Have Chinese students pressed the pause button to study abroad

In the context of the epidemic, studying abroad has not been interrupted to a large extent.

Study in the United States is a bellwether of the global study abroad market. The number of international students enrolled in U.S. universities in fall 2020 was 914,000, down 15 percent from the previous year (compared to fall 2019 enrollment).

In the 2020/2021 academic year, 317,000 Chinese students will study in the United States, down 14.8% from the previous year. The decline of the Chinese market in the United States and the global market in the United States is basically the same, which can also see the impact of China's study abroad market on the world.

The so-called registered enrollment is divided into offline enrollment and online enrollment, whether it is an online class at home or studying abroad, it is a continuation of studying abroad.

The situation of "suspension" of studying abroad in the epidemic situation generally refers to the extension of the offer due to the interference of the epidemic. From the statistics of studying in the United States, the proportion of postponing studying abroad is not high.

In order to reduce the impact of the "suspension" of studying abroad, domestic policies have expanded the "domestic study" channel, such as expanding the enrollment of Chinese-foreign cooperative school programs and institutions, and ensuring the "internal cycle" of studying abroad when the "external cycle" of studying abroad is blocked.

In addition, domestic Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines have been recognized by the World Health Organization, and the complete vaccination of domestic vaccines has become one of the important prerequisites for exemption from quarantine in the United States and the United Kingdom, which also has a positive role in promoting Chinese students to study abroad.

The truth about the epidemic in the US and UK

So far, due to the unprecedented rapid spread of the Omicron strain, the United States has more than 1 million new cases a day, and the United Kingdom is also around 200,000, creating the highest number of outbreaks in their respective countries in 2020.

At the same time, the United States and the United Kingdom already have high vaccine penetration rates. It shows that the role of vaccines in epidemic prevention is not absolute, can not completely resist the mutation of the virus, and can largely ensure that it will not become serious.

The current policy of the United States and the United Kingdom relying solely on vaccination has caused very serious consequences.

In fact, even the fastest spreading Omicron strain has been greatly reduced, and in most cases, self-isolation for about 10 days can heal itself.

The more worrying problem is that the escalation or even deterioration of the epidemic in the United States and the United Kingdom will lead to the paralysis of the medical security system, and once the disease becomes serious, it is likely to delay treatment.

This is the risk posed to study abroad by the pandemic in 2022.

Are home-based language tests the norm, or a stopgap?

At the height of the pandemic, Duolingo burst onto the scene and took over the forefront of online testing. However, after the epidemic improved, many European and American universities began not to recognize this form of examination.

The changes sought by the TOEFL are also referred to as "complementary formats" rather than replacements for the traditional TOEFL test.

This explains why during the 2021/2022 academic year, many US and UK universities urged international students to return to school as soon as possible for the second semester (which starts in January 2022), because the existing platforms and technologies of US and UK institutions make it difficult to ensure that all students take online exams. Even if it can, even if there is manual online invigilation, the university is not assured.

The same is true of the attitude towards the online model of language testing, especially at home testing, so the change in language testing is still "complementary" and hardly the norm.

Will it be difficult for Chinese students to study abroad in 2022? In general, it will not be very difficult, it should be noted that there are many materials that need to be prepared to study abroad, if there is a plan to study abroad, you have to plan well in advance.