There is so much truth to this.
And this segregation that David speaks of is not of the nefarious kind, it’s self-imposed for the most part. Mainland students studying abroad in the U.S. choose not to integrate with the rest of the student body, or even the rest of society.
Their purpose for being here in the U.S. is very much Machiavellian. It is merely a means to a greater end. Making friends, should it happen, is merely an inconvenient byproduct.
It might be different at highly selective colleges, but what I hear from people who are teaching them is that many are not very interested in learning. Are their parents pushing them to come? It’s strange.
Even at select institutions, they’re here primarily to punch their ticket with the degree. The Kennedy School has been playing this game at Harvard for years.
You don’t get a degree if you flunk out.
You don’t flunk out if you have $$$.
Let me rephrase.
You get a degree if you have $$$. Flunking or graduating is irrelevant.
What I’m saying probably applies more to grad school, but depending on the program, it can be really hard to flunk out. Schools make good money off foreign students of all nationalities and have every incentive to keep that money flowing.
And don’t forget ipsedixit’s surrogates.
“subjective” is a term AND concept widely used in universities. 
Also, don’t discount the fact that most students in Asia are extremely well-versed in math- and science - related subjects. I don’t know about China, but I suspect that standards are incomprehensibly as high as they are in S. Korea, Japan and Singapore. Students from those countries who do well on their college entrance exams are considered to have roughly a US-equivalent post-graduate level of knowledge in those exam-tested subjects.
First-tier college-bound students in China are heavily sought after and are encouraged to stay in China. Second-tier were actually given housing and tuition incentives in Singapore - the govt there wanted to stay in good tidings with Beijing - also knew it would be difficult to court the first-tier over anyway.
So if you’re a third-tier or below in China, I’d imagine you’re still going to be pretty smart compared to US-equivalents. Most kids here really don’t start getting serious about learning until they are in college. I’d bet that a lot of the core classes are probably pretty easy to Chinese students here and really don’t have to apply themselves nearly as much as there local counterparts do.
Is it Machiavellian on the students’ part or on the part of the government? The few Chinese students w/ whom I worked while at UCLA wouldn’t have minded staying in the U.S. for a few yrs after graduation but didn’t have much of a choice…
$1,400 for a single midterm exam, whew, that sure is some nice pay.
Chinese students are far from the only people doing that, though.
Especially the admissions consulting stuff. Most of the US consultants probably don’t fake transcripts, but they do improve the quality of admissions essays substantially through advice. Who knows how much literal ghostwriting goes on there.
The biggest sign of things ‘healing’ at USC… the Chinese Food Truck is back on the regular!!!
I first spotted it at the start of the school year, but it’s schedule was super spotty. Since school returned after winter break, it’s been showing up everyday! I went to go my usual Village Afternoon Errands and went to go FINALLY check it out.
Although it’s only one truck for now, the variety of dishes they make is impressive! Over the pandemic, there was an ‘authentic’ place that opened up in the village, but it’s AWFUL and the service TERRIBLE. The lady here is still the SWEETEST and the prices, although much higher than the truck prices before, are still a good deal for what you get.
They take Venmo now and offer all sorts of drinks. If Honeybird had no expanded their HuneyPot menu, I would totally be hitting the truck up for their assortment of Boba!
I skipped my usual Shrimp and Egg as it was cold today and was cravy something a little more hearty. So I got Pork Chop with Pepper Sauce. I brought it home (10 minute walk+10 Minute train ride) an it was still nice and warm by the time I got home.
When I opened it up, I admit, I was bemused by seeing they gave me frozen veggies. If you see the combo plate in the long ago post above, they always had some sort of stirfry veggie. But as I ate and mixed in the veggies, they just WORKED. The were frozen, but steamed so nicely. Mixing with the rice and pepper sauce… SO GOOD.
The pork chop was a winner. SO TENDER. Amazing. The pepper sauce was spot on. The portion was huge. I can see why every time I’ve gone, there has been plenty of students there, not just all Chinese. Around campus you see lots of advertising for the Chinese Delivery services now, no doubt the students use it. But this is inexpensive, quick and tasty. I do enjoy some of the things about the village, but I will for sure be going through this menu.
–Dommy!
Thanks for the report. On Jefferson and McLintock?
Now with the Village there, it’s on Jefferson and Orchard.
Just thought of the black pepper sauce that I so loved as a child from HK-style cafes. ::sigh::
Yes! That is what I meant by SPOT ON. I loved that stuff as a kid in SGV too. What a time…
Peony: Chihuo is a website created by Chinese students while studying at USC. Behind Chihuo.org, L.A.'s Most Popular Chinese-Language Food Website - LA Weekly
It started as foodie guidance for USC Chinese students in LA. At its peak, many of my friends at USC followed their advice for a place to eat. Maybe you will find information there?
Chihuo@LA Instagram: https://instagram.com/chinesefoodiesinla?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Chihuo Website:
https://thechihuo.com/.
I found the website a bit difficult to use recently, as the team has started to include information on non-food activities. They also expanded from LA to across USA and Canada. I prefer the previous version, which was more food-centered.
Thanks so much for the Insta Link… I’m going to be in Santa Ana this week and has been added to my list! I would have never thought…
Thanks for the link. I’m so confused having worked in Irvine on and off for the past 15 years. Google Mapped this place and still not sure what building this is. Menu looks great. Please report back.
Yelp has this helpful feature where it shows the photos outside the restaurant. It’s great especially since so many of these gems are hidden inside Mini Malls. Hopefully this helps. And YES, will report back!
https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/little-pan-santa-ana?select=g_yZBa7G0JbT2nh-vLTftw
Peony: Awesome! Happy to know! I look forward to hearing about your visit soon!
