In China, students who pursue higher education are encouraged to look outside their own country’s borders. And many like what they see at UNMC.
Chinese officials like that the students are very well educated, well taken care of, and enjoy a low cost of living at UNMC, said Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D.
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Keith Swarts, director of Business Services, explains the UNMC admission process to Li Zheng in Shanghai. During a recent trip to China, Swarts recruited students at events in Beijing and Guangzhou, as well as talking with individual students in Shanghai and Xi’an. Zheng plans to apply to medical school. |
Leading the way
Widely known medical schools, such as Duke, Harvard and Johns Hopkins, have developed international relationships, “but we’re ahead of everyone in China,” Dr. Maurer said.
Some of those relationships have been on a personal level, such as those that Dr. Maurer’s wife, Beverly, nurtured with students on a recent trip. She became close to Li Zheng and Allison Ma, who plan to apply for UNMC admission.
Students emboldened by Maurers
Zheng, who visited UNMC in the summer on a two-month research rotation, wrote after the trip of her desire to study family medicine at UNMC: “A significant Chinese idiom says, ‘Growing trees is a 10-year project, but educating people is a lifelong project,’ which highlights the importance of medical education. I would like to use my whole life to educate medical students, train builders and successors for the nation. Chancellor Maurer and Beverly’s support and encouragement gave me so much courage, confidence and motivation.”
Ma wrote to the Maurers: “You are kind to me like family, caring about my career like a tutor, and easy going like a friend. … You played an important role on making up my mind to apply this year and I really appreciated that. . I sincerely hope that I am excellent enough to be enrolled in UNMC next year.”
People make places
The people of UNMC are part of its appeal, Beverly Maurer said.
“They find the professors at UNMC to be so caring,” she said. “Everyone looks out for them. … They don’t get lost in the shuffle.”
Competitive process
Gaining admittance is competitive — especially for the two spots sponsored by the Chinese Scholarship Council.
Both Maurers said they worry some students might believe being acquainted with them will help the admission process.
“They have to qualify,” Beverly Maurer said. “There’s nothing we can do. … I’m not in the decision making.. The numbers speak.”