Almost 300 students at the four top high schools in Beijing have given up plans to sit college entrance exams in favor of studying overseas for the international experience.

Su Jianhua, director of the International Office of the Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University, a top school in Beijing, told METRO they have two overseas study classes with a total of 91 students.

The capital's other three top high schools - No Four, No Eight and No 11 high schools - also have overseas study classes, totaling 200 students in all.

The top destinations for students of these classes are US, Canada and UK, said Su.

Fan Xiaozhou, 18, is a student in the overseas study class at the Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University. She is waiting for an offer from the 12 universities she applied to in the US. Her first choice is Pennsylvania State University.

"For students who take university entrance exams, they only need to study hard for the final year of high school. The next four years of university life would be stress-free," she said.

"But if I get the chance to study in the US, I will have to study hard right now and I'll also cherish every moment there," she said.

Fan currently studies at Sewickley Academy in the second year of high school as an exchange student. She said she prefers the American system of approaching knowledge because it doesn't require too much memorizing.

A key feature of overseas study classes is that English and Chinese culture are essential parts of the curriculum. There are additional courses created by the Advanced Placement Program in the US, but mostly the syllabus deals with reviewing knowledge learned during the previous two years of high school education. The emphasis is always on preparing for the university entrance examination, according to Su.

"Our school respects the students' choices to study abroad, "she said.

Most of the students in the class have beyond average academic performance and some also have overseas study experiences.

It was reported that in the past three years, more than 30,000 high school graduates chose to study overseas instead of taking university entrance exam.

More than 100,000 students sat in the national college entrance exams in Beijing last year, 16,000 less than the previous year.