Great expectations

Recalling his own gaokao experience, Zhang said even the people who sold bus tickets in Hefei refused to take his money when they learned he would be joining the Class of the Gifted Young.

Despite their academic success, high expectations can sometimes exert excessive pressure on the students.

"Before we enroll at the university, we are often the best, to be honest, in our schools in terms of academic performance. But in this class, we discover that we are not so special," said Zhang Yi, one of just eight female students recruited in 2016.

Students who fail to make the grade are released by every department in every university, and the Class of the Gifted Young is no exception.

Students in the class only attend a limited number of courses together, and in most courses they study alongside regular students because the lectures are designed for all scholars.

All students in the School of the Gifted Young are allowed to set their own timetable, even for some compulsory courses.

They have to finish the courses and pass the exams, of course, but they are allowed to decide the year and semester in which they will attend. While that flexibility is welcomed, it can result in problems.

"In the hope of finishing their courses earlier, some students overstretch themselves and choose too many courses in the first two years," said Lan Rong, one of 15 "proxy parents" employed by the school to oversee the young students' welfare.

If a student fails several compulsory courses, he or she can be expelled from the university, so the parental substitutes advise their young charges against taking on an excessive workload.

"I know a student who chose more courses than he could handle in the first year. As a result, he is regretful because he has to study extremely hard and is more or less exhausted every day," Lan said.

Instead of questioning students, the proxy parents should observe their behavior to check for possible anxiety or depression, and then find opportunities to chat with them to discover if they have any problems in their lives or studies, she added.

In this way, the school is able to maintain a high standard of intellectual stimulation, while ensuring that the students are not troubled by the burdens that can sometimes accompany exceptional talent.

Looking back over 40 years, Chen believes the special provisions made for academically gifted young people have not only helped them fulfill their own potential, but also proved beneficial to their teachers and the other students.
"The class has proved successful in the past 40 years and has provided a great deal of practical experience, which has had a very positive influence on the whole university," he said.