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More Undergraduate Business Students Study in China
By Catherine Groux
Posted April 10, 2012 03:39 PM
More business degree seekers are studying in China.The Institute of International Education states that China has emerged as one of the most popular study abroad destinations for American students. According to the institute's Open Doors data, about 13,910 degree seekers studied abroad in China in 2009-2010.
While China has become a popular destination for a wide variety of students, it is especially attractive for those pursuing bachelor's degrees in business, according to Bloomberg BusinessWeek. As China has the world's second-largest economy, business students feel they have a lot to learn in cities like Shanghai and Beijing.
According to Intrax Internships Abroad, a division of Intrax Cultural Exchange, an organization that helps students find internships in Europe, South America and Asia, the number of applications to internship programs in China rose by 600% between 2010 and 2011. Additionally, officials from CRCC Asia, an Asian internship organization, told BusinessWeek that it received about 6,000 applications last year, compared to about 3,000 in 2010.
Many of these students are studying in China, as opposed to the U.S., because they feel the experience will separate them from other degree seekers when they enroll in graduate school or look for a job.
James Critelli, a student at Cornell University's Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, participated in an internship at an investment bank and energy think tank in Shanghai last summer and felt the experience was well worth it.
"I now have a perspective on China that people who haven't been to the country would never be able to get," Critelli told BusinessWeek. "It's something that sets me apart from a lot of people."
Many recruiters also agree that the skills students can gain while studying in China is extremely valuable. Dan Black, Americas director of campus recruiting for Ernest & Young, said his company would carefully examine the resumes of students who studied in Asia, particularly China.
"We’d put a very high value on that because of the growth we’re seeing there and because of the investment we’re making in China," Black told BusinessWeek. "If you have both the language skills and the experience - boy, that is a lot of value for a company like ours."
For this reason, many colleges across the country offer summer internships in China for business degree seekers. For example, between June and August, select students at the University of Missouri will be able to choose between three internship options in China and earn academic credit in the process, according to the school's website.
Similarly, BusinessWeek reports that the University of Arkansas will pay for two business students in the Walton College of Business' honors program to participate in an internship program in China.
