10 things that students in China and students in the States have in common:
1. Most students have a profile on "xiaonei" (campus-network) which is the Chinese equivalent of facebook. It even looks like facebook, check it out! www.xiaonei.com
2. It's hard to find a seat in the library, especially when finals roll around.
3. Many are on a budget since college is expensive for their families.
4. They don't like the cafeteria food.
5. Many girls deal with image issues and it's not uncommon for girls to skip meals to loose weight.
6. Boys love playing basketball ... maybe even more than boys in the States ... but maybe it's just the sheer number of them that makes it seem that way.
7. They fall asleep in class. (Yes, sadly, some have fallen asleep in mine.)
8. Humanities subjects are dominated by women while science and engineering dominated by men.
9. They aren't so optimistic about the current job market, yet they are still optimistic about their future and hope to make lots of money when they graduate.
10. They are searching for meaning and trying define themselves during this time of their life.
I'm sure there's a ton more things in common ... but that's all I have time for now.
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteAlways interesting to hear about the university culture. Peter wants to know how they study with power off so early at night.
I think they have a few study rooms in their dormitories where the lights stay on longer. Some of them also have battery powered lamps.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I know, though, I just don't think there's as much late-night studying going on. At least not on this campus.