How tough are today's international students? Just innocently browsing the internet can leave you utterly defeated.
"How dare I, with my all-UK-master's flavor, approach you with your all-American-undergrad flavor?"
"How dare I, with my all-American-undergrad flavor, approach you with your all-American-high-school flavor?"
......
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There are not only heartbreaking mini-essays across regions but also endless comparisons between majors—"How dare I, with my art-school flavor, approach you with your business-school flavor?".
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This has once again escalated the study-abroad status hierarchy, rocketing from version 1.0 to 5.0. Even Lin Huiyin's rejection of Xu Zhimo has been jokingly interpreted by netizens as "a U.S. undergrad looking down on a UK master's," and some netizens analyze that "STEM is top-tier; why would it look down on humanities and social sciences?"
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Source: Xiaohongshu
The "America" Prefix Means Top of the Heap
In fact, the hierarchy among study-abroad destinations has long existed, with "deep-seated resentments."
In study-abroad circles, there is an unspoken stereotype.
That is—
Those who can go to the U.S. won't choose the UK, assuming all one-year programs are "watered-down master's"—just getting a diploma.
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Those who can go to the UK will definitely not go to Canada;
If Canada is an option, then one will surely look down on Australia, which has long been mocked as a gathering place for rich second-generation kids rejected by the U.S. and UK;
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Yet, at the very bottom are Hong Kong and Singapore, whose value is actually not low at all. Though they are on par with Australia, the reason they rank slightly lower is simply that they are too close to home! Truly disheartening.
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Why such a ranking? Let's decode it step by step!
I'm a U.S. Undergrad, Far Ahead with the "America" Label
As a hot study-abroad destination, the U.S. deservedly sits at the pinnacle of the hierarchy. After all, among the top 50 QS universities, U.S. institutions take more than half of the spots. Moreover, the tuition and cost of living in the U.S. are also far ahead, not to mention school resources...
Just the Ivy League schools alone can easily carry the whole field.
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But We're the G5, Aren't We?
Although occupying the second tier of the hierarchy, the G5 still pack a punch when singled out. Within them, Oxford and Cambridge are in a league of their own, while the remaining IC, LSE, and UCL shine brightly in different fields.
Despite the mockery of "one-year UK water master's, lifelong British complex," receiving a G5 offer still makes people overjoyed and wanting to tell the world!
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They Can Only Give You a Degree, but I Can Give You a Home
"It's not that the U.S. is unattainable, but Canada offers more bang for your buck!"
As an immigration-friendly country, North America + a maple leaf card + a safer environment than the U.S. attract droves of international students.
Plus, the University of Toronto, UBC, and McGill have impressive world rankings. Although their application difficulty is on par with Ivy League schools, many students still make Canada their top choice for studying abroad.
If You Mess With Me, You've Kicked Cotton
When it comes to Australia, stereotypes run even deeper, epitomized by "water" and "rustic"—both watered-down and rustic. But Australian international students are not convinced, as in the latest QS rankings, we "Down Under" hold three spots in the top 20!
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Although QS rankings have improved, their reputation has become even more criticized. Fortunately, Australian schools have a great mindset—amidst the world's chaos, we still celebrate joyfully!
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Thus, studying in Australia offers high cost-effectiveness, yet its position at the bottom of the study-abroad hierarchy won't change anytime soon. The revolution is not yet complete; comrades, keep up the effort!
Come On, Sir, I'm Last?
No matter the ranking list, HKU/CUHK/HKUST and NUS/NTU have nothing "watery" about them.
Yet in study-abroad circles, there is always the stereotype: "You didn't even leave Asia; you call that studying abroad?"
They lose on location, but Asian schools are still Asian schools. Their strict admission standards keep their reputation consistently good, and they remain dream schools that many international students yearn for day and night.
The above is just the tip of the iceberg of the study-abroad hierarchy. From countries to schools, down to programs and class schedules, the overlapping layers of hierarchies are endless...
The Hierarchy Has Been Thoroughly Understood
Not only do hierarchies exist between majors at different schools, but comparisons also abound among different majors at the same school.
· Prestigious school "elite" programs despise prestigious school "water" programs
· Prestigious school "water" programs look down on regular school programs
· Low overall ranking but high major ranking looks down on those with low overall and low major rankings
· Those in prime locations look down on those in poor locations
· Daytime classes despise evening classes...
Furthermore, when it comes to specific disciplines, law and medicine sit at the very top of the hierarchy, with return on investment directly proportional to application difficulty.
Next is business. Although business is very popular among international students, the threshold is not something anyone can reach. And even within business, the internal hierarchy is quite dramatic, showing how tough it is.
The comparative degrees of other academic directions are generally:
Engineering > Social Sciences > Humanities > Arts
When these directions are further subdivided, hierarchies emerge endlessly:
Sciences: Math/Physics > Statistics/Psychology > Biology/Chemistry
Engineering: Computer Science/EE > Other Engineering
Social Sciences: Economics > Public Administration/Politics > Sociology > Others
Humanities: Philosophy > Journalism > History > Languages > Literature
Beyond these, the study-abroad circle even has a hierarchy of English accents:
Noble and aloof London accent > Showy North American rhotic twang > To-die-for Australian accent > Hinglish that sounds like gibberish > "Not at all" Chinglish > Unintelligible Japanish
Even more outrageous is the hierarchy of language tests:
TOEFL looks down on IELTS, IELTS looks down on TOEIC, TOEIC looks down on TEM-8, and CET-4/6 are crushed at the very bottom.
Besides these hierarchies, there are even more endless chains of hierarchy regarding post-graduation industries and departments, truly infinite...
Refuse to Be Gaslit; Start with Yourself
In truth, such involution will never stop, and hierarchies will keep emerging endlessly.
But returning to the original intention, most people set out to study abroad simply to see a bigger world, appreciate more scenery, learn knowledge they are passionate about, or prepare to live the life they want in the future...
Not to become the top of someone else's chain.
Yet along the way, too much information dazzles the eyes:
The U.S. is great, but not so safe; Canada is relatively safe and easy to get a maple leaf card, but it's too cold; after graduation, staying in Australia is relatively easier, but it's really a bit rustic; Hong Kong and Singapore are excellent and close to home, but just too close...
So when you return to your original aspiration, all external additive opinions actually serve your own will.
Not belittling yourself, not wallowing in self-pity, not allowing yourself to sink, but finding a goal and direction to bravely move forward—that is the best posture to face the current environment.
The 25Fall application season has already started. We hope everyone can discard distractions, go all out, and receive offers from their dream schools as desired!
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