January 5, 2001

Chinese Applicants to U.S. Universities Often Resort to Shortcuts or Dishonesty

Students can buy essays, stand-ins for exams, and improper access to standardized tests

By DANIEL WALFISH

Every time Mr. Alexander rewrites an application for a Chinese student seeking admission to an American university, he gets 1,000 yuan, or $120.

As an American graduate student at an Ivy League university, trying to survive on grant money here while doing research on his dissertation, he finds that money hard to turn down -- even though he knows that what he is doing is wrong. In the past semester, Mr. Alexander, who doesn't want his real name published, has rewritten 50 applications,