Under the epidemic, can the road of studying abroad continue?
The epidemic of New Coronary Pneumonia is still spreading around the world. Many Chinese students who have already planned to study abroad, especially those who plan to study abroad this year, are in a dilemma-can they continue to study abroad? On the way to studying abroad in the future, not only are parents and students worried about the epidemic situation in the destination country, but also uncertainty about whether they can successfully arrive in the destination country even if they get an admission notice.
Dilemma affected by the epidemic
"The spread of the New Coronary Pneumonia epidemic worldwide will indeed affect the people who plan to study abroad this year and the next one or two years. We are cautiously optimistic about the situation of studying abroad in the past two years." The White Paper on China Study Abroad 2020 held recently (Hereinafter referred to as the white paper) At the online press conference, Sun Tao, the future president of New Oriental, made the above judgment.
Sun Tao previously wrote that the impact of the epidemic on the field of study abroad can be understood from the current and long-term dimensions. First of all, the epidemic will affect current students studying abroad, students who are about to enroll, and prospective students studying abroad who will apply for study abroad, and will disrupt their previous plans and rhythm. Secondly, in the long run, parents and students will be more cautious about choosing to study abroad, and some families will delay or even abandon their study abroad programs due to the epidemic.
Shi Yucheng, who has just graduated from American high school and has returned to China, has received an admission notice from William and Mary College in the United States. He should have returned to the United States this fall to start university life. He is currently re-planning and plans to study at William and Mary College and domestic universities Exchange items. "My parents are more worried about the epidemic situation in the United States, so I have a high probability that I will first study in an exchange program in China, and I can also get credits, but it is still uncertain whether the freshman can apply to the study position." Shi Yucheng said.
The decline in the number of overseas study consultations by major study abroad service agencies in the past few months also reflects the impact of the epidemic on studying abroad. "In the past period of time, the entire study abroad industry has indeed faced some dilemmas affected by the epidemic, such as the decline in the number of consulting students studying abroad, and the opening of the office space at the beginning of the outbreak, etc." Sun Tao said.
Regarding the impact of the epidemic situation on studying abroad, the relevant person in charge of the International Department of the Ministry of Education (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Office) recently responded to the "Opinions of the Eight Departments of the Ministry of Education on Accelerating and Expanding the Opening of Education in the New Era" ("Opinions") When asked, "The impact of the epidemic on studying abroad is temporary." The "Opinions" reiterate that it will continue to train all kinds of talents needed for my country's modernization through overseas study channels, and will actively develop high-quality educational resources cooperation channels to expand the space for studying abroad. At the same time, we will make great efforts to improve the "safe study abroad" mechanism, further institutionalize and normalize the effective methods found in the process of the epidemic, and escort the students of Guangzhou University to realize the dream of studying abroad. "
Do you want to study abroad?
Under the industry consensus that the epidemic will affect the field of study abroad, whether to study abroad as originally planned has become a hot spot for students and parents who intend to study abroad.
In the online question-and-answer community, the topic of "Do you want to study abroad under the epidemic" has been a hot topic since the outbreak in early 2020.
A netizen named "Not with Xia Chongyubing" said: "I am a junior this year. I originally planned to apply for ASUS this fall. I have been thinking about whether to give up the application recently." This netizen has two factors to worry about. First, some countries of study abroad have different concepts of epidemic prevention and control than China, and worry that the epidemic cannot be controlled well; first, relevant experts predict that the epidemic may return. If you are enrolled in the fall and are catching up with the spread of the epidemic, you are also arriving in a foreign country. It is very difficult to respond. These two factors are also worrying for many students who are going to study abroad.
After considering the risks of postgraduate entrance examinations and studying abroad, netizens "Don't work with Xia Chongyu Bing" decided to study abroad because of the choice of "opportunities and challenges coexist". Will decline, the difficulty of applying for competition will be reduced accordingly.
It is worth noting that the TOEFL, IELTS, SAT and other tests that are closely related to studying abroad have been cancelled since the outbreak. This undoubtedly increased the difficulty of studying abroad and also became an important consideration for the choice of studying abroad. For example, among the students who have received the pre-admission notice from overseas colleges, due to the cancellation of the English test, some students have difficulty meeting the language requirements in time or equipped with language classes, making it difficult to enroll in the fall.
Relevant experts pointed out that whether to choose to study abroad is an individual choice, but it will be affected by factors such as the international situation and the epidemic situation. Before making a choice, it is necessary to have a multi-faceted understanding of the destination country and the target school, and fully evaluate the value and risk of studying abroad before making a rational choice.
Don't stop learning
For students who have decided to study abroad after careful consideration, preparation is the only option.
In response to the cancellation of the TOEFL and IELTS exams, Liu Shuoyang, general manager of the New Oriental Education Technology Group's Foreign Examination Promotion Management Center, told this reporter that there have been some new language exams, and some traditional language exams have also launched new exam forms. In addition, Cambridge Links and Canada's Kaier exams also entered the public's field of vision.
"At the same time, we must always pay attention to the changes in the exam information and make new plans based on it." Liu Shuoyang said.
At present, the latest news about the IELTS test is that from July 9th, IELTS and IELTS for UKVI computer tests for UK visas and immigration will be resumed in 4 test centers in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chongqing. IELTS and IELTS for UKVI paper-and-pencil examinations for UK visas and immigration will be gradually resumed at 12 test sites across the country starting on the 11th. The latest news about the TOEFL test is to resume Suzhou University, Yangzhou University, Ningbo University, Xi'an International Studies University, Shenzhen City University, Shanghai Middle School, Changzhou Senior High School, Dongguan Wensheng International School, Suzhou International Preparatory School and Shenzhen from July 11 The TOEFL test at the SEG Talent Training Center.
In addition to preparing for the language test, using the time during the epidemic to prepare professionally is also an effective response. "If students can make good use of the time during the epidemic to improve their academic and scientific research capabilities, they will gain more than expected when applying for overseas institutions in the future." Sun Tao said.
Xiao Yu (pseudonym), who lives in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, originally planned to apply for studying in the United States this year, but now applies for next year. "My TOEFL score has reached the level of school admissions. I originally selected several universities this year. However, considering the health risks, I decided to apply next year." During the epidemic, Xiao Yu did not relax the pace of learning. Instead, he uses his time to improve his professional level and prepares to write an English thesis in an academic journal in half a year. "Next year, you should apply for a higher ranking institution. After all, I have prepared for so long." Xiao Yu said.
Relevant experts said that the epidemic has brought some influence to the study abroad industry. But in any case, the unique value of studying abroad will not change because of the epidemic situation. Studying abroad is still a life dream worth studying. "And the dream is worth paying and waiting for." Liu Shuoyang said.
Zhao Xiaoxia
Zhao Xiaoxia