Bonus points
Apart from the basic requirements, there are also some extra factors that can influence the application results.
"Although grades are a really important factor, a good internship, volunteer work and some related activities will increase their chances of being accepted," said Xing.
Universities abroad tend to look for more well-rounded students, he explained.
Long's high school teacher helped her enter some business competitions and volunteer activities, which were good but time-consuming.
"I spent a lot of time taking part in the business competitions and volunteer activities because U.S. universities prefer students with comprehensive capabilities," said Long. "However, taking part in the extracurricular activities really distracted me from my school work, so I needed to find the balance between them, which was really difficult."
High financial input
The cost of studying abroad is very high, and preparing for study abroad is also quite expensive, which is why it is still a significant burden for some parents.
"The moment we decided to support my son's study abroad, I chose to accept the high financial input," said Wang Yueqin (pseudonym), whose son is studying in a U.S. university.
"Before he went to the U.S., we spent about 50,000 yuan ($7,556) in study-abroad agency fees and about 40,000 yuan on language courses and exams."
Despite the cost, Wang still thinks it is a worthy investment. She particularly likes the "strict academic requirements for students."
"I think my son can learn a lot under this educational system. What's more, I think studying abroad is a good chance to open up his vision and broaden his horizon, which is beneficial for his comprehensive development," said Wang.
Stressed out parents
Wu Meng (pseudonym), whose daughter and son are both reading for a bachelor's degree in the U.S., was under a lot of pressure during the application process.
"As a parent, I was not familiar with the application process for U.S. universities, so I sought help from a study-abroad agency. However, sometimes I had doubts about the agency, so I tried to get more information from other sources, which was really tiring and stressful," Wu explained.
She said sometimes she found herself wondering if the application process was worth all the hassle.
"To be honest, I was not sure about whether it was a good idea to send them to study abroad. I think studying abroad is a gamble; I cannot escape from taking risks. The constant confusion and doubt during the process stressed me out," she said.
Another Chinese gaokao?
Many people think that students who choose to study abroad are trying to escape the intense and fiercely competitive Chinese gaokao.
"In the past, studying abroad was not a very difficult process compared to the gaokao. However, nowadays, with the general increase in the standard of living, more families can afford to send their children to study abroad, so the competition has become intense," said Liu Ye (pseudonym), who founded his own study-abroad agency in Beijing.
"In 2012, the entrance requirement for U.S. universities was not that high. With a TOEFL score of 90, students could apply for universities ranked 30 to 40. Nowadays, the same universities require a score of 100 or more to apply. I think the difficulty of studying abroad has increased a lot and is almost the same as the gaokao,"said Liu.
Su said that if she were given another chance, she would still choose to study abroad.
"Although the process is difficult, it improved my ability to deal with a lot of practical and social issues, which I would not have learned from preparing for the gaokao. More importantly, it was always my dream to study abroad, so I don't regret my choice," she said.
