澳洲大学向“虎妈”学习 吸引中国留学生

Australian universities are learning from Asia's tiger moms in a bid to address a sharp fall in overseas students, who are being lured to U.S. colleges where living and study costs are cheaper.

　　At the request of strict Asian parents, the days of college as an opportunity to work hard and play hard are fast being replaced by a new regime of alcohol-free dorms and gender-segregated floors. The University of New South Wales in Sydney offers nightly bed checks for younger students to ensure they are in their rooms by 10 p.m.-and alone.

　　'My mom's happy about the fact that our apartments are under 24/7 campus security coverage,' said Mike Lin, a 22-year-old commerce student from Fuzhou, in southern China, who is studying at the university. 'I do think domestic students tend to party a bit much at university-they seem to enjoy the university life better than us.'

　　Alarmed by a sharp decline in foreign students, Australian universities are upending the traditional college model to meet the standards of strict Asian parents. Residential dorms now offer prayer rooms and private en-suites. Newly built studio apartments gleam with hotel-style bathrooms and kitchenettes, the latest in IT technology and soundproof rooms for study groups, as well as 24-hour security and a telephone hotline for parents.

　　For years, Australian universities were more popular with Chinese students than U.S. colleges. But Chinese student numbers peaked in 2010 and-more worryingly given Australia's ambition to be at the heart of Asia-last year more Chinese students went to study in the U.S. than made the trip Down Under.

　　A recent government paper found it cost about 44,000 Australian dollars (US$41,500) a year to study and live in Australia, which is A$7,000 more on average than in the U.S. and A$14,000 more than in the U.K. Australia experienced a 12% drop in international enrollments between 2010 and 2012, official figures showed.

　　Nearly a third of all foreign students in Australia last year were Chinese, making university officials anxious to meet their needs.

　　'Parents really take comfort in the fact that they've got an office they can call and speak to someone at the end of the line that can maybe check on their son or daughter if they require,' said Amber Marks, who manages the University of New South Wales's residential accommodation.

　　The university's newest accommodation block for international students sports ping-pong tables-a rare concession to leisure time-a shared kitchen and a vending machine stocked with all the necessities for uninterrupted study, including instant noodles. Alcohol isn't allowed in common areas and noise controls are enforced from 11 p.m., according to Ms. Marks.

　　Foreign education is Australia's fourth-largest export after commodities like iron ore and gold, generating about A$14.5 billion in export revenue annually.

　　Since the financial crisis, though, universities in the U.S. and Europe have stepped up competition for international students in response to government funding cuts. Australia's education industry has also been hit hard by a strong Australian dollar, which until recently had recorded its longest stretch above parity with the U.S. greenback in three decades, making it more expensive to study here.

　　Slowing interest among international students is adding to the headache for Australia's policy makers, as a mining boom that has powered the resource-rich economy for more than a decade slows.

　　A recent survey of 1,000 mainland Chinese by HSBC ranked Australia as Asia's top education destination. But it lagged the U.S., the U.K. and Canada globally. Singapore was its closest rival in Asia.

　　'Chinese consumers are unbelievably brand-conscious,' said Geoffrey Garrett, dean of the university's Australian School of Business. 'If you've got a brand like UCLA or Berkeley, you're probably going to be pretty attractive to aspire-high Chinese families and students. It works the same way as luxury retail. UCLA equals DKNY.'

　　Paul Kofman, dean of the University of Melbourne's business school, said unlike parents in the U.S. and other Western countries where children often follow in their parents' footsteps in choosing a college, Chinese parents aren't sentimental.

　　'In China, what they're looking for is prestige brands, and quality,' said Mr. Kofman. 'Parents don't say, well I had a good time at the University of Melbourne so my kids are going there.'

　　Australian business schools are also changing their coursework to reflect the country's increasing ties with its Asian neighbors--with fewer case studies about American companies and more on Asian firms where many of today's graduates will find work. The University of Melbourne uses social networks such as Chinese microblogging service Weibo to connect students with former alumni who could be potential employers.

　　'I see the strength of the Australia-China business relationship,' said Marshal Gu, a student from Shanghai who graduated from the Australian Business School last year and is now an intern at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, one of the country's biggest banks. 'My goal is to go back to China and work, but with a strong background in Australian work experience as well as education.'

　　Mr. Lin is also planning a career that combines Western and Eastern cultures and business practices, heading to Hong Kong once he completes his degree this year.

　　'If I was still studying at a Chinese university I would never be able to imagine working in a global investment bank,' he said.

　　澳大利亚的大学开始向亚洲“虎妈”学习，以便应对留学生锐减的问题。外国留学生被生活和学习成本更低的美国大学抢走了。

　　University of New South Wales新南威尔士大学新的学生宿舍在设计的时候考虑了外国学生的需求。在严厉的亚洲家长的要求下，大学作为好好学习、尽情享受之地的日子正在迅速地被一种新的管理模式所取代，在这种模式下，宿舍内禁止公开喝酒，男女生宿舍位于不同的楼层。悉尼的新南威尔士大学(University of New South Wales)晚上会对年纪较轻的学生查宿，以便确保他们在晚上10点前回到宿舍并且未留宿他人。

　　该校商贸专业的22岁福州学生Mike Lin说，我妈对我们的学生公寓有全天24小时校园安保感到满意。我真的认为国内大学生常常开派对，他们似乎比我们更享受大学生活。

　　由于外国留学生大幅减少，澳大利亚的大学开始改变传统的大学模式，以便满足严厉的亚洲家长的标准。如今，学生宿舍提供祷告室和私人套房。新建的一居室学生公寓配有酒店式浴室和小厨房，为学习小组准备了最新IT技术和隔音房间，还有全天24小时安保和家长电话热线。

　　多年来，澳大利亚的大学比美国的大学更受中国学生的欢迎。但中国留学生数量在2010年达到了最高点，而且鉴于澳大利亚欲成为亚洲中心的远大抱负，更令人不安的是，去年赴美留学的中国学生比赴澳大利亚留学的中国学生要多。

　　澳大利亚政府最近发布的一份报告显示，澳大利亚每年的学习和生活费用约为4.4万澳元(合4.15万美元)，比美国平均高7,000澳元，比英国高1.4万澳元。据官方数据显示，2010年至2012年，澳大利亚外国留学生注册学生数量减少了12%。

　　去年，澳大利亚的外国留学生有近三分之一为中国学生，校方迫切希望满足他们的需求。

　　新南威尔士大学学生食宿部门负责人马克斯(Amber Marks)说，家长们确实对我们有这样一个办公室感到安心，他们可以致电过来并与电话这一头的人交谈，若他们有要求，校方或许还能够帮助监督他们的儿子或女儿。

　　该校最新的留学生宿舍区配有乒乓球桌(这是对闲暇活动做出的少有让步)、一个共用的厨房和一台自动贩卖机，里面有不间断学习所需的各种必需品，包括方便面。据马克斯说，在共用区域禁止饮酒，晚上11点之后不准大声喧哗。

　　留学生教育是澳大利亚第四大出口产业，排在铁矿石和黄金等大宗商品之后。留学生教育每年创造约145亿澳元的出口收入。

　　不过，自金融危机以来，由于欧美政府削减对大学的拨款，欧美大学纷纷加大努力争夺国际生源。此外，澳大利亚的教育产业还受到强劲澳元的严重打击。直到最近之前，澳元对美元汇率长期保持在1比1之上，创造了30年来的最长纪录。澳元坚挺会令在澳大利亚求学变得更加昂贵。

　　University of New South Wales新南威尔士大学学生宿舍楼之间的一个内部庭院。外国留学生对澳大利亚高等院校的兴趣变淡，这令澳大利亚决策者更加头痛，因为矿业繁荣推动资源丰富的澳大利亚实现了长达10多年的快速经济增长，而如今矿业发展放缓。

　　汇丰(HSBC)最近对1,000名中国内地人进行了调查，结果发现澳大利亚是受访者首选的亚洲留学目的地。但就全球而言，澳大利亚排名不及美国、英国和加拿大。新加坡在亚洲排在第二位。

　　新南威尔士大学澳大利亚商学院院长加勒特(Geoffrey Garrett)说，中国消费者对品牌的在意程度令人难以置信。如果你有像加州大学洛杉矶分校(UCLA)或加州大学伯克利分校(Berkeley)那样的牌子，你可能会对抱负远大的中国家庭和学生非常有吸引力。这就像奢侈品零售业一样。加州大学洛杉矶分校相当于DKNY。

　　墨尔本大学(University of Melbourne)商学院院长科夫曼(Paul Kofman)说，在美国和其他西方国家，孩子常常选择家长曾经就读的大学;与此不同的是，中国家长不感情用事。

　　科夫曼说，在中国，他们寻求的是知名的品牌和质量。家长们不会说，我曾在墨尔本大学度过一段美好的学生时光，所以我的孩子们也将上这所大学。

　　澳大利亚的商学院也开始调整课程，以反映出该国与亚洲邻国之间越来越紧密的关系，它们减少了对美国企业的个案研究，增加了对亚洲企业的个案研究，如今很多毕业生都将在亚洲企业找到工作。墨尔本大学使用中国微博服务新浪微博等社交网站在学生与前校友之间牵线搭桥，这些前校友可能成为潜在的雇主。

　　来自上海的学生Marshal Gu说，我认为澳中商贸关系有优势。他去年从澳大利亚商学院毕业，目前在澳大利亚最大的银行之一澳洲联邦银行(Commonwealth Bank of Australia)做实习生。他说，我的目标是回国工作，但要具备有竞争力的澳大利亚工作和教育背景。

　　Lin也在规划一份可以将东西方的文化与商业操作融合起来的职业，今年他完成学业后将去香港。

　　他说，假如我仍在一所中国大学上学，我永远无法想象在一家全球性的投行工作。