Having all recently completed the college application process, we are well aware of the standard procedures required for college entrance within the United States. We may have felt that with the multitude of standardized tests, GPA requirements and tedious applications, our system was one of the most difficult and demanding in the world. Surprisingly, this could not be more false; countries around the world, especially China, are much stricter and more challenging than the United States when it comes to college entrance procedures.
In the United States, in order to attend any college, students must meet certain requirements. First, and arguably most important, students must successfully graduate from high school. High school graduates must have taken either the SAT or ACT exam, maintained a certain GPA, filled out applications for each college and obtained letters of recommendation from teachers to be considered for college admittance. This may seem difficult to accomplish but students in the United States have it easy compared to the students in China.
In China, students start preparing for their college entrance exam, known as the GaoKao, very early on in their formal education. Their path towards college education is determined at the conclusion of middle school. Students in China must complete an exam for entrance into high school; this exam determines which “type” of high school the students will attend. After middle school, Chinese students will progress to a secondary professional school, vocational high school, or senior middle school depending upon the results from their high school entrance exam. The type of high school students attend will either jump start or hinder the students’ higher education.
Perhaps even more important than the high school entrance exam is the GaoKao exam. This grueling, highly demanding exam is completed the summer before the student intends to enroll in college. The exam can only be taken once a year and the score is the one aspect taken into consideration when Chinese students apply for college. The image below demonstrates the various education paths that Chinese students can take.
The end all be all impact that the GaoKao exam has on a Chinese students’ education has resulted in many unintended consequences. Even though Chinese students are among the smartest and most disciplined in the world, many students cannot keep up with the stress and pressure the GaoKao exam comes with. According to this article, students have committed suicide in an effort to avoid the arduous exam.
Students who do poorly on the exam, but are highly qualified in other areas, venture over to other countries, such as the United States, to attend college and receive a high education. This article describes specific accounts of students who have followed this path after struggling with the GaoKao exam. As a result of the high requirements China has for its’ students, less and less students are able to receive a college education which has resulted in a shortage of qualified applicants for many job positions. The chart below shows the relationship between the education students in China, India, German and the United States receive.
Should countries implement strategies like those in the United States or China? Should colleges take a more holistic approach when examining applicants or depend more on standardized test scores? Chinese students are ranked first in test scores while the United States is ranked seventeenth, what does this mean for the success of each country? Should the United States place more emphasis on “teaching to the test” or continue on the path of stressing self-exploration and creative thinking?
Globalization & the Writer 
I do not think that countries around the world should conform to China’s strict standardized testing policies. As Robyn pointed out in this blog post, there are prominent issues with the GaoKao, and quite frankly, I do not think the results of those problems are worth the risk. She pointed out that numerous people commit suicide to avoid the test, its outcome can either make or break a person’s life, and that not enough people are passing the test to provide the amount of workers China needs. Is this something that the United States and other countries should be bringing upon themselves? No. There has to be another way to ensure that workers are as highly educated and well-prepared for the workforce as the people that pass the GaoKao are.
Is there a way to do this without standardized testing? It is clear that in the United States the age of these tests seems to be slowly ending as more and more colleges are deeming sending in scores optional (or aren’t even considering them all together). Many people have come to realize that the tests may not be accurate depictions of a student’s knowledge—some people are bad test takers, they may have been sick on the day of the test, etc. I remember discussing these issues in my AP Government class last year, and my teacher (who was very against the SATs and the ACTs) showed us the picture in the below. I think it clearly illustrates the unfairness of the tests.
http://library.poly.edu/news/2012/05/31/studying-standardized-tests-summer-check-out-these-books
So to end, I do not think that any country should try to put more pressure on testing like China does. If anything, I think everyone should do away with standardized testing entirely and work to find new ways to make sure that the highest quality workers are the ones that are entering the force. As for alternatives, I do not have much to offer. Maybe there could be a minimum GPA required throughout the college years, or an extra year of schooling to master the profession. Whatever is done, it should be anything but giving more tests.
Before I read this blog post I admit I was totally ignorant about other countries’ application processes. Granted, I only needed to apply in the United States but I was still ignorant. I honestly think China should change their application process, something similar to the United States’. I don’t think that our country is necessarily better, but I think our application process is healthier. Especially when students in China are committing suicide to escape taking the test that will define their future. That is not healthy or safe for children, less emphasis should be placed on one test for college admittance.
I am happy how college admittance has progressed in the United States. When I applied I didn’t have to send my SAT scores to any school. Now, I am a smart person, but I don’t necessarily do well on standardized testing so my SAT scores weren’t great. My grades were, but my scores were not. So putting more emphasis on my grades and extracurricular activities not only benefits me, but also gives schools the ability to select more well rounded students. Using this strategy in China, focusing on extracurricular and not on just one test, will benefit the children in the end. China may be ranked first in test scores, but “teaching to the test” doesn’t prepare anyone for the 21st century workforce. I would prefer to be better prepared for the future and ranked seventeenth than considering committing suicide and ranked first. I think we all need to take a step back and reevaluate which subjects we place emphasis on and how we apply to college.
I think we can all agree that regions across the world all have different educational systems. As a student in the United States, I can say that our educational in just our region, from state to state is also very different. One unique ideal part of all high school students are the SAT and ACT standardized tests. These tests, as vigorous as they are, are supposed to test our areas of comprehension, mathematical and scientific competencies, and additional areas. In my opinion, these test do NOT reflect a student well. Coming from a student who had a great GPA and rank in high school, my SAT scores did not match up with my transcript. With this mismatch, I received phone calls from potential colleges and universities asking why my SAT scores were below average. I believe these tests should be rejuvenated, if you will, and that the State Departments of Education should work together to develop better testing, that adequately represents a student well. And this could result in the United States looking at foreign testing.
Joseph, I agree with you on the fact that SAT and ACT scores do not reflect the potential and knowledge a student has. I think that we get too caught up in trying to do exceptional on this test when the fact of the matter is that some people do not do well on standardized tests. I don’t think these tests accurately demonstrate how smart a student is. Each person learns differently and therefore, respond differently to tests. This does not reduce the intelligence of the individual however. I think we need to put a focus on overall education rather than teaching to a test.
Standardization of tests and entrance exams is very controversial. The obvious standpoints are either to do it or not to do it, and supporters of one side are often strongly opposed to the other side. One thing people tend to forget is that whether or not they like it, both have significant benefits to students and the school. Those who say tests should be standardized are taking an objective approach. American citizens are supposed to be equal in the eyes of the law and their fellow man, and therefore they should all be tested based on the same standards. Moreover, it sets clear goals that need to be reached by the test taker if he or she wants to be accepted into a certain institution. On the other hand, although American citizens have equal rights under the constitution, the reality is that people are very different. Personality, body type, and disorders are just a few factors that shape an individual’s proficiency in certain skills. As it was mentioned before by Melissa, there are different “intelligences” and people are typically more gifted in one skill than others. Understanding this can lead an academic institution to assist individuals in finding the career path that they would be best at. Ultimately, both main sides of standardization of tests and entrance exams have benefits and although the systems in both the United States and China could each be improved. Higher education institutions should decide on the standardization of their entrance exams based on how they plan on educating their students.
I believe that implementing strategies like the United States would be the best strategy to approach the application process. The way China constructs their tests is to stressful, and only allows people who excel in test taking skills to soar above the rest and accomplish more. It creates a small box of students who can really achieve their full success because not everyone can show their intelligence through one test. In the United States, I think it is great that kids not only send their GPA and SAT scores, but also apply through essays and the work they have accomplished through high school. Howard Gardner, a psychologist, proposed the idea that there is not just one intelligence, but eight. The proposed intelligences were musical (rhythmic), spatial, mathematical, body kinesthetic, interpersonal, interpersonal, verbal and naturalistic. This shows that people may excel in math and therefor do well on the test, while people who have intelligence in body kinesthetics might do better in sports or athletic events, inhibiting them to display their true intelligence on that one test. I believe, like Howard Gardner proposed, that people are intelligent in different areas and one test does not include people who may display their intelligence in other areas. The college process conducted by the United States also allows people from different cultures to present to schools what was important to them and how they accomplished their goals. Overall, China conducts a stressful college process that excludes the array of intelligences other people may have. This is why I think countries should conduct a college process like the United States
I believe that the United States should take a similar approach to college entrance as China does. The way classes are taught in different schools varies widely in different school systems depending on location, whether they are public or private, as well as many other factors. If there was one standard test that students were taught according to, there would be more order in the school system. In the United States, we have the ACTs and the SATs, but those tests are not even required by many schools, Merrimack College being one of them. One of the reasons that many schools are going “test optional” is because the school systems are so different around the country and some students are prepared for college in different ways that would not be apparent on the test. There should be a more standard way of preparing students for college, and by creating a universal entrance exam that would be a large factor, if not the only factor, in college admittance, would help prepare students equally for college.
Areas around the world have different outlooks on the educational aspect of the future of their citizens. The demand for higher education is held to different variations throughout countries. China is one of the smartest countries worldwide, but America is one of the most diverse countries that holds citizens from international areas. Countries worldwide also have different standards for the days of school students endure. Some students attend school for ten hours a day varying from five to six days, here in America the maximum hours a day students attend school is for eight hours but only five days a week. Students also get numerous holidays off, accommodating the different cultures here in America. Other countries primarily only get their own holidays off. I feel the implementation strategies should be taken similarly to the ways of the United States. The students are put to an amount of stress that is reasonable but yet still some students cannot handle the stress. I myself could not imagine the stress a student in China handles, because I am personally not one that handles it very well. Even though, the United States holds their students to semi high standards, the educational system should focus specifically on what needs to be learned in a year instead of unnecessary material. Focusing primarily on testing strategies and materials that would appear on higher education tests, would probably also allow students to feel more at ease knowing that this information would be helpful/needed for the future. Being an undergraduate freshman student, I have come to the assumption that students tend to only take in necessary information that they are interested in learning. If colleges took a more holistic approach they would be able to examine the students learning as a whole rather than the effects of a test. Success for each country is dependent upon the educational system in which they are run by. The higher demand and pressure the students encounter, the outcomes will either be beneficial or result in a dangerous environment. If the demand for testing is limited the educational rates may rise because students will be more likely to want to succeed rather than feel like they have to.