OVER-POPULATED ‘CHINA’ STUDENTS IN THE UK UNIVERSITIES

Occasion: Having some light chat in the van in one of my shifts of Reception Assistant job for the University conference guests with my good colleague from China, Ah Tian who's doing his PhD study in Engineering with the University of Warwick.

As we drove through the students' resident building, waiting for the radio to beep for our next task for the evening, we saw a group of Chinese students, young and stylish with an up to date clothing and hairstyle that looks like pop ups straight from a Chinese fashion magazine crossing the road making their way to the residence. Ah Tian, while slowing down the van, said "Azfar (Well, it was more like Affa because it's hard for his mother tongue to pronounce my name), do you know that these China students, they don't really have a clue what they're doing here". Me, smirked a little, pretending that I know nothing about this saying "Really mate? Tell me about it". He later revealed to me that China native undergraduates don't know much or nothing about UK education, yet they still managed to come and study in the universities across the UK and the number increases every year.

I am a bit confused on this China phenomenon but hesitated to ask why, when Ah Tian deliberately told me that they only came here because they were sent by their parents for a better education. But instead, they came to the UK more like a posh tourist with a lot of cash in bank account waiting to be spent on all the shopping on the high streets and since all of them comes from the China government of ‘One Child Policy’, nearly every one of them even though not all, are just basically rich brats. This somehow eventually gave bad reps and affects the other China students studying overseas especially in other parts of Europe.

China student's graduating from UK university. A common sights in the UK today. Photo belongs to http://chinaukbridge.com.

Well Ah Tian, that's a little too harsh to describe your own countrymen even though there are some truths in what you said since you are also from China. Personally, to me, this is all just a matter of differences in cultural and education background on how English Language is being taught in Chinese school. These China students just need more time to be understood and to be adapted in the UK education.

The same white Peugeot Partner van model that we used for patrolling the campus. It's 100% Electric, battery rechargeable and environmentally friendly. Cool van. Photo belongs to http://www.radnorgaragecarsales.co.uk/used/peugeot/partner.

Meanwhile, an English Native YouTuber by the name of Jade Joddle: Speech, Voice and Personal Development (https://www.youtube.com/user/englishfriend), ranted her own personal view on this in one of her video saying that the UK universities only allow this to happen because of the money-making factor. The more Chinese students they can get, the more income for the university and eventually, grades and quality of education among students are just secondary.

According to one YouTube short documentary on this phenomenon titled ‘Chinese Students in the UK’, there are more Chinese students at UK universities than from the whole of Europe combined. At present, 95,000 Chinese students are studying in the UK. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKe85ddJZ9s, 2017) which really explains on how you can make big income in promoting high prestige UK education to the overseas students especially China alone.

To cut it short, I would like to share a scene which I always encountered whenever I’m taking the Coventry City public bus after work where a group of China students normally girls, stepping onto the bus platform and ask the bus driver whether the bus is heading to the city centre. Not understanding what the girl’s bunch trying to say, the bus driver had to make them repeat at least three to five times to get what they’re trying to say and after like three minutes of communication struggle, all they ever tried to say was "Is the bus going to Coventry City Centre?" Made my day every time it happens. Yeah, true story. Which made me think I should further my study in the Scandinavian nations instead of the UK like Denmark perhaps? Godspeed.

*All the UK acronyms on this post are referred to as the United Kingdom.