ABSTRACT
Using the qualitative method of portraiture, this chapter provides textured stories of three Chinese families who hired an education agent to assist a child in obtaining a college degree in the US. In total, three pairs of students and parents were interviewed in fall 2021 and spring 2022. This chapter found that Chinese families viewed studying abroad as a way to overcome the shortage of quality higher education opportunities in China. These families chose to work with an agent mainly because they had limited knowledge about applying to and studying at US universities. When selecting an agent, reputation was the most prominent factor for the families. The findings also suggest that the agent has changed the original binary parent–child relationship to a three-way interaction, which might place the child on an equal footing with their parents. The findings could help US higher education recruiters, admissions officers, and educational practitioners better understand the Chinese students’ application process and the importance of cultural and familial influences on their decisions.
