American Colleges Want More Chinese Students

This has to be concerning for young American high-school students wanting to go to elite colleges.

From The Boston Globe:

BEIJING - Don't be fooled by the teenager's slender frame and wire-rimmed glasses. His name is Tiger - and he's an American high school student's worst nightmare.

The 16-year-old junior, as adept at proving geometry theorems as he is at defending a soccer shot, has set his sights on Harvard University. And Harvard, on him.

Just last month, Tiger and dozens of China's brightest students gathered in a five-star hotel blocks from Tiananmen Square for the final round of a math contest that planted the Crimson flag firmly in the world's most populous nation. They competed under the watchful gaze of William Fitzsimmons, Harvard's admissions dean, who has handpicked undergraduates for three decades.

Students such as Tiger, or Li Taibo in Chinese, represent the future face of elite American colleges, their greatest hope as they vie to maintain international dominance. It's especially true for Harvard, as it tries to elevate the profile of its math and sciences to be on par with its legendary humanities program.

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I've been asked countless times from Chinese high school and university students about applying to American universities. They want to know which schools are the best, tips about getting in, etc.

The advice I've given out most is the following:

There are heaps of great universities and trade schools in America. Don't only focus on Harvard and Princeton since it's quite likely that you won't be able to get into those kind of schools. There are hundreds of great public and private universities outside of the Ivy League. Look at what you want specifically want to study and then find which schools have good departments in that area.