Photo by Yuan Zhou / for China Daily

The growing desire to study overseas is a result of ample family incomes and an appreciation of the Chinese yuan, as well as an inefficient Chinese higher education system, educators and parents have said.

About 1.4 million people globally took part in the IELTS examination last year, among whom 300,000 were Chinese - 40,000 more than in 2008 - according to statistics from the British Council in China.

Meanwhile, the number of applications to sit TOEFL exams in China also jumped 30 percent from 2008 to 2009, according to the China Business News.

Among the general increase, university students account for the majority of IELTS applicants in China.

Pros: Getting a global perspective

by Wu Yang

What New Zealand offered me was a lifestyle other than the mainstream Chinese one.

The courses of my major include both theory and on-the-job education. During class trainings my classmates and I needed to learn within groups.

Several discussion sessions were usually conducted to conclude a group opinion. A wide range of opinions and different voices can be heard by the tutor. My classmates and I were able to speak out our unrealistic ideas, to justify them with the greatest amount of courage, and to fight for them as much as we could.

In addition to coursework, there were different social groups I could mingle with.

I made friends from all parts of the world including Russia, America, England, Japan, India and Brazil.

In that foreign environment, I was forced to learn to get along with these people (or I would be without friends!).

People from all walks of life became my acquaintances, including artists, students, soldiers, corporate owners, athletes, socialites and even illegal immigrants.

By talking to these people, I got to learn from their interesting life experiences and my views were broadened by spending time with them.

New Zealand represents a laidback lifestyle with a quality natural environment. It has less pressure with more farms, vineyards, ranches, lakes and mountains.

During school holidays, I stayed in the Abel Tasman National Park, in which I went hiking, camping and swimming.

Each May and in every horseracing season, I went to the Ellerslie Racing Show for a celebration of lifestyles.

The fresh air and relaxed lifestyle, surrounded by an interesting group of friends and most importantly, a set of positive life experiences, made living overseas worth a million.

To put it simply, without my overseas experiences, I would not be as fulfilled as I am now.

Cons: Too young to go

Most students sent to study abroad at a young age where were born in the 1990s. Many simply did so because their wealthy families had dreams of emigrating.

However, once in a foreign environment, these kids suffer from psychological problems such as anxiety and loneliness, in addition to pressure from their new schools.

Experts believe it can take between five and eight years to prepare a Chinese child to study in a foreign culture. They must be good at learning as well as have a strong ability in dealing with pressure, and maturely discern what is right from wrong.

However, if these students do not develop this skill set, they will find it difficult to be admitted to a foreign school even after spending time in the country itself.

Generally speaking, studying abroad at a young age brings more pain than reward to both parents and children. The reasons are varied: the students may develop different personal qualities, their parents may have insincere motivation, and profit-driven overseas education agencies may introduce students to low-level study programs.

Therefore, it is inevitable that problems will surface as an increasing number of children go to study abroad.

Excerpts from a report on http://www.ciein.com

(China Daily)