"China's Cram Schools" by Brook Larmer Essay

    The lives of Chinese students rely solely on the gaokao test. It determines whether they get into a university and basically if they get a good education and career. It sounds similar to a lot of state-wide tests that students in the United States are required to take, right? It is true that these American tests relate in some aspects to the gaokao tests in China, but there are also many differences in the amount of the work that students are required to do.
    There are many similarities to the gaokao and the state-wide exams in the U.S. Mostly, the gaokao determines the educational future of the students who take it, much like the SATs and the ACTs. In addition, the test counts for a grade for the teachers, who teach the students what they need to know for the test. Also, there are rigorous test prep courses that one can take to result in higher scores on the test, much like the available courses for American students. Though the ideas are fairly similar for tests in China and America, the details are extremely different.
    Though the tests share certain aspects, their differences are overwhelming. For example, yes, like the SATs, the gaokao determines the future at a university, but in China, it means so much more. Due to their massive economy, the gap between the rich and the poor has widened greatly. The article, "China's Cram Schools" by Brook Larmer in Upfront Magazine states, "In some ways, the gaokao is like the SAT or ACT, but it's more than twice as long and the takes are much higher... the gaokao offers th epromise of a life beyond the fields and the factories." Also, the test not only counts for the lives, of the students, but also of the careers of the teachers who get graded by the scores that their students receive of the test. So much relies on this one test, while in the U.S., students have multiple opportunities for a good education and career.
    In conclusion, the concepts for both the gaokao in China and tests in the U.S. are similar, the stress level and workload for the gaokao is what sets it apart. Though there are many state-wide exams and preparations that us American students have to go through, I for one feel lucky that my chances for a bright future are higher than many Chinese students.