Navigating Elite Education
Pathways to an Elite Education:
How Chinese Students Navigate Elite U.S. Private Schools
Project Introduction
This research project examines the experiences and perspectives of Chinese students at elite American private schools. Elite high schools such as St. Paul’s School and Phillips Academy Andover play a significant role in shaping the educational trajectories and social identities of their students. For Chinese students pursuing transnational education in the U.S., navigating this environment entails social adaptation, acquiring cultural capital, awareness of class dynamics, and having clear personal aspirations. By conducting ethnographic observations and in-depth field interviews with Chinese students, parents, educational agencies, and school counselors, this study aims to illuminate the intricate interplay of class, cultural capital, and identity formation within this distinctive educational environment.
Research Puzzle
For the emerging Chinese upper-class families, sending their children to pursue transnational education in the U.S. is not only about academic achievement but also about acquiring social and cultural capital, managing class dynamics, and shaping clear personal aspirations.
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What are the motivations of Chinese students for studying abroad? How do they experience cultural adaptation and perceive social mobility?
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How do Chinese students develop the habits that help them navigate elite education?
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How do Chinese students perceive privilege and incorporate the power of the elite into their identities, ensuring the reproduction of the upper class?
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How do elite U.S. prep schools shape the next generation of the global elite, particularly at the intersection of nationality and social class?
Potential Analytical Areas:
Language proficiency and cultural adaptability: Some students demonstrated remarkable English language proficiency and cultural adaptability, likely facilitated by their international school backgrounds (ISB, Dulwich, and etc.) and the presence of highly successful older siblings who had already navigated the U.S. education system. Some newly admitted Chinese students still encounter significant cultural barriers and often seek connections with other Chinese students. However, within this small group of international students, they tend to form smaller cliques.
Career aspirations and instrumental engagement: Some students strategically involve themselves in extracurricular activities to bolster their prospects for college admissions. For instance, they may participate in immersive and interdisciplinary programs, such as workshops, or undertake highly thought-provoking research projects. Nearly all of the interviewed Chinese students excel in music and are proficient in 2-3 sports. Additionally, some students take on roles as editors or reporters for the school’s newspaper. Furthermore, elite students excel in time management to optimize their academic achievements and networking opportunities.
Class dynamics and social segregation: The students observed that class, rather than race, played a more significant role in shaping friend groups and social interactions. Classism manifested through various markers of wealth. More specifically, according to the students, new admits are immediately able to identify people in their own class, first by what they wear (luxury brands), but also by where they go during breaks, how they show off their wealth (subtle, like going downtown to eat out a lot and taking Ubers vs showy, Moncler jacket), and even forms of intellectual social capital—their ability to test into higher level math classes, such as calculus, as a freshman—which has more to do with their family wealth than their intelligence.
Institutional barriers and discrimination: Students perceive systemic discrimination against Asian students, especially international students, in leadership roles within the school community. For instance, Chinese students, even those who possess suitable qualities and are outgoing, refrain from applying for positions like Blue Key Heads (school spirit leaders) at Andover because they believe they won’t be selected.