The document compares university education in China and the United States. Some key differences are that American universities focus more on cultivating creativity while Chinese universities emphasize traditional education, and Chinese university education is generally more affordable and equitable than the expensive private universities in the US. However, both countries' university systems prioritize grades, rankings, and credentials over true learning and critical thinking, and students in both countries often lack independence and a willingness to challenge authorities.
The document compares university education in China and the United States. Some key differences are that American universities focus more on cultivating creativity while Chinese universities emphasize traditional education, and Chinese university education is generally more affordable and equitable than the expensive private universities in the US. However, both countries' university systems prioritize grades, rankings, and credentials over true learning and critical thinking, and students in both countries often lack independence and a willingness to challenge authorities.
The document compares university education in China and the United States. Some key differences are that American universities focus more on cultivating creativity while Chinese universities emphasize traditional education, and Chinese university education is generally more affordable and equitable than the expensive private universities in the US. However, both countries' university systems prioritize grades, rankings, and credentials over true learning and critical thinking, and students in both countries often lack independence and a willingness to challenge authorities.
The document compares university education in China and the United States. Some key differences are that American universities focus more on cultivating creativity while Chinese universities emphasize traditional education, and Chinese university education is generally more affordable and equitable than the expensive private universities in the US. However, both countries' university systems prioritize grades, rankings, and credentials over true learning and critical thinking, and students in both countries often lack independence and a willingness to challenge authorities.
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黄张淼(107242017000084)
Dr. Xiaodong Liu
Assignment #2 Advanced English 5 October 3,2019
The Comparison of University Education in China and US
Rightly stated by Albert Einstein, “Education is what remains after one has
forgotten everything he learned in school”, university education is something that
remains embedded within us till our last breath. Not only does it make us earn a
living, but it also helps us live a better life. Different countries have different
educational styles. So if we want to enhance the understanding of university
education, it is necessary to compare the college education of different countries. Here
are some similarities and differences between Chinese and American university
education:
On the one hand, there are some obvious differences in university education
between the two countries. First, American universities probably pay more attention
to cultivating students' creativity than Chinese universities. The conservation of
traditional education in educational concepts and teaching methods has restricted the
development of creativity in Chinese colleges. For instance, most of Chinese teachers
use teacher-oriented methods which mean they focus on irrigating “knowledge”, so
Chinese college students cannot associate what they have learned with what they can
do. They have no idea that they can innovate and create. This is the complete opposite
of the American way of teaching. And different major selection systems also affect creativity. In the United States, undergraduates can change majors freely so that
students can fully explore which major they are most interested in, while for Chinese
students they decide their major when they first enter the university, and only a few
students have chance to change their major. To some extent, this limits the
improvement of creativity of students.
Second maybe the university education in China is fairer than that in the United
States. Mark Edmundson who is an American university professor and prizewinning
scholar argued that in American culture, the major and determining values are
monetary. A few months ago, a scandal of Stanford University was exposed, The
Washington post reported “Zhao Tao, the mother of a Chinese student paid a college
consultant $6.5 million to get her daughter into Stanford.” After that, in a number of
prestigious universities more and more people were prosecuted, up to 50 people
including two Hollywood actresses. By doing this, it's hard to make the education fair.
And it is reported that tuition at ivy league schools in New York has risen by nearly
8% in recent years. Among the 10 most expensive private schools, the average tuition
was almost $56,900. Many American students give up entering the university because
of the pressure of high tuition. However, Compared with China, most of the
undergraduate tuition of great universities is around 5,000 yuan per year. In addition,
the Chinese government will give grants to students who are from poor families. It is
almost guaranteed that as many students as possible have the right to go to the
universities. Therefore Chinese university education is more equitable than American.
On the other hand, some similarities in university education can be seen between these two countries. One is most universities in both countries have same university
operation system. Just like Edmundson stated that a lot of students are only interested
in grades and care about issuing diplomas. Today millions of young students work
hard and study every day with the belief that education is the golden ticket to a better
life. And some professors in college are busy producing academic results, which have
precious little to do with the fundamental teaching. As for the administrators, they are
more concerned with rankings of university and alumni donation. All of them are
inclined to pursue their own so-called success, but have no idea about what is real
university education.
Another is the college students just want to go along and probably lack rational
critical spirit. Edmundson pointed out that because of the traditional idea it is a big
challenge for students to question the books they read and to challenge authorities like
Ralph Waldo Emerson has done to religion. In terms of Chinese college students, they
are also afraid to argue with their professors. Some students indicated they don't want
to get into trouble and maybe the professors are right. Indeed, all of them have no
independence for their university study.
In conclusion, nowadays in the process of globalization, for the development of
university education, China and the United States are supposed to discuss and learn
from each other maintaining their independence. What’s more, as a college student,
we need to realize the real meaning of college education and try to make it happen.
Excerpt From "Higher Education in America" by Derek Bok. Copyright 2013 by Derek Bok. Reprinted Here by Permission of Princeton University Press 2013. All Rights Reserved.
