Chinese students appear in video about U.S. colleges

Three IU students recently appeared in a video about higher education in the United States that aired in China.\nThe students, all international graduate students from China, were filmed for short segments and two half-hour shows that aim to promote American universities.\n"The U.S. is engaged in a global competition for international students," said Associate Dean and Director of International Services Christopher Viers. "The world's most talented students are widely sought after."\nJing Zhang, Yifan Xu and Qiong You were interviewed in Mandarin, the most widely spoken Chinese dialect. Their interviews were part of a combined effort of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Commerce to lure China's top students to American universities.\n"It is very helpful for students in China to see with their eyes how the American universities are, how the Chinese students feel about their lives here," Zhang said, "because in China, students only get to know the universities through brochures. They cannot fly across the globe to check each university like American students do."\nChinese students make up the third-largest segment of the international student population at IU, behind Indian and South Korean students, Viers said. About 387 Chinese students were enrolled for the fall 2006 semester, he said.\nViers said international students sometimes have trouble understanding the American education system, and videos like the one produced by the Department of State can help students understand the process of applying to and attending American universities. About 60 percent of international students are at the graduate level, while 40 percent are undergraduates, Viers said. The video attempts to lure both to IU.\n"When assessing educational opportunities in the U.S., one of the things we fail to recognize is the complexity of the U.S. higher educational system," he said. "Imagine having to apply for colleges in the U.S. sitting at a computer in Beijing."\nAs part of the taping for the show, each student was interviewed in Mandarin and filmed doing something on campus. You showed viewers her job at Read Dining Hall, Xu played basketball at the Student Recreational Sports Center and Zhang practiced her opera singing at the Jacobs School of Music.\nZhang said she was happy to appear in the video because of her positive experience at IU.\n"American universities have the best conditions for students," she said. "For instance, in the music school, we have well-known faculty, the best music library and the biggest opera house, best costumes and most opera productions."\nViers said the international program wants to enroll the best and brightest students from all over the world and IU's contribution to the video can only give the University a jump-start on other schools competing for top students.