<p>You missed the point. The point isn’t to say they are smarter; going through a more hellish curriculum doesn’t make you more intelligent. In fact, I think gaokao curriculum tends to suppress creativity and originality. I agree with you that the very smart kids at the US high schools would do just as well as top students in China if they go through the same system. But thank God they don’t need to go through that system because they wouldn’t be able to get involve in the kinds of ECs they currently have if they were preparing for gaokao.</p>
<p>Oh I understand your point now. I don’t think I want to go through the gaokao either! </p>
<p>But I also wish the the average US high school curricula was a bit more difficult than it is now. I think everyone should be taking AP’s if they are preparing for college.</p>
<p>“Chinese culture was not some monolithic entity, a single person who started growing up in 3000 BC… So I kind I have to roll my eyes at the whole “5000-year-old culture thing”.”</p>
<p>Most Chinese would consider the Chinese culture evolved from a ethnical melting pot for 5,000 years or so. Even the Olympics opening ceremony clearly acknowledged the 56 ethnic groups within China (the 56 children carrying the Chinese flag). The “monolithic” requirement isn’t necessary at all.</p>
<p>“Well, “Socialism with Chinese characteristics” is sort of a hindrance.”</p>
<p>This isn’t any hindrance but rather, a clever way to side step the socialist ideology and incorporate capitalism. Real communism died a long time ago.</p>
<p>It’s actually a pretty interesting 3D trig problem–looked deceptively simple until I started doing it. I wonder what the time constraint is. I wouldn’t do well without marathon-like preparation:)</p>
<p>If my memory serves, Chinese students in the late 60s and early 70’s took an extra year of schooling before coming to the US as foreign student freshmen. </p>
<p>Are not some US, public, magnet schools and private preparatory schools, feeders to the top echelon US colleges? I hate to think what my grand neice will do with their young son in NYC.</p>
<p>at my HS 40th reunion, some of us are retired (mostly civil service and education) but those of us still working or trying to work, are on their 2nd or third careers. What we did in college had little bearing on what we do now.</p>
<p>Those who were in the technology fields, are Not now in those fields, but doing rather “mundane” things in life. And they all appear to have big smiles on their faces.</p>
<p>We routinely select PhD students from China scoring in the 95-99th percentile on the GRE. Some have what it takes, some do not. The test seems to tell us little in terms of predicting their success. </p>
<p>All seem extremely capable to ace exams if they can be mastered with determination and memorization. They will work incredibly hard to meet your requirements if you can spell them out exactly (when its possible, such as there is one right answer). Unfortunately, not enough from those we select can do a critical analysis, contrast andcompare, synthesize ideas from different domains or, come up with creative hypotheses.</p>