University life in the United States is not what Jia Jia had expected it to be. Jia, whose name translates into “happy,” had never left her native China before enrolling in classes at the University in the fall of 2002.
The 17-year-old freshman found the University via an online search engine and chose it for two reasons. First, she said a big city such as New York City is not a good place to study because of distractions, and second, she was offered a full-ride scholarship.
Jia said while she cannot compare the University to one in China because she never attended one, education in China as a whole is more competitive.
“There’s a large population, so we have to find the best way to select good people — having more tests,” she said. “Students have to learn a lot of things while they are in high school.”
The pre-business student said education in China is much more difficult than the University, and that the material in Math 251 she already learned in high school.
Because education is difficult, students concentrate on studying instead of other issues such as politics, she said, adding that she was shocked to see how much freedom students had while taking part in anti-war protests near Johnson Hall.
“The first time I saw students walking on the street and saying, ‘I want peace,’ (and) saw a police car beside them, I told my friends that they will be arrested,” she said. “They said, ‘No, police will protect them.’”
Jia is most surprised by the student protests, but she said the University differs from colleges in China in other ways as well. She said while many international students take classes at the University, Chinese universities have few international students — most are exchange students rather than full-time students.
According to the Office of International Programs, 1,400 University students, or 7 percent of the student body, are international. Of those, 70 percent, or 978, are Asian. Only 7 percent, or nearly 100, of all international students are exchange.
The ratio of Asian students to white students might be responsible for the lack of activities for Jia and others Chinese students to participate in.
“I only like the University,” she said. “I hate the weather. I don’t know how I can spend my time — just study. That’s boring.”
University sophomore and CSA member Jimmy Foo agreed, adding that leisure time for Asian students usually involves just chatting.
“People aren’t used to the kind of activities here — the environment is too different,” Foo said. “There are no routine activities — that’s why we have the Chinese Student Association. We try (to) get students to feel more at home.” Foo said while some student organizations offer fun events, other school-sponsored functions are not entertaining or educational.
Chinese Student Association Vice President Marco Lee said this experience is fairly common among the 93 Chinese students on campus.
“For most Chinese students,” Lee said, “they are from major cities in their home countries.”
In contrast, Lee said, in Eugene they may go for coffee or a movie, but there is not much else to do.
Jia knows this. Since the start of fall term, she has left campus only a few times.
Remaining on campus has given her more time to pursue her studies by attending her instructors’ office hours. She said her favorite aspect of the University is the professors, who have helped her overcome many language barriers.
“I would like the professors to teach only me,” she said. “Sometimes I skip my classes and just go to office hours.” She said this is a good way for her to get to know her professors better.
Jia also receives help on her assignments from friends who speak Chinese, something Foo said is common among Asian students.
Despite difficulties with the English language and a lack of interesting activities in Eugene, Jia said she is satisfied with her education at the University.
“I am quite sure that if I studied in China during University, my future would be different,” she said. “Studying abroad … can make you grow up more quickly.”