Australian Universities Learning From Asia's Tiger Moms

Rachel Pannett:

At the request of strict Asian parents, the days of college as an opportunity to work hard and play hard are fast being replaced by a new regime of alcohol-free dorms and gender-segregated floors. The University of New South Wales in Sydney offers nightly bed checks for younger students to ensure they are in their rooms by 10 p.m.--and alone.

"My mom's happy about the fact that our apartments are under 24/7 campus security coverage," said Mike Lin, a 22-year-old commerce student from Fuzhou, in southern China, who is studying at the university. "I do think domestic students tend to party a bit much at university-they seem to enjoy the university life better than us."

Alarmed by a sharp decline in foreign students, Australian universities are upending the traditional college model to meet the standards of strict Asian parents. Residential dorms now offer prayer rooms and private en-suites. Newly built studio apartments gleam with hotel-style bathrooms and kitchenettes, the latest in IT technology and soundproof rooms for study groups, as well as 24-hour security and a telephone hotline for parents.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at October 9, 2013 12:28 AM
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