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2005 Summer Beijing Fair Post-Event Report July 9 - 11, 2005 The American International Education Foundation (AIEF) is delighted to report that its American Pavilion at the 2005 Beijing International Education Expo was a great success. We wish to express our gratitude to the U.S. representatives who supported the American Pavilion event through their participation. Attracting 60,000 visitors, the Expo was held at the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing from July 9-11, 2005. As more and more Chinese families are able to afford to send their children abroad to pursue educational opportunities, the number of Chinese students applying to study in the United States is showing a significant increase this year. Subjects covered in this report: AIEF’s Pre-Fair Orientation & U.S. Embassy Briefing At AIEF’s pre-Fair orientation held on July 8th at the American Center for Educational Exchange in Beijing, Cultural Affairs Officer Robert Laing and Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer Daniel Hutchens offered welcoming remarks to the U.S. education delegation. Frank Mok, U.S.-China Education Resource Coordinator, provided an update on the overseas educational advising centers in China. Mok pointed out that a number of centers had lost their affiliation with the EducationUSA network for failing to provide adequate services; he also mentioned that he will be monitoring centers throughout China as part of his responsibilities. Consular Officers Michael Clausen and Matthew Beh provided information on the student visa situation in China. The reciprocal agreement between the U.S. and China on multiple-entry student visas, announced by the U.S. Embassy in June, was a source for much optimism. With around 60,000 Chinese students studying in the USA in 2004, it was noted that there has already been a 15 percent increase in visas issued in 2005 in comparison with the numbers for May and June 2004. Mr. Clausen and Mr. Beh also conducted student visa seminars for students and parents at the Expo venue on Saturday, July 9th. More Chinese Students Applying for Visas to Study in the USA According to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, if the current upward trend in visa applications continues, more visas will be issued in Beijing in 2005 than in any of the preceding five years. U.S. consulates in four other Chinese cities have also seen similar increases. These increases have been attributed to an outreach program designed to “combat common myths, demystify the visa application process, portray the United States as the premier destination for foreign students, and reinforce the importance of bringing diversity to U.S. colleges and universities.” Promoting U.S.-China Educational Exchanges and Cooperation In conjunction with the Expo, AIEF was invited to meetings with representatives from China’s Ministry of Education and local educational institutions to discuss the establishment of educational exchange programs and other cooperative opportunities. Keen interest in developing programs in cooperation with U.S. schools was a major topic of discussion. AIEF would be glad to work with U.S. schools to facilitate such programs. From 1:00 – 4:00 PM on both Saturday and Sunday, AIEF sponsored a series of seminars for Chinese students interested in studying in the USA. Topics covered included tips for preparing college applications, information on MBA programs, a session offered by U.S. consular officials on applying for student visas, and a session on scholarship applications conducted by AIEF. Although the seminar venue left much to be desired, the seminars were well-attended and the audiences were very appreciative. The enthusiastic interest in U.S. education shown by both the Chinese students and their parents who visited the American Pavilion was also something that the U.S. schools representatives found to be noteworthy. At the American Pavilion, AIEF staff and many U.S. school representatives were interviewed by Chinese television, radio, and newspaper reporters. In addition, Sohu.com, the popular Internet portal, hosted chat room discussions at the venue on the topic of studying in the United States. Judging from the high volume of students joining in the chats, online services are coming on strong in China. As is customary for our American Education Fairs, AIEF provided complimentary interpretation service to fair participants. By all reports, the student interpreters, who are enrolled at local educational institutions in Beijing, were extremely valuable assets to the U.S. school representatives. Our congratulations to them on a job well done!
An estimated 13,000 students and parents visited the American Pavilion over the three-day period of the Beijing International Education Expo. At the AIEF booth, free counseling services were provided and students were guided to visit the booths of the participating U.S. schools. In addition, those students who wished to request more information were encouraged to enter their names in AIEF’s database. Following verification of names and contact information, AIEF will forward data on 521 students to participating schools shortly. To help us to continue improving our services, AIEF welcomes comments and questions from our fair participants. Overall, the U.S. school representatives who participated in the American Pavilion expressed their happiness with not only the quantity, but also the quality of the prospective students who visited their booths. Please note that registration is now open for AIEF’s
2006 Summer Fairs in China. The 2006 Summer Fair schedules are as follows:
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