PS: Sorry for my bad english. It talk me half hour to post this comment.

I also think work internships during school would be good for college students to do.

Anyway, look forward to learning more about the Chinese educational system and Chinese ideas about education through ifgogo.

You give me another point of view to think about such issue. In fact, I once worked at the area of Human Resources of the City for more than 10 years. Som I fully understand your opinions and totally agree with them.

Thanks a lot and I believe that it would be of great benefit to the young Chinese people who read here.....

The advice you offer sounds good but to be honest I don't really know anything about what it is like to grow up in China, in the Chinese educational system. With regard to areas where there are potentially big differences between cultures or countries, I feel you first have to seek to understand something you don't know anything about. Once you understand it, then you can compare it to your own experience. Then you can better offer helpful advice or ideas based on your understanding both cultures or countries. So I cannot offer advice when I don't even understand.

My college allows alumni to interview high school students applying for the college. So for the past few years I have done college admissions interviews for these American high school students. The questions I try to understand are:

1. What is this person really passionate about? Is there anything that they are exceptional at because they are just so passionate about it? I am looking for someone with "spark," with examples where they have pursued some interest (either academic or otherwise) at great lengths, and they did it more for the love of doing it rather than "playing the game" to get into college. Of course, good grades and good test scores are important. But there are so many kids these days with exceptional grades and test scores. Passion is the extra ingredient that I'm looking for among the kids that have great grades and test scores.

2. What is this person really good at? People can be good at math, or science, or language, or some other subject. But I am also trying to understand what other skills and talents they have. For example, someone might have demonstrated leadership skills, or empathy, or compassion, or the ability to argue and debate. So someone's strengths might not be a specific subject, but some other personal quality that they will rely on to become excellent at something. Sometimes I ask them about their friends and how their friends would describe them.

3. How will they contribute to others at the college? How are they unique or distinctive so that others will benefit from their experience? At some American universities, the college experience is full of extracurricular activities--clubs, organizations, interest groups, student government, politics, arts, music, drama. So I try to understand what this person has contributed to their school or friends before in the past. I try to imagine how much they can contribute to others in college.

I cannot imagine what it is like to be a student in today's China. I'm certain that I did not have to face the same degree of pressure that most students today do in either China or the U.S. I would encourage high school students to seek to understand some of the questions above, and look for experiences, friends, and mentors that can help build personal maturity and character. Of course its important to get good grades, get good test scores, and go to well-recognized colleges. Of course you need to consider the labor market and the potential earning potential of your career path. But I suspect many of the most successful students are successful because they are naturally talented/smart, they are driven to impress their friends and classmates, and they are driven by their parents to excel. There is nothing wrong with this, as long as there is a strong focus on personal understanding and maturity at the same time.

I have no idea if anything I am saying applies to China. I will ask my co-blogger Min to read this and see if it makes any sense at all in today's China.