High school graduates attracted to study abroad
SHENYANG - As millions of her peers rose early to do last-minute cramming(填鴨式用功) for China's national college entrance exam(高考) Monday, Yu Lu was sleeping soundly, as she has been every morning for the last three months.

In March, the 18-year-old high school graduate from Yantai city, in the eastern Shandong province, decided not to sit the exam, long regarded as a destiny-shaping milestone(里程碑) in the lives of young Chinese, after she obtained offers from four prestigious[pr??stid??s, -?st?d??s]( 有威望的, 有聲譽(yù)的) universities of the United States.
"I chose the University of Washington. It will offer me a scholarship(獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金) totaling more than $40,000 if study architecture(建筑) there in the next four years," Yu said.

She achieved 29 points in the ACT(美國(guó)高考) (American College Test, full mark 36) in December 2009 after five months' English training in the GAC(全球評(píng)估證書) (Global Assessment Certificate) at the ACT Center in Qingdao city, Shandong.

Studying in the US would cost a total of $120,000, most of which would be funded by her parents. "Most students in the training center have richer families than mine," said Yu.

Yu believed a degree from a reputable(聲譽(yù)好的) foreign university will help clinch(鎖定) a good job in a tight employment market(比較嚴(yán)峻的就業(yè)市場(chǎng)).

"The practice-oriented education(以實(shí)踐為主導(dǎo)的教育) of a foreign school will give me a competitive edge(競(jìng)爭(zhēng)優(yōu)勢(shì)) in job hunting(求職)," she said.

Wang Luxue, another high school graduate in northeast China's Liaoning province, also favors a foreign university.

"I targeted(選擇) overseas schools because they pay more attention to students' all-around development(全方位的發(fā)展) and provide a more flexible learning environment(更自由的學(xué)習(xí)環(huán)境)," Wang says.

After being enrolled(入學(xué)) at Germany's Jacobs University in Bremen with a full scholarship(全額獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金) in February, Wang has spent much of her time learning German and life skills, such as driving and cooking, while her peers were preparing for the college entrance exam, known as the gaokao in Chinese.