China Growing in Study-Abroad Popularity

  ABC News on Campus reporter Andrea Alarcon blogs: University of Florida student Juliana Jimenez thought she would only spend a summer studying abroad in China. That quickly became a semester, and finally a year.
 
“You can do about 10 times more things in China than you can in Europe," Jimenez said. "You can eat 10 times more and with more variation than in Europe. Many parts of China are not modern at all. It’s like traveling back to the Middle Ages: no electricity, no cars, nothing.” Study abroad programs are seeing a surge in students interested in China. A report by the Institute of International Education showed a 25 percent hike in the number of U.S students studying in China from 2005-06 to 2006-07. A total of 11,064 Americans studied in China during the 2006-07, the latest academic year for which statistics are available, up significantly from the 1,396 who studied in China in 1994-95. Though the numbers of students studying abroad in general are expected to drop off this year due to the recession, China remains a growing destination of choice. Although the traditional study abroad destinations like Italy, Britain, France and Spain are still at the top of the list for American students, the report found that China is now the fifth-most-popular destination. “We are expecting this fall’s enrollment to decrease by a lot, though — not China, but just studying abroad in general,” said Dave Mass, a study abroad advisor at the University of Florida, which reported a 20 percent increase in students traveling to China between 2007-08 and last academic year. “People can’t really afford it.” Enrollment in UF Mandarin classes has risen accordingly. According to Elinore Fresh, a UF Chinese professor, the number of beginning Mandarin sections tripled in the past two years due to high demand. The university now offers six sections of beginning Mandarin.  “The Chinese are everywhere now, so if you want to do business, knowing the language can only help you,” Fresh said. While other language classes flood with liberal arts majors, Mandarin sections are also filled with business, engineering and pre-law students. Senior civil engineering major Sebastian Lopez, for instance, studied abroad in both France and China. “If you're claustrophobic or picky about food, I recommend you go to Europe,” he said. “If you're more open-minded and can adjust to different situations, go to China. China is the place to see something different.” The People’s Republic of China, established in 1949, comprises a variety of terrains, climates, languages, minorities and foods. “And when all this is too much for you, China is doing a great job of modernizing,” Jimenez said. “So finding a McDonalds, KFC or Hooters won't be a problem either.” Many of Fresh’s former students got jobs in China.  A recent graduate with a French and Chinese double major is now working for a French company that is expanding to China. Another works for Praxis Language, a company based in Shanghai that offers free Mandarin lessons at Chinesepod.com.  ”A lot of people see China as the new land of opportunity,” Fresh said. “Not only American students, but students from all over the world are now interested in heading over there.” As for now, Jimenez plans on graduating from her journalism major and Chinese minor so she can move to China and find a job. “With no experience and no degree, I could earn up to $22 an hour teaching English in China,” she said. “Here, I would be lucky to get half of that with a degree, and with impossible bills to pay, even while working extended hours.”