Chinese students beat stress by turning to Southeast Asia universities
- A less competitive environment is attracting young people to apply for study programmes in the region
- Traditional hotspots still dominate, but applications to Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines are surging
Yao has no regrets about her choice, which gave her a fast pass to a new life after the disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic. “I wanted to run away [from China] as soon as possible back then … but now I feel like this is my second hometown,” she said.
After quitting her first job because of the demanding overtime requirement, Yao was stuck at home for three months from September last year under China’s strict zero-Covid policy. All she wanted to do was leave, the earlier the better, she said.
The less competitive application process for Malaysian universities was a big part of the appeal. “When nearly all the schools had closed their applications last September, Malaysia’s was still open. I didn’t even need a recommendation letter to get the offer.”
28:19
What happens when China’s most-educated can’t find work