2020-2021 is a hard year for students in China who just get accepted into a USA college. While they are having exciting planning for future experience in the USA, like exploring the cherry blossoms at the University of Washington and going to Disney at San Diego. But coronavirus let all of them need to stop all of that imagination and stay home for about one and half years while attempting class at midnight in China. Student mental and physical health has been impacted by this unusual schedule in this period.

Ziyue Wei, a student at Purdue University, talks about what he is planning to do. He claims that he is trying to take a gap year, to do things he wants, like travel and work for some money. “There are a lot of reasons that why I want to take a gap year. I still not know what virus will become during fall and I do not want to take the risk that may need to stay at the home after I go to the US,” Wei says, “and I am actually fatigued right now, I am not sure can I still motive myself as the time when I just start my online classes.”

When I am asking Wei why he thinks gap year can help him, the words he says shock me. “At the start of my college year, I really just want to finish all the courses and study. But after the 4 semesters, I have done, I realize that I should not only put my attention on outside things, like my life and the beautiful environment of China, which I will not see for a long time after going to the US.”

In the huge background of Chinese educational purposes, which everyone just wants to go to college,  and just focus on study, I am surprised that Wei has this mindset. At that moment I realize that the gap year is not only to have fun before having college but want to complete some dream that has not done and try to look back the place he learns and survives for 18 years. Me, as a Chinese too, love to see this changing of the stereotype of student in china and want to follow up on what Wei did and learn in this gap year that will help him have a better education mental.