Wang Xuan has been a school counselor for five years at Minzu University of China, which is designated for students of minority ethnic groups. There are many students from rural and remote areas with financial difficulties. Every year, Wang will compile a list of all freshmen in the department from rural areas. "I will care more about those in the list who are having difficulties in life," Wang said.

Wang talks with those particular students one by one. They talk about study plans without mentioning family circumstances. "That's a sensitive topic for them," Wang said. "Because most of them are introverted."

According to Wang, it's not easy to chat with them open-heartedly. Some of them just respond with silence; some react with hostility.

"Coming from the countryside to big cities, they need time to get used to the new environment," said Wang. "Counseling seems to be more important than financial aid for rural students in universities."

Taking Peking University as an example. It has offered the on-campus guidance services since 2010 for students suffering from financial difficulties.

The university admitted 7,682 new students this year, of which 3,164 are undergraduates. Twenty percent of undergraduates are having financial difficulties, and of them, 70 percent are from rural areas. They have priority for subsidies of different levels distributed on a case-by-case basis.

During enrollment, students receiving financial aid are given care packages including daily necessities, books, coupons and even a cell phone. Thirty-nine students experiencing extreme difficulties received free computers. Further guidance counseling is offered throughout their subsequent years at the university.

According to Yang Aimin, director of  the Student Financial Aids Center, PKU spent nearly 2.6 million yuan (about $410,000) on care packages this year. Five percent of these students, deemed the most needy, will receive yearly subsidies of 15,000 yuan (about $2,344), enough to cover almost all of the costs accrued during their studies.

Unfairness in admissions?

RUC has admitted 2,911 new students this year, of which about 20 percent are from rural areas. Among enrollees at Tsinghua University in 2010, rural students made up 17 percent.

Recently, some people criticize that university admissions are unfair for rural students. This makes it difficult for them to become intelligent and gain success.

Li Xiangqian, director of Admission Office in RUC, feels that universities are misunderstood by those critics. "We admit students according to policies of the Ministry of Education," Li noted.

Some universities, including RUC, admit students based on recommendations from high schools and by independent recruitment exams combined with the national college entrance exam. This way, RUC tries to give more opportunities to rural students. Unfortunately, the admissions quotas under these two methods should be less than 6 percent. "It doesn't improve the situation effectively," Li said.

The main reason for the deficit is unbalanced basic education, according to Li. "In some big cities, there are 'super middle or high schools'." Such highly-developed schools send much more students to elite universities compared with their counterparts. But rural students have little chance to go there. The big gap in education quality between urban and rural students is formed during this period.

For Tsinghua University, 2011 is the first year to implement their "Plan B", according to Yu Han, director of the Admissions Office at Tsinghua, exclusively for rural students with an eager sense of self-improvement. So far, 50 middle school students from remote areas in 12 provinces have benefited from this plan.

Currently, both RUC and Tsinghua University have started a survey on the quality of students to be admitted. Hopefully it will be helpful for the enrollment.

(Source: Beijing Evening News)