Ameson Chinese Elite program

he Ameson Chinese Elite Program (ACE) is the first nation-wide program that brings China's finest high school students together for 2-3 weeks of seminars and lectures designed to help bridge such students with elite overseas academic institutions.

The first ACE program was held in Shanghai and Wuxi, in Jiangsu Province, in June 2007. The second, held in Nanjing in 2008, attracted the top students from China's top 100 elite high schools, based on national rankings. The ACE Program in 2009 saw 300 students from China's top high schools and distinguished guests from University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, University of California Los Angeles, Vanderbilt University and University of Michigan.

Program basics

While programs may bring only a few universities together with a handful of elite Chinese high schools, the ACE invites representatives from more than 20 of the world's top universities and top Chinese universities from the mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan to meet with a selection of students from China's top 100 elite high schools.

Bringing such a large number of people together allows for direct, sustained communication for all parties involved through a series of lectures and group discussions. Topics that are discussed include:

The selection criteria used by each participating university
Methods of cultivating dynamic personal skills
The particular learning environments at different schools
The skills needed to be an elite professional on the global stage
Strategies for defining clear personal goals, and the procedure of working toward them

During the 2009 ACE program, 300 outstanding high school students from 100 of the most prestigious high schools in China were selected to attend. At the event, they attended forums and lectures in the areas of science and technology, education, culture, health, business and commerce, and politics and administration.

ACE is fully sponsored by the Ameson Foundation, and the foundation places a particular focus on students' talents and potential, rather than on their economic family background. The foundation covers students' tuition fees, food, accommodation and school trips, with further reimbursement for traveling expenses to those with financial difficulties.

The core concept is to support innovative, original, and critical ways of thinking and is carried out by inviting Chinese academics and world-renowned experts and professors from leading universities around the world. Elite students are able to learn about social and scientific innovations while gaining greater familiarity with contemporary research and development trends prevalent in the Western world.

A key component of ACE is the attendance of senior recruiting experts from world-leading universities. These experts typically attend to educate potential students about their schools' standards, expectations and admission policies.

ACE participation gives students the opportunity to interact with top foreign experts, professors and recruiting officers from leading universities around the world Chinese education institutions in order to more effectively plan their future career development.

Selecting elite students

Ameson identifies the best high schools in each province on the basis of public information and statistics from governmental agencies. For instance, 92 elite high schools from 23 provinces were selected in 2007, and a letter requesting recommendation of the best students was sent to each high school for the attention of the principal.

Then, Ameson selects no more than three students with outstanding academic performances from each school (these students must not only receive a recommendation from their schools, but also pass Ameson’s entry tests specially designed for this program). Because students from different provinces have varied English proficiency, the Ameson Foundation provides an equal opportunity to all students regardless of his or her regional background.

Prominent Speakers and Distinguished Guests

With an increasing interest in the ACE since it started in 2007, the Ameson Foundation is able to recruit many professors and officials from world-leading universities from around the world. Feel free to look through the slideshow at the many guests, both international and Chinese, who have been a part of the ACE program.

Government Support

The Ameson Chinese Elite Program receives a great deal of support from all levels of government and educational authorities in China. This may be because of ACE's foresight and creativity in its continual development. It also might be because of the myriad of world-class participants that attend the program every year. Or it might be the ACE's desire to foster an increasingly creative society that closely matches that of the Chinese governmental and educational elite. This elite talent exchange also contributes to China's peaceful development objective in an era of globalization.

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