In recent years, more and more students have chosen to study abroad for their undergraduate degrees. According to the 2017 Open Doors report released by the Institute of International Education in November 2017, the total number of international students at U.S. higher education institutions (including colleges and universities) in the 2016–17 academic year reached a staggering 1,078,000+.
Among them, the proportion of Chinese students still holds an overwhelming advantage.
At the same time, admission rates at Ivy League universities hit a new low in 2018. The acceptance rate for Chinese students at Ivy League schools was a mere 0.432%, and the University of Washington Seattle even fell below 15%. The competition for undergraduate admissions in the U.S. is becoming increasingly fierce.
This competition has led to more and more Chinese students starting their preparation earlier. When conditions allow, many families face the choice: should they send their children to an international school or overseas program, or directly to an American high school?
Today, CheersYou（清柚教育） will analyze the pros and cons of American high schools versus domestic international schools for students and parents.
International High School
Advantages:
1. Compared to regular public high schools in China, international high schools have curricula and arrangements that are closer to the American and British education systems. They generally use bilingual or full English instruction, allowing students a transitional period between Chinese and English. Additionally, students can take courses such as AP, IB, and A-Level, which help them adapt to the teaching methods of American universities in advance.
2. International schools have a significant advantage in test preparation. Students do not need to prepare for the Gaokao, and they are not completely immersed in an English test-prep environment, so the workload is not as stressful as in regular high schools or American high schools.
On the other hand, the resources for test preparation materials and exam training in China are superior to those in the U.S. International schools generally support students in focusing on exam preparation, so course scheduling and leave policies are more flexible. Many schools even offer their own test training support or organize exam groups to take students abroad for tests, which helps students aim for higher scores.
Disadvantages:
1. The ones you want to get into are hard to enter, and the ones you can get into may not be ideal. International high schools are mainly divided into those that only admit foreign nationals, international departments of regular high schools, and private international high schools. Currently, the quality of domestic international high schools is uneven.
Some schools do have top-notch educational resources, such as Shanghai American School Puxi, but students not only need good grades and appropriate status, but also connections and high tuition fees, with limited spots. Many other schools may not be satisfactory in terms of quality, faculty, and school culture, and may not necessarily deliver ideal college admission results.
American High School
Advantages:
1. The simplest and most obvious advantage is cultural immersion and language acquisition. High school-aged adolescents have a strong ability to learn and adapt to a second language. If attending an American high school as a day student, one usually lives with a local host family, so students are immersed in English almost 24/7.
2. Beyond academics, American students have many other opportunities, with extracurricular activities being one of the most important. In fact, U.S. universities highly value students’ holistic development, encouraging them to pursue their interests and study what they truly love. Sometimes, outstanding performance in a particular area—such as sports or social activities—can lead universities to lower standardized test score requirements, something rarely seen in the Chinese education system and thus a common weakness for many high-achieving Chinese students.
Both American high schools and Chinese international high schools typically end classes around 3 p.m., but the difference is that American high school students spend their time playing sports, rehearsing plays, debating, and seizing every moment to engage in activities they are passionate about. These activity formats are most familiar to U.S. universities, carry high credibility, and add weight to successful college applications.
Most importantly, students gain access to firsthand application resources and information. For example, before preparing for the SAT, they can get the latest and most accurate information through their school, quickly find suitable recommenders for college, and participate in open house events at universities of interest during the summer, or even attend summer schools and audit courses. These advantages for applications cannot be fully matched by any domestic international school.
3. Huge advantage in college applications. Based on recent admission trends, we rank the difficulty for different types of Chinese applicants in increasing order: applicants from regular Chinese high schools, applicants from American high schools, and U.S. citizens/green card holders. Naturally, U.S. citizens/green card holders are considered domestic students, and for the same schools, their admission standards are the lowest. For international applicants without U.S. status, universities tend to favor those with a U.S. educational background, and the longer the duration of study in the U.S., the better. Under comparable conditions, students from American high schools may have SAT score requirements 50+ points lower than those from regular Chinese high schools.
Disadvantages:
1. If a student lacks independence and planning skills, or is not mentally prepared for studying abroad, parents should carefully discuss with the child. Although American high schools offer excellent conditions and resources, the decision should be based on the child’s actual situation.
2. Tuition is somewhat more expensive.
Before becoming familiar with international schools, CheersYou（清柚教育） thought that the cost of international schools was definitely much lower than studying in an American high school.
However, the reality is that annual tuition at international high schools now generally starts at 200,000 to 300,000 RMB, not including additional expenses for activities, projects, books, etc. From this perspective, attending an international school is like buying a sports car—you need to be able to afford not just the purchase but also the maintenance. The costs for various activities, exchange opportunities, summer and winter camps, academic programs, etc., are substantial each year; the 200,000 RMB tuition is just the beginning.
In comparison, private day high schools cost $30,000 to $40,000, while private boarding schools, with tuition and boarding, are about $45,000 to $70,000 per year. Although studying abroad is certainly more expensive than attending an international school in China, the “value for money” is higher. Once abroad, many experiences that need to be “intentionally sought” in China become a natural part of daily life (such as a full English environment, volunteer opportunities, campus sports, academic testing systems, etc.), and college applications also become easier.
