EVEN before the excitement of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, American college students had their eyes on China. Rapidly growing numbers want to get in on the ground floor of what they see as a cutting-edge destination, writes Justin Pope

China is hoping Americans who spent the past two weeks watching the Beijing Olympics on television will want to travel here, providing a bump similar to what previous host nations Australia and Greece enjoyed in 2000 and 2004.

But even before the 2008 Games, China was already on its way as the hot new destination for study abroad. There are almost certainly about 10,000 US students enrolled annually in programs in China, up fivefold from a decade ago.

China is the seventh most popular destination for US students, according to the Institute of International Education (IIE). But it is growing so quickly that, if trends continue, it will soon pass countries such as Britain, Spain and Italy to become the most popular.

After a sharp dip in 2002-03 during the SARS outbreak, some US colleges have seen huge surges in interest. At the University of Southern California, 343 students went to China last year, more than double the total five years ago. At Purdue University in Indiana, the number has doubled in four years and last year China became the No. 1 study abroad destination.

"There's a sense that it's a cutting-edge destination, where they can be among the first to learn firsthand about another culture," says Brian Harley, Purdue's associate dean for international programs. "There's something about being one of the first in your generation to really have a deep understanding."

While studying abroad generally is growing, China's particular popularity has a range of explanations. It's cheaper than Europe, where currencies have pummeled the US dollar. There's also a supply of American-trained Chinese academics who can help bridge the language and cultural gap.

And China itself has become more welcoming. But most of all, students see China as the future, and they want a firsthand look.

They're also looking for a challenge.

Benjamin Zilnicki, a rising senior at Holy Cross college in Massachusetts, had never left the US when he departed for a semester in Beijing. He's an economics major but says he wasn't focused on improving his resume for a business career. Rather, he wanted to understand a new culture and push himself.

"It's probably the most different and most unorthodox place I could think of," says Zilnicki, who chose Beijing over a year-long program at Oxford. "I kind of wanted that as opposed to England, where the prestige is there but the life experience is kind of similar."

For decades, Chinese-American educational exchange has been a one-way street. Just a few years ago, there were 25 Chinese students in American universities for every American studying in China, according to IIE.

Now, that ratio has plummeted to about five to one as studying in China has become substantially easier, with at least 220 programs in place - some by independent providers and some run directly by colleges.

When the first programs began emerging in China in the 1980s, they attracted mostly hard-core language students. Now, there's a wider range of opportunities.

Many programs now offer coursework in programs like business and journalism, and some, like International Education of Students (IES) - a non-profit organization offering study abroad in Beijing and expanding this year to Shanghai - have offerings that require no previous language study. All but a handful of the Purdue students are taught in English.

Still, the experience often isn't quite as cozy as Americans are accustomed to. And that's one reason programs in China tend to attract a different kind of students.

"I think that's one of the real divisions between studying abroad in Europe and studying abroad in Asia," says Melissa Sconyers, a recent University of Texas graduate who studied abroad in both France and China. "The students in Asia are serious."

The Holy Cross students are enrolled in a program run by CET, a private company that is among the largest programs in China.

Students pledge to speak only Chinese while there, which makes for a tough first few weeks. And the culture shock is relentless.

For Holy Cross senior Kateleigh Hewins, it ranged from the language to not being able to flush toilet paper or drink tap water. But she got used to the plumbing, and after a semester of intense drilling and living with a Chinese roommate, her language skills improved dramatically.

"Even if it was harder than I expected it to be, that's not necessarily a bad thing, because I grew up a lot," she says.

American educators hope to double the number of students abroad by the end of the next decade. China, with its rapidly expanding higher education system and commitment to attracting more international students, will play a big role.

Still, it's not clear if the current growth rate can continue. Some universities have put the breaks on expansion plans for their Chinese partnerships. There are concerns about quality, and programs admit there's a long list of challenges - lining up local staff, host families, and issues like health care.

"We're pretty sure that China can take more, but exactly how many and in what fields and what would it take to double or quadruple the numbers, that's something we as an industry will have to explore," says Allan Goodman, president and CEO of IIE.

Part of what's driving the numbers is the growth in short-term programs, often business-focused, that some educators complain aren't exactly cultural immersion. But they're better than nothing.

However anyone serious about learning the language will have to stay much longer.

Sconyers, the University of Texas graduate, stayed a full year and says it made a big difference.

"I would have been sorely disappointed if I had left after the first semester," she says, claiming she made a big language breakthrough after two months. "Honestly it's the best thing I could have my done for my career."