Action is better than inaction

At the China International Education Expo, a high school student who plans to study abroad expressed a passionate opinion: "It will be one of my biggest regrets if I never study overseas. Although some say it is very hard to live and study abroad, I believe it is better to try than never try to at all."

"The number of Chinese people going overseas to study is expected to exceed 450,000 by year end, and the number of students born post-1990 will keep increasing." This was the view of an official in international education exchange.

"Post-1990 overseas students are eager to express their ideas," said an expert from an education institution. "They are ready to display their personality. Their overseas study plans are a reflection of their character and their interests. Moreover, they are quick to learn new skills and languages."

During the Expo, post-1990 students showed their interest in a wider range of majors. Some of these are unexpected, such as the protection of culture and heritage, or arts and design. Ye Feng, working in international student recruitment at University of Oklaho, said that more Chinese students in their school are beginning to choose their major in accordance with their interests.

Learning something useful and interesting

"I want to learn something useful," says a voice from a post-1990 overseas students’ forum. "This generation is different from previous generations; most of the post-1990s don’t just want to have a foreign qualification, they are thirsty for more interesting and useful specialties."

"Post-1990 overseas students tend to think hard about choosing their specialty, and they are more willing to choose an interesting major rather than today’s hot subjects," says Zong Wa, deputy secretary of the China Education Association for International Exchange.

"Their rational approach to overseas study is one of the advantages of their parents’ foresight. Both post-1990s and their parents are more open-minded, and have more channels to seek information," Jin Ran confirms.