They were working that much because they have to play catch-up to all the other students. There is a lot of cheating to get into US universities. They study four times more than US students to get the same grades. Chinese culture punishes failure so they never test anything. My son was a researcher in a university Ag lab when he was in high school. It’s mindless drone work.
> There is a lot of cheating to get into US universities. <
And a lot of cheating once you’re there. The fraternities and sororities are well-organized in that regard. As I noted in my post #23, I was a chemistry major. (Part-time while I was a security guard. Free tuition.)
Quick story: It’s the first exam in freshman chemistry. Maybe 100 students including me are present in a large lecture hall. The professor caught a student cheating. The professor screamed and yelled as the cheater slunk out of the room. “I’m going to get you expelled!”
Years later I found out that the cheater was a plant. The professor set the whole thing up to deter anyone else from cheating. Scared straight, eh?