Study Like an Asian
You have likely read stories about students from Asian, particularly Chinese countries, excelling at state exams at an impressive rate. But are these students really smarter or possess superior work ethics compared to their classmates?
Asian students in particular often make higher education their top priority, studying hard in high school to achieve the grades, test scores and extracurricular activities required for acceptance into top universities. Once in college however, life tends to relax a little as students work towards finding employment or perhaps obtaining graduate degrees.
Unfortunately, this mentality can lead to many challenges for students – from anxiety and stress levels to depression and beyond. Indeed, there has been extensive academic research done into “the model minority myth” and how it negatively impacts Asian American student’s mental health.
Students planning on studying abroad must carefully consider how they will protect their mental health in a new environment where they may be the only people of their race or ethnicity. It would also be a good idea to prepare beforehand how they’ll respond to microaggressions or misperceptions about their identity, so they are better equipped and confident when handling these situations.