Education: Variety is the spice of academic life

Wang Jing, director of the US department of Chivast Education International, an overseas study consultancy under the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange, said that scenario was almost unimaginable for students of Pan's generation, who were among the first to study overseas in the wake of China's opening-up and reform policy in the late 1970s.

According to Wang, very few Chinese families in Pan's time could afford the annual expense of $50,000 when the Chinese economy lagged far behind developed countries such as the US and the exchange rate was unfavorable.

"At that time, Chinese students who wanted to study abroad thought more about scholarships than their choice of major. After all, the subject of study was not as important as having the money to do so," he said.

"Under those circumstances, majors in physics, chemistry and other sciences were the favorite courses for Chinese students studying abroad because those subjects often came with full scholarships," he added.

Pan echoed that view: "Back in the 1990s, only a full scholarship could secure a student visa to the US. With so many limitations back then, the generation of students that studied abroad didn't have much room to make a choice."

Lack of restrictions

The restrictions that hampered Pan's generation no longer apply, and students have begun to make choices about the major they will study in accordance with their own needs. One of the most important considerations, though, is the employment prospects.

For example, Sun is studying for a double major in energy business finance and journalism. She said that when she was deciding which course to study, one of her major concerns was "whether I would be able to land a good job when I graduated. I selected the major along with my parents. We all regarded it as a reasonable choice because Energy Business Finance is a major that few people study, but it's in great demand on the Chinese job market."

Wang said taking employment prospects into consideration when deciding on a major is typical of today's Chinese students studying overseas.

"This explains why majors related to business and management are now the favorites among Chinese students - you have a great chance of finding a respected, highly paid job in the field of business if you graduate with one of these majors," he said, adding that other majors such as math and computer science are favored for the same reason.

According to Zhang, almost all the students who consult her about study opportunities overseas ask two questions. The first is: "Will it be easy to find a good job if I graduate with this major?" The second is: "How does my major rank among all the universities that offer this course?" which is also related to employment prospects to some extent, because the esteem in which a major is held can directly affect graduates' chances in the jobs market.

For Wang, other crucial factors in the choice of majors are the students' personal interests and preferences. "Chinese students are becoming more independent in making decisions about which major to study. Some of them tend to take a major in which they feel a strong interest and passion, even though their parents may oppose the choice because the job prospects after graduation are not bright," he said.