Halfway across the world, Chinese students undergo a wholly unrelated college experience than American students. The most surprising part about the differences between these two experiences, however, is that there are so few. 

A normal day in the life of Xuqi, or Abby, a graduate student at Shanghai International Studies University (SISU), is remarkably similar to a normal day of any American grad student.

Abby wakes up, eats breakfast, reads some literature and goes to lecture and discussion classes.

The differences are in the finer points. For example, instead of Western literature, Abby reads traditional Chinese literature. Instead of Homer, Abby reads Confucius.

"It's not normal for modern students [to read traditional Chinese literature], but I do. Reading it daily reminds me of the moral code and to be a Chinese student," Abby elaborated. 

One thing that Chinese college students are experiencing that almost every American student can empathize with is rising education costs.

Ten years ago, Chinese students were subsidized by the government and did not pay much, if anything, to attend college. Now, just like America, Chinese college education is beginning to have crippling costs. 

A major point of disparity in college education is between rural and urban areas. Graduate school in China can cost anywhere between 20,000 to 30,000 RMB (about $2,600 to $4,000 U.S.) for two years of school, which is unaffordable for most rural families.

Internships are generally unpaid and getting a job while in school is a near impossible feat. As a result, almost no children from the countryside end up going to college. On the contrary, a very high percentage of Shanghainese go to college because, like the changing trend in America, a degree is required for many types of urban jobs. 

"Education sets a gap for the rich and the poor. The poor are denied a chance to go to college because of the cost," Abby stated.

Also similar to America is the expanding competition in the Chinese job market. Students can have a difficult time finding jobs after graduating because the job market is saturated. Internships help raise job prospects, like in America, but they are no guarantee that students will find a job after graduating. 

Graduate school enrollment is on the rise in China, with students finding it an effective way to learn applicable skills before entering the vicious job market.

"I went to SISU graduate school because I studied both English and journalism and wanted to combine them," Song Huan Huan, or Sophie, explained.

College is not, however, all about cost anxiety. There is also acceptance anxiety.

An increasing worldwide phenomenon, college entrance exams are becoming savagely competitive. The Chinese college entrance exam is seen as a larger decision maker than even the American equivalent SATs. Students prepare for this one exam throughout high school and usually supplement preparation with extra studying or schooling. 

So important is the entrance exam, students often have various traditions of post-test celebration. In Hangzhou, for example, Zhuang Yuan Guan is a local restaurant that students patronize to celebrate their college entrance exam achievements.

Once accepted and costs afforded, students can begin to create and enjoy a new social life. 

Chinese students find college a place to be an intellectual with lectures and resources allowing them to learn and grow. University life is ultimately a booming social network, with many opportunities to meet new people.

Xu Ming, or Catherine, another student at SISU, explained that her favorite part of college life was the variety in a city like Shanghai.

"I like to experience the big city and to experience some diversity," she said. 

This diversity of people and places is an experience unique to college, but not to geographic location.

College students in China play sports, workout at the gym, go out with friends, watch movies, and eat at their favorite restaurants. In fact, many of the sports they play and movies they watch originate from America.

To manage friends and contacts, e-mail and MSN Instant Messenger are widely popular tools in China. While American Online Instant Messenger is understandably absent, Chinese students have the same communication habits as Americans, but with a different medium.

A recent American college graduate would find it difficult to realize they were in a Chinese graduation party, if they didn't look closely. And, if they did look closely, they would realize that there isn't much different at all. The college experience transcends individual differences, cultural history and the Pacific.