{"id":45965,"date":"2019-06-10T07:20:23","date_gmt":"2019-06-10T14:20:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2019\/06\/three-unique-advantages-of-being-a-chinese-applicant\/"},"modified":"2019-06-10T07:20:23","modified_gmt":"2019-06-10T14:20:23","slug":"three-unique-advantages-of-being-a-chinese-applicant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/three-unique-advantages-of-being-a-chinese-applicant\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Unique Advantages of Being a Chinese Applicant"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/figure>\n

As a Chinese applicant to American universities, you\u2019ve no doubt heard all about the many challenges you\u2019ll face in the admissions process. <\/p>\n

You are also probably all too familiar with the many pitfalls you need to avoid: cookie-cutter applications, perfect test scores with no outside accomplishments, a perceived \u201clack of personality\u201d (whatever that means). Honestly, it can be disheartening. <\/p>\n

But look, that\u2019s not the whole story. Our fellow admissions consultants often spend so much time avoiding those common obstacles, that they miss the advantages<\/em> of being a Chinese applicant. Admissionado\u2019s ability to find those oft-overlooked advantages is fundamental to our outsized success in China. Uncovering buried treasure in all the right places is our specialty, and we\u2019re happy to share the map. <\/p>\n

1. Diverse Perspective & Experience<\/h3>\n

This one is so glaringly obvious, it hurts\u2026and yet, it is still drastically overlooked and underutilized. Let\u2019s zoom out for a second: As a Chinese applicant, you grew up in a country wildly different from the U.S., in a city wildly different from any U.S. city, and you speak at least two of the world\u2019s most important languages. You grew up in a different culture, with different norms, different beliefs, different foods, different customs. Alright, alright, we know what you\u2019re thinking, \u201cYes, duh. But who cares? And can\u2019t thousands of my Chinese peers say the same thing?\u201d <\/p>\n

\n

Grab a preview of our Chinese MBA Applicant Guide!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

To the first point: adcoms care! Those factors together mean that you already have a wealth of unique contributions to make to a university, just built in to your background. You bring a diverse perspective, language, culture, and network. That\u2019s significant because it means you can add a valuable perspective to the classroom, to student groups, and to campus in general. And to the second point: Yes, thousands of your Chinese peers can say the same thing, but many of them won\u2019t. Many of your peers won\u2019t recognize how valuable this inherent diversity is, and so they will fail to take advantage of it, allowing you to swoop in and stand out. <\/p>\n

You see, admissions committees need international students to create the diverse, enriching campus environment they\u2019re after\u2014but more than just having those students present<\/em>, they need those students to actively contribute to campus life. This is the point that many of your peers will miss. So, once you identify both what makes you unique and how that translates to unique actions you can take on each campus, you\u2019ve just struck gold. <\/p>\n

2. Huge Potential for Stellar Stories <\/h3>\n

As a Chinese applicant, you have a slight edge over your American counterparts in the unique stories department, for two reasons: 1) Your international background gives you a bucket of material that the admissions committee will be less familiar with; and 2) Your path in choosing to leave your home country for college lends itself to introspection. <\/p>\n

First, on material: Remember all those factors that added up to give you a diverse perspective? Well, those also give you a treasure trove of unique material\u2014you have a lifetime of experiences that are less common in the broader applicant pool, so you have greater opportunities to craft totally original essays on original topics, purely by telling stories that might seem entirely unremarkable to you. Think about it this way: you\u2019ve experienced a life that is mostly foreign to the admissions committee, so your average story about growing up in your hometown inevitably contains some material unique for your reader. Your average American counterpart\u2019s equivalent story wouldn\u2019t be as compellingly unique; they would have to dig deeper.<\/p>\n

And second, on introspection: Your decision to leave your
\nhome country for college means you\u2019ve (presumably) already given a lot of
\nthought to your future, which means you\u2019ve already done a lot of the introspection
\nnecessary for compelling essays and interviews, even for more specific
\nquestions like, \u201cWhy our school?\u201d You\u2019ve already made this huge decision to study
\noutside your home country\u2014dig into what you\u2019ve learned about yourself, the kind
\nof life you want, and your ideal college experience, and communicate it. That\u2019s
\npowerful stuff. <\/p>\n

3. Understanding of Pitfalls <\/h3>\n

Remember those common pitfalls of Chinese applicants that we
\nreferred to at the beginning of this article, the ones we\u2019re pretty sure you\u2019ve
\nheard about before? Well, recognizing those oft-discussed challenges just
\nhappens to be a huge opportunity: As soon as you understand the pitfalls that
\nplague other Chinese applicants, you are well-positioned to both avoid them and,
\nas a result, set yourself apart from many of the other Chinese applicants who
\nare not <\/em>as adept at avoiding them. <\/p>\n

For example, if you\u2019ve read much about the admissions
\nprocess for Chinese students, you may have read that certain admissions
\ncommittees have become wary that some Chinese applications appear forged in
\nsome way, with forged transcripts, recommendations, or essays. While it is frustrating
\nand unfair that a few bad applicants have tainted admissions committees\u2019 views,
\nit also presents a unique opportunity for you, the conscientious and principled
\napplicant. It means that if you can start by proving to be a sincere and
\nauthentic applicant, you\u2019ve already set yourself apart from many of your
\ncompetitors. Those other guys probably aren\u2019t cheating either, but unless they
\nknow to make a conscientious effort to avoid the perception of cheating,
\nthey\u2019re at a disadvantage compared to you.<\/p>\n

\n

Grab a preview of our Chinese MBA Applicant Case Studies!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

And that\u2019s just one example. Generally, the better you
\nunderstand the often-discussed mistakes other Chinese applicants make, the
\nbetter you can avoid them and craft an exceptionally powerful application yourself.
\nIf you can pair this with the first two advantages, by showcasing your diverse
\nperspective and how it will contribute to the school, all in brilliantly
\ncompelling essays\u2014then you\u2019re really onto something BIG. <\/p>\n

Starting to discover some of this buried treasure, but still not sure what to do with it? Not to worry, in the second part of this series, we\u2019ll go through exactly how to leverage these goldmines, so stay tuned. <\/p>\n

===<\/p>\n

***NEW Admissionado Products & Services for MBA\/Masters!<\/a>***Now, read up and get smart:<\/p>\n