Study expectations affect overseas choices

留學生活面面觀：不只是求學而已

2014-03-25    來源： 21st Century  提到出國留學，很多人首先想到的是拿到洋文憑，然後回國拿高薪。其實，留學的價值不僅僅只是讀書那麼簡單，它更像是一次融入全新文化環境的華麗冒險。

Many Chinese students like studying commerce and economics when pursuing a foreign degree. According to the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange, one third of Chinese students studying abroad in 2013 were enrolled in business schools. On many campuses, especially in English-speaking countries, the majority of the international student community is Chinese. However, the issue of conformity among Chinese overseas students does not stop at choosing majors. Chinese students』 different lifestyles and eating habits also drive them to form their own communities; their different attitude toward studying abroad influences their choice of universities; and China』s rising economic power means many of them choose to pursue business degrees.

很多中國學生在留學時往往傾向於選擇商貿專業。據中國留學服務中心發布的數據顯示，2013年有三分之一的中國留學生選擇國外商學院。在很多大學，尤其是那些說英語的國家的大學，中國學生成為留學生的主力軍。然而，中國留學生「扎堆兒」現象不僅體現在專業選擇上。不同的生活方式和飲食習慣使他們形成了自己的群體；而他們不同的留學觀還會影響他們擇校。中國經濟實力的崛起也成為許多留學生選擇商科的原因。

21st Century interviewed students and experts in top overseas study destinations in the US to explore how conformity influences Chinese students behavior while abroad and shapes their study experience.

為探尋留學生「扎堆兒」現象對中國留學生行為以及求學經歷的影響，《21世紀英文報》特別採訪了多位來自美國名校的中國留學生和專家。

Time abroad not just about studying

海外留學不僅僅是求學那麼簡單

Lu Hong, 21, an economics major at the University of Southern California, is happy about pursuing his master』s degree 10,000 kilometers away from home.

21歲的陸鴻（音譯）在美國南加州大學主修經濟學，能夠來到離家1萬公里遠的美國讀研，他表示很開心。

He has made new friends in various societies organized by Chinese students, knows all the best Chinese restaurants in the local area, and can even download translated versions of the reading materials from an online sharing website.

他在中國學生創辦的各色社團中結識新朋友，對當地最地道的中餐館了如指掌，甚至可以從在線分享網站下載譯文版的閱讀材料。

「I feel very secure and very efficient in both my personal and study life,」 said Lu.

陸鴻說：「無論是個人生活還是學業，我都覺得很有安全感、很高效。」

To an extent, he should feel at home. With one of the largest Chinese student bodies on campus, the University of Southern California has 3,771 students from China among its total population of 9,840 international students in 2013 (the figures for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Purdue University are even higher).

在某種程度上，他覺得就像在家一樣。作為中國留學生人數最多的學校之一，2013年南加州大學共有9840名留學生，其中中國留學生人數達到3771名（伊利諾伊大學香檳分校和普渡大學的這一數字甚至更高）。

For many students, a Chinese-compatible student community is an important consideration when applying for study abroad programs, according to Chen Xia, a senior consultant at a Beijing-based study abroad agency.

來自北京某留學機構的資深顧問陳霞（音譯）表示，是否具備對中國學生開放包容的社團組織成為許多學生申請留學時的一個重要考慮事項。

「For safety, lifestyle, and study reasons, both students and parents tend to choose universities with a large Chinese student population,」 said Chen. 「California has the US』 biggest Chinese population, which makes it attractive for Chinese students.」

「出於安全性、生活習慣以及學業方面的考慮，學生和家長都傾向於選擇中國留學生較多的學校，」陳霞說。「在美國，加利福尼亞是華人人口數量最多的地區，因此對中國學生更具吸引力。」

It』s not that an environment that is less likely to cause culture shock is a bad thing.

一個文化衝突可能性較弱的環境並非壞事。

But Dayle Smith, former associate dean of the business school at the University of San Francisco, said that Chinese students should get out of their comfort zone to get more exposure to local and international culture in their social and study life.

然而，原舊金山大學商學院副院長黛爾·史密斯表示，中國留學生應該走出自己的舒適圈，在求學和社交方面進一步融入到本土和國際文化之中。

「While the presence of Chinese students on campus is a valuable asset for the university, some of them seem not to be ready in terms of their survival, social, and academic English skills,」 said Smith.

史密斯還說：「對大學而言，中國留學生的確帶來了一筆寶貴財富，但他們中的一些人似乎在生活、社交及專業英語技能方面並沒有做好準備。」

According to Smith, the value of studying abroad is not limited to following courses. It』s a comprehensive experience of adapting to a new environment in order to expand horizons and acquire a new set of skills.

史密斯表示，留學的價值不僅僅是學習，而是一次適應新環境的全方位體驗，並在這個過程中開拓視野、學習新技能。

Following a different path

留學切勿隨波逐流

Different from her compatriot Lu, Wang Linna, 22, chose to apply to a liberal arts school in Nebraska, US.

和陸鴻不同，22歲的王琳娜（音譯）申請的是美國內布拉斯加一所文科大學。

「I applied for a literature degree, which is a less common choice,」 said Wang. 「I think studying abroad is more about having an adventure than following courses. So I want to go somewhere special to avoid people who share my cultural background.」

「我申請了相當冷門的文科，」王琳娜說。「我認為出國留學不僅僅是埋頭苦讀而已，它更像是一場冒險。所以我要去一個特別的地方，遠離那些和我擁有相同文化背景的人。」

According to Xinquan Overseas Education』s survey of 12,000 students applying for US institutions in 2013, Wang』s approach is gaining popularity with Chinese students.

據鑫泉留學調查顯示，在2013年申請美國院校的1.2萬名學生中，很多人都與王琳娜的想法不謀而合。

More and more of them are choosing less pragmatic majors, such as business, and going for such fields as arts, literature, or philosophy in less high-profile destinations.

越來越多的中國留學生放棄商科這樣的高實用性專業，轉投一些冷門院校的藝術、文學及哲學等專業。

「For arts and literature, there was a 6 percent and 9 percent spike, while applications for other majors all experienced a decline in 2013,」 said the agency』s report, which was released recently.

該留學機構最新發布的數據顯示：「2013年，在其他專業申請人數紛紛縮水的情況下，藝術和文學專業的申請人數分別上漲了6%和9%。」

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