I'm an American who studied in China: cheaper and set me up for success

I studied at universities in both the US and China, first in 2015 and again in 2025. I completed an undergraduate degree in political science at a state university in New York and studied abroad in Wuhan during the summer of 2015. Ten years later I returned to Shijiazhuang while completing a second graduate degree in global health and interning at a medical university, which gave me a rare view of how the system operates and has evolved.

Fewer Americans are studying in China since the pandemic, and on my most recent visit I didn’t meet a single American student. I did meet many African students who were heavily invested in and integrated into Chinese learning and working systems. In China I noticed clearer pathways for international students who want to stay, especially those with strong Mandarin, as the government and universities actively try to entice and retain graduates.

Campus life also felt different. The internet firewall can complicate research, and I saw doctors smoking in classrooms between lectures.

China, United States, Wuhan, Shijiazhuang, New York

study abroad, china, american students, wuhan, shijiazhuang, mandarin, international students, chinese universities, great firewall, global health