Chinese students have always been a source of fascination for universities and countries around the world. What motivates these students and how best to attract them? Are their numbers increasing or dwindling? This last question is important because Chinese students are the largest group of globally mobile students, and the ebb and flow of their numbers can have a positive or negative impact on universities in countries like the U.S., Canada, and the U.K that often rely on Chinese students to make up a large part of their international student population. In today’s episode, we look beyond the numbers and instead try and understand today’s Chinese students who are “ambitious and anxious.” Today’s guest is Dr. Yingyi Ma, a Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in sociology and Director of the Asian/Asian American studies program at Syracuse University in New York. A scholar of education and migration focusing on the U.S. and China, Dr. Ma has published three books, numerous articles, and is a frequent contributor to global media. Her most recent book, Ambitious and Anxious: How Chinese Students Struggle and Succeed in American Higher Education, also helps us understand the broader social and cultural context of China that has helped shape today’s Chinese students.
Episode Themes:
Why Chinese students can be characterized as being ambitious and anxious
Prevailing stereotypes about recent Chinese students, and key ways in which Chinese students are a diverse group as opposed to being a homogeneous group
Dr. Ma’s personal experience of being a Chinese student in the U.S., how today’s students are different from her generation, and how her experiences have inspired an interest in studying education and migration
How the pandemic has affected Chinese students
What Chinese students are seeking when they study abroad, the concept of cultural capital, and what U.S. institutions can do to better support their Chinese students
Being an Asian American herself and a scholar of Asian American Studies, Dr. Ma reflects on the geopolitical situation and the current sentiment amongst Chinese students and families about studying abroad in the West
The rise of China as an educational destination in its own right, and one that attracts international students
Episode Resources:
Dr. Ma's book: Ambitious and Anxious: How Chinese Students Struggle and Succeed in American Higher Education
My book: America Calling: A Foreign Student in a Country of Possibility
Sign up for America Calling: my take on the intersection of education, culture and migration
