Paper Title
Do Chinese Students Prefer the SAT over the Gaokao and the More Holistic Admissions Process?
Abstract
Objective
The Gaokao is a national examination taken by Chinese students for university admissions. Entrance to universities is almost entirely based on the score of the Gaokao, unlike the United States that uses a more holistic approach to college admissions including standardized testing, essays, extracurricular activities and socioeconomic factors. This author conducted a survey to examine Chinese high school students’ perceived anxiety and fairness of the Gaokao compared to the U.S. admissions system.
Methods:
40 Chinese students in Xi’an China were given a survey and asked for both written and oral responses. Each student was interviewed and asked the survey questions by the author.
Results:
Of the 40 students who were surveyed (25 boys and 15 girls, mean age 17.3), 80% reported they were anxious about the Gaokoa, and 60% of the surveyed students thought the Gaokao was fair. 95% of the survey respondents stated that they would prefer a more holistic approach to university admissions.
Conclusion:
Significant proportion of Chinese students report to be very anxious about the Gaokao feeling pressure from both themselves and parents to perform well. Notably, although 60% of surveyed students felt the Gaokao was fair, 95% would prefer to more holistic U.S. approach to college admissions.
Keywords - Gaokao, Chinese Students, College Admissions, National Examination