Comments on: Oh, You Crazy Test Studying Asians Trying to Get Into College

By: 8Asians.com » Marathon Cheaters in China Trying to Improve College Admission Chances

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:01:23 +0000

[...] on 8asians, we have talked about education and the pressures to do well on college entrance exams. We have also talked about how some Asian-Amercians parents force their kids into sports in order [...]

By: johnklin

johnklin — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:57:17 +0000

Yes, Asian Americans will benefit as legacy admits in the long run through their children, but I still think legacy admissions is ridiculous. Hopefully your friend's kid is academically prepared for college…

By: johnklin

johnklin — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:57:17 +0000

By: jeffat8asians

jeffat8asians — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:04:57 +0000

Asian legacies are starting to emerge. One of my Asian-American college friends just got his kid into an Ivy as a legacy. Doesn’t mean that it is any more right, but I thought I’d point out Asian-Americans are starting to take advantage of that avenue for getting into college..

Also, as I mentioned in this post, I see more and more Asian-American parents trying to get their kids into sports, with an eye toward future admissions. While I think it is good that parents want their kids to be well rounded, I dislike the checklist mentality I see with some parents who think that if they force their kids to complete a laundry list of good grades, sports, maybe some music, arts, or volunteer work, they get into the school of their choice.

By: tung2sai

tung2sai — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:14:41 +0000

Competition for education in Asia is quite insane, for several reasons. I remember reading some articles regarding this topic for quite some time and formed a few personal opinions.
Even though there is a strong tradition for revering education, the availibility of education or compulsory schooling is relatively new for many countries. There's a lot of criticims about education here in the States so it shouldn't be a surprise why there's a lot in other places. Education is another huge works-in-progress type of issue for all societies.

I'm aware that the American system does emphasize a lot on thinking outside the box but whether or not the students do that or teachers encourage that is another matter. Creative thinking is hard to judge and quite subjective or circumstantial. I noticed among many individuals that it's not really in Academia but their workplace or home is where their creativity is expressed to the fullest potential. One rumor I heard from the Mainland Chinese individuals I met is a lot of their best and brightest work for their government indirectly (not as in public officials but like hired for specific projects) or became entrepreneurs.

There's also something I read online which I don't is true or not. Regarding China's college entrance, on some of these lists on how one got accepted, there's this small column I noticed where a small number (thousands) got in through the "exceptional ability" bracket rather than the high scores. I'm wondering if maybe some got in through connections or wealth or their so-called actual "exceptional ability".

By: lazybye

lazybye — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:02:01 +0000

1. It is not true that all Asians prefer graduate studies in America. In fact, few Japanese students go to school in America, and we all know that does little to weaken the quality of Japanese science and engineering. In fact, 8 Nobels in science have been won since 2000 by Japanese scientists and, according to Inside Line (an online automotive magazine), Japan is the world leader in eco-technology. Also, AnnaLee Saxenian has shown how the so-called Brain Circulation has cross-pollinated technology innovation between Taiwan, India and California. Indeed, much of the original design work on the iPOD, iPhone and American laptops is done in Taiwan. Apple's vaunted touchscreen on the iPhone was created by TPK holdings and Naldec, both Taiwan firms.
2. It is a little bit of hubris to say that America foster creative thinking and Asia does not. I went to American public schools, and I think the push toward 'creative' thinking and expressing yourself, so early in life, does not so much foster creativity as it creates a false sense of accomplishment and confidence that prevents one from truly listening and learning what one can from experts and teachers, those who have devoted their lives to a given subject or trade. I think Asia's emphasis on “rote” learning is more like this: master the material first, and show you are an expert. Then, you can make your own contributions. Russian and Chinese and Eastern European school systems aren't known for their “creative” learning structure, yet it's not like students and researcher from those places can't compete with Americans. Often, they are better.
3. I think you're taking the article too seriously to say that one exam determines their prospects into late adulthood. I would like to see evidence of this. It would make sense for those going into academics, where research centers are far more centralized and limited to a few schools in nascent Asian countries. But for the great majority of vocations, I seriously doubt this. Probably the reason why it looks like successful Asian leaders come from a few schools is that, first of all, there are far fewer schools, and second, top firms tend to be electronics and industrial firms, and most of the leaders happened to have been engineers first.

By: csc3

csc3 — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:35:44 +0000

Neither system is perfect, obviously. But if I had to choose one over the other, I'd definitely choose the US' system.

ONE test should not determine your whole future–that's just ridiculous.