareness.

3. Is it worthwhile to study abroad at a young age?

Whether studying abroad at a young age or studying abroad, the final results of returned students will be reflected in employment benefits. In 2013, known as “the year with the largest number of returned overseas students in history,” 350,000 returned overseas students and more than 7 million domestic college graduates formed two waves of employment, superimposing and flooding into the job market. The huge cost of studying abroad has not resulted in corresponding salaries for the returnees. According to the "China Study Abroad Development Report" released by China Social Sciences Literature Publishing House, among returnees, 36.5% have an annual starting salary of less than 40,000 yuan, and 67.2% have an annual starting salary of less than 60,000 yuan.

In China, especially first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai, as the number of "returnees" from English-speaking countries increases and the number of domestically educated people increases, a diploma from studying abroad is no longer a guarantee for a high-paying job. , sometimes even not as good as a down-to-earth domestic undergraduate diploma.

The survey shows that among international students, only 21.7% work first and then study abroad. 78.3% have just graduated from middle school or university before studying abroad and have no work experience. The main reason why many students study abroad is that they do not want or are unable to cope with the domestic college entrance examination, and they are unwilling or difficult to find a job in China. Today, studying abroad is becoming more and more like a helpless choice. Then the embarrassment of "about 80% of those who have returned from studying abroad have a monthly salary of less than 10,000, and 40% of those who have returned from studying abroad have a monthly salary of less than 5,000" is to be expected.