What Chinese International Students Are Actually Like: Who They Are, Their Families, My Observations

11 October 2023

The Appeal of Studying in America

Studying in America has held its appeal for a long time, partly because of history and partly because of the pressure students feel today. In the 80s and 90s, only the very top students got government money to study abroad, which made an American degree a marker of success. Most families now pay for it themselves, but that sense of prestige stuck around, and it still shapes why an American education is so wanted.

The one-child policy raised the stakes. With only one shot per family, competition for spots at good Chinese universities is brutal, and the top schools accept as few as 0.1 to 2 percent of applicants. Going to America is a way around that fight while keeping the status, and it spares students from being seen as having failed.

Family Background and Financial Status

Chinese students who come to a school like UCI for undergrad usually come from upper-middle-class families back home, often with $3 million to $10 million in assets. Their parents tend to be executives, directors, or doctors, or they own a sizable business. Some have ties to the government, but few are officials themselves. These families take education seriously and are willing to spend a lot on it.

Studying Costs at UCI and Lifestyle Choices

A year at UCI runs about $80k for a Chinese student. Most families can pay that out of pocket, so the student graduates with no debt and, in some cases, lives pretty well. Rules on moving money out of China do put a ceiling on things, though, so you rarely see a Lamborghini. Most drive something in the $40k to $80k range, since they pay cash and have little credit history in the US.

Not every international student sits in that bracket. Plenty work on campus, which is the only kind of job an F-1 visa allows to begin with, and I wrote a guide to getting an on-campus job at UCI after applying to 78 of them.

Pre-College Preparation

Getting ready for an American college starts early, often in middle school. Families pay for private English tutoring and usually send their kids to international high schools that follow an American curriculum. Some students go to American private high schools, since public ones mostly take local students.

Navigating Challenges and Stereotypes

Some international students do cheat, but it is nowhere near as common as people think. There are other stereotypes too: that they only use WeChat, that they only hang out with other international students. Most of that comes from the language barrier and from wanting to be around something familiar. As students settle in, they branch out, which mostly shows what time and a little understanding can do.

The other thing waiting for them is paperwork. I built OPTimize, an iOS app that walks F-1 students through OPT work authorization, because the rules are genuinely hard to follow. And for the housing side of being at UCI, there is my take on the campus housing crisis.