Prodigies seeking a class act in universities
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China Daily, November 14, 2011
Athin but fit figure at 5 feet 10, he looked no different from other college students. His shyness and unguarded manner, however, gave him away. Zhang Xinyang, from Panjin in Liaoning province, entered college at just 10 years of age, a record in China. Now 16, he is pursuing a doctorate in mathematics at Beihang University in Beijing.
![Two young teens spend time in study hall after enrolling this year at the University of Science and Technology of China. Every year about 3,000 apply to the School of the Gifted Young and about 50 are admitted. [Photo / China Daily]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20111114/0019b93bd68d102ac04919.jpg "Two young teens spend time in study hall after enrolling this year at the University of Science and Technology of China. Every year about 3,000 apply to the School of the Gifted Young and about 50 are admitted. [Photo / China Daily]") |
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Two young teens spend time in study hall after enrolling this year at the University of Science and Technology of China. Every year about 3,000 apply to the School of the Gifted Young and about 50 are admitted. [Photo / China Daily] |
But his current goals are not academic. "An apartment in Beijing, a good job and a Beijing hukou," (permanent residency) he said.
Neither his youth, academic ability or even future paychecks can guarantee such "basic needs to maintain the dignity of a newcomer to a big city", he said. He figures that's up to mom and dad.
He requires his parents' money to buy an apartment, which he hopes to be "about 90 square meters with two bedrooms, meaning about 2 million yuan (US$315,000)".
"Providing a place for the child is the parents' responsibility," Zhang said. "They wanted me to come to Beijing for university, and that's what they need to pay for their own choices."
Raising a child prodigy gives parents reason to feel proud, and apparently that's what many hope for.
About 1,400 high school students across the country applied this year for 100 to 130 openings in a program for gifted youths at Xi'an Jiaotong University. The number has been increasing by 200 to 300 annually in the past few years, according to data from the university.
At the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), about 3,000 apply to the School of the Gifted Young each year. About 50 are admitted to the school in Hefei, Anhui province.
The number is controlled so the university won't receive excessive applications, according to Chen Yang, the school's executive dean. "We take no more than 10 applications from each high school across the country."
Parents have solid reasons to get excited for the chance. Since the gifted program was launched in 1978, USTC has graduated 1,223 prodigies, among them many big names.
For example, Zhang Yaqin was 12 when he was admitted in the first class of USTC's School for the Gifted Young. At 31, he became a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Now 45, he is the corporate vice-president of Microsoft Corp.
Guo Yuanlin, who also enrolled in 1978, is vice-president of Tsinghua Unisplendour Corp Ltd.
Academic achievements are also remarkable. Six of the program's graduates are professors at Harvard University, while many are teaching at top universities including Tsinghua, Peking and Yale, according to Chen, the executive dean.
"Among all graduates, 60 percent have gone abroad for further studies, while 30 percent attended grad school in China and 10 percent landed jobs" right after earning their degrees, he said. "Graduates of the School of the Gifted Young have generally higher achievements than their peers."
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