Chinese Students Flock to U.S. B-schools

“Really? Why?” exclaims Scarlett Wu when she hears that a fellow Chinese student was surprised at that. Even though she came from humble beginnings – her mother and stepfather worked at the brick factory in Wuzhu – Scarlett knows that, from the business side, a company’s biggest responsibility is to maximize profits. “Profits rather than revenue,” she says, quoting Philip Powell, a business economics professor at Kelley. Like Lewis, Scarlett recoiled at first when encountering the blunt, rambunctious nature of Americans in competitive classrooms. She was shy in groups, often preferring one-on-one conversation.

Wharton MBA Shirley Huang, on the other hand, is quite comfortable in the corporate world and B-School world. She went straight to JP Morgan after graduating from Shanghai’s Fudan University in 2005 and then to the Royal Bank of Scotland. Her decision to attend the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania was based more on a desire to get a unique life experience than to advance her career. Huang already knows the foundation of Wharton’s curriculum – she placed out of microeconomics, marketing and quality and operational management classes and enrolled in accelerated classes for corporate financing and accounting. For her, Wharton is not so much about the learning as it is about the experience of living in the States, getting a chance to examine the global financial crisis and take stock of her life. “I’m just thinking that while you can work for another 20 years non-stop after business school, experience is something you cannot quantify.” It’s her first time in the states, but Huang is keeping her connection to China strong as president of the 180-member Greater China Club.

Chinese B-schoolers are impressed by the responsibility and leadership positions available in student clubs and organizations. They also enjoy the flexibility that large schools can offer. Carrie Xu, a second-year student at USC’s Marshall, is immersing herself in the business of sports and entertainment after almost a half-decade with Nike China.

Elaine Yang is an MBA student at UCLA's Anderson School.

UCLA MBA student Elaine Yang, meanwhile, a former auditor at KPMG’s Beijing office, is totally re-inventing her career by focusing on the public sector and environmentalism. She recently came back from Mexico, helping a cadre of orphanages channel fundraising toward vocational teachers, not just buildings. At UCLA’s Anderson School, Yang works closely with the World Child Project, a Los Angeles-based organization that she holds close to her heart. After graduation, she’d like to continue work with the project and secure a spot on its board (this comes with a $12,000 price tag.) Yang even turned down an offer from Goldman Sachs, “because I really want to do something before I die so I can tell myself, ‘I lived a meaningful life,’” she says.

These are just a small crop of what’s expected to be a growing Chinese presence at American schools on all levels. For successful students, being in America is a way to experience international culture in an increasingly connected world. A way to connect with the U.S. before, perhaps, returning to China. For Wu, who’s secured a job at Cummins Inc., a heavy-machinery firm in Indiana, she’s not interested in going back. Even if it means enduring more slightly embarrassing cultural mistakes such as walking into University of Kentucky’s basketball stadium wearing red, which communicates good luck in her country – K.U.’s colors are blue and white. Or, like when she attended her first Indiana football game this fall and was the only girl wearing business casual among a sea of fire-red Hoosier fanatics.

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