Chinese applicants should make preparations to study in the United States much earlier than previously as competition for places continues to be fierce, according to an overseas study consultancy.
Chen Huqiong, director of the U.S. department of Chivast Education International, a consultancy in Beijing, said the U.S. will continue to be one of the hottest overseas study destinations for Chinese students in the next few years and difficulty in being accepted by schools, especially the prestigious ones, will increase as the number of applicants continues to grow.
"Chinese applicants should start making preparations earlier than their predecessors," Chen said at a forum in Beijing.
Statistics show that more than 270,000 Chinese students went to study in the US last year, 16.5 percent up from 2013.
"We suggest students who plan to study as postgraduates in the U.S. start preparations from the first year of high school, and those who plan to study at graduate level start from their freshman year," she said.
Chen added that applicants not only face competition from domestic peers or international applicants from other countries, but also from Chinese students who had been studying in the U.S. since they were at college or even high school.
"Chinese domestic applicants have no choice but to get prepared as early and fully as they can," Chen said, adding that preparation should cover everything from English language and Grade Point Average, to academic background and extracurricular activities.
"It usually takes at least two or three years to get these things ready," Chen said.
