Yan Yu, left, and Chuan Hao Lin are 2+2 students from China Agricultural University
Image Credit: Photos from Yan Yu and Chuan Hao Lin.
When most American students think about studying abroad, they likely imagine themselves in a Parisian classroom or strolling across a Roman campus. But for many Chinese students, the University of Maryland matches the ideal vision of a semester abroad.
The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR) hosts Chinese students from China Agricultural University (CAU) through the 2+2 program, an educational partnership that allows Chinese undergraduates to complete their bachelor’s degrees in the United States.
Chuan Hao Lin is a junior from CAU studying agricultural resource economics. Lin decided to enroll in the 2+2 program after UMD president Wallace Loh visited CAU last year.
“I always wanted to go abroad, but I wasn’t planning to come to the United States until President Loh came to my university and gave a very wonderful speech about his American story, and it inspired me,” Lin said.
Lin guides a group of budget experts from Germany through Kaiping Diaolou, an old village near Lin's hometown in the Guang Dong Province. Lin speaks German and is interested in studying abroad or living in Germany as well. (Photo: Chuan Hao Lin)
Yan Yu is a junior from CAU studying plant science and landscape architecture. Yu’s parents encouraged her to study abroad since she was young. She expressed an interest in the 2+2 program even before she attended university, selecting it as one of her preferred programs on her college entrance exam.
Although she was confident that she wanted to study abroad, she was not sure which American university to attend. 2+2 students can apply to programs at Purdue, Cornell, and the University of Maryland. One of Yu’s professors in China had attended UMD and encouraged Yu to do the same.
“He taught me a lot and just said this was a wonderful school,” Yu said.
Yu and Lin both appreciate the academic environment at UMD. Yu said that professors at UMD are more willing to help students complete their assignments, while Chinese professors are less likely to offer assistance. Lin said he enjoys the “sense of learning things” in the classroom.
“So far I feel good because I’m learning some things,” Lin said. “Teachers are not just giving you the homework—they’re getting you to think in a class. It’s a feeling that I’ve wanted.”
Yu smiles with some brightly colored balloons at a study abroad event earlier this semester (Photo: Yan Yu)
Both students are enthusiastic about participating in clubs and activities. Lin is participating in activities with the Bahá’i Faith club and Yu is attending her first Terrapin Trail Club event this month.
When it comes to studying agriculture abroad, both students agree that the United States is the place to be.
Lin asserts that young people need to take up trades in agriculture to support their country.
“China has a lot of problems with agriculture. We don’t have enough farmers and most of the laborers are really old,” Lin said, adding that young people prefer to work in the cities and have little interest in agricultural occupations.
Lin and Yu agree that agriculture in the U.S. is very sophisticated and that China can adopt American agricultural techniques.
“China is a big country and it’s based on agriculture,” Yu said. “The United States is smaller than China, but it still has a very advanced agricultural system, so they must have something we can learn.”
