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College Apps Cheating Scandal Is A Learning Moment For China

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"Why do students cheat on U.S. college applications?" asks a Western teacher in China.

"Competition is too crazy. Tremendous pressure from parents. An agent [hired by parents] wrote essays and [hired another student to] take the SAT for me," the outspoken local Chinese student replies.

"Aren't you afraid of getting caught?"

"Not easy to get caught. U.S. universities so far away. Everyone cheats. But students don't cheat on the Gao Kao [China’s higher-ed entrance exam]. If caught, very severe penalties; future gone."

This dialogue reveals an unfortunately common attitude in China regarding US college admissions. Cheating on college apps is a complex problem confronting the US and other parts of the world. Although cheating seems rampant, especially in the East, the situation represents a wonderful growth opportunity for business and humanity globally. By improving value systems globally, we can tackle the root causes of cheating and restore integrity to the US college applications system.

A research report in 2010 by Zinch China, an online social networking and research business that matches Chinese students with colleges and scholarships, reveals pervasive cheating on US college apps in China, driven in part by hyper-competitive parents and aggressive agents. 90% of recommendation letters are fake; 70% of essays are not written by the applicant; and 50% of high school transcripts are falsified. Chinese applicants typically cheat in five major categories: recommendation letters, essays, high school transcripts, financial aid applications, and awards.

People have asked me recently about who specifically are the bad actors. As an immigrant Chinese American, I empathize with both the East and the West. Although ethical actors exist on both sides, the college app cheating ecosystem includes the following actors:

  • Extremely competitive, eager parents who were raised and worked in eras when protecting or enhancing their positions in “guanxi” networks (local Chinese-style relationships) and cutting corners was commonly acceptable. Doing anything for their single child's future and not losing face are motivating forces. An American education, especially a degree from an elite US university, boosts parental social standing and strengthens children’s career prospects.
  • Overly aggressive "recruiting" agents. According to a Zinch China report, about 80 percent of Chinese students applying to US colleges and universities use agents. There are ethical, effective consultancies and agents that take a higher road, but unethical agents abound. The latter ghost-write essays, fill out applications, and falsify transcripts or recommendations. They may work with local high school officials to keep clients happy and revenues flowing.Some of these agents often misrepresent or hide their affiliations with client US colleges and universities. These agents not only receive payments from their client parents, but some also get a portion from any scholarships awarded to their client students as well as commissions from lower-tier US colleges/universities for successful recruits.
  • Stressed or helpless (and desperate) students who didn't know better or were ill-prepared and didn't or weren't able to start early enough to pick up the right values, beliefs, skills (especially in self-reflective English essay writing, conversational English, and creative and lateral thinking), and worthwhile extracurriculars.
  • Primary to secondary school systems that need significant improvement. Legacy systems, including longstanding decision makers and key recommenders, can't change overnight. Unfortunately, teachers remain underpaid and lack adequate training. Westerners in the know get goosebumps watching under-trained or untrained local Chinese teachers teaching kids English. Learning by rote memorization, endless test prep, and "no-talk-back-to-teachers-or-authorities" are still the norm. This has stifled creativity and institutionalized linear thinking. Students lack social skills and do not participate in meaningful extracurricular activities that are necessary for US college admissions.Chinese high schools rarely provide guidance counselors, let alone quality ones. This issue also means enormous opportunities for positive changes, which are slowly or spottily happening in Asia. For years to come, private education service firms and recruitment agents will continue to fill the gap for students and their parents eyeing overseas.
  • US universities and colleges that aren't the super selective ones. These schools, which comprise the vast majority of the 4,000+ accredited colleges and universities in the US, compete (aggressively) to market themselves and recruit students for needed revenues. Many employ inadequate resources and methods for or simply set low standards in screening admissions. Understandably, these schools are businesses, and businesses need revenue. Some have turned a blind eye as it's more important to boost revenue than to maintain integrity. A number of them use "recruiting agents" in China and other parts of the world.

The value systems in developing Asia, including China, are so different than America's. The former is based largely on the high(er)-context relationships one creates and the benefits one can give or take from that relationship network structure. It takes longer to build good relationships. The western value system is based largely on low-context meritocracy. You can do business right away with a stranger you've just met at a bar last night.

Student teacher in China teaching children English. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Many Chinese don't have any moral qualms about cheating, especially as long as it's not within your close family and trusted friends within the guanxi networks. Many feel that the history of guanxi networks and even bribing often seen in the past three decades in China's "economic growth miracle" mean that they at some points in their lives must cheat to succeed. Thus, many Chinese parents have simply been acting "normally," ignoring or not even understanding that some actions might be unethical.

That is a shady part of the East, with a Western foot in it. There are two sides to a coin, so let's look into part of the West.

College apps cheating in the US, including the illegal act of hiring someone else to take the SAT, has also surfaced lately. Rarer are cases of top US college officials (caught) cheating. But the astronomical pay of US college presidents, who do have highly responsible jobs overseeing their very complex organizations, have been raising eyebrows or ruffling feathers in their world.

4,000+ US universities and colleges compete (fiercely and many cordially) with their peer schools. But each has a business to run, money to make. This includes "recruiting" students from China and other parts of Asia, where their agents can get a cut of the revenue action.

The super-selective US schools typically encounter far fewer blatant cheating problems. They are relatively very well endowed and sophisticated enough to detect and weed out, and at times, blacklist the wild cheaters. Unfortunately, the bulk of the US higher education institutions (with relatively high admit rates) may have looser standards. Why? Again, primarily money. They need sufficient revenue, which often comes from full tuition payments by domestic students in very wealthy families, and international and out-of-state students.

If US institutions are to target Mainland Chinese because of the full tuition revenue and want to "improve diversity," then they should more effectively assist these foreign students with adjusting to their new interim home. International students from developing Asia tend to have a slower start on a US university campus but many learn fast. And once they've learned, they are very good at exporting and applying their knowledge abroad.

So, it's not just China or other parts of the world. It's also a US problem, if not a world problem. A big one, and hopefully not an increasing one. Some have speculated that the clock is ticking towards a potential US college bubble burst, partially facilitated by western technology innovations.

Now let's look closely at China from another angle. "China is expanding greatly in economics and wealth but the rate of improvement in its value system is still low," commented a CEO peer during my recent visit to China. Bingo.

That comment confirms a superb opportunity that exists in the Chinese and Asian education markets to educate and train students (and parents) to adapt quality value systems, nonacademic and social skills, and tangible college prep skills to compete successfully for admissions to high-quality universities and bright futures. These types of opportunities are already being seized by reputable private education and college prep service firms in Asia like market leader New Oriental in China and other up-and-comers.

I am a big fan of combining Asian discipline and American creativity. This combination enables students to enhance their IQs and EQs simultaneously. Training kids early is key and is a part of my firm ThreeEQ's mission. By training diligently from an early age, developing social skills and creativity, and embracing ethical value systems, students around the globe will be able to maximize their academic potential, attend premier universities, and emerge as business and political leaders in the twenty-first century.

Leadership starts with a strong value system. At the Forbes Global CEO Conference 2010, Paul Tagliabue, Chairman of the Board at Georgetown University and former Commissioner of America's National Football League, advises: “What matters are value systems, skills, supply and demand, rewards. Service to others is core. Passion is a must.” Rich Karlgaard, Publisher of Forbes magazine, quotes a very successful CEO in Silicon Valley: “I optimized for value before I optimized for business.”

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Jason L. Ma is founder, CEO and chief mentor of ThreeEQ, Inc.

 

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