At Berea College, American student Eka is chitchatting with her Chinese teacher during a class break. What are they talking about? Why is Eka interested in the topic?

· liúxué 留学: to study abroad

· shēnqǐng 申请：to apply (for graduate school, scholarships, job positions, etc.)

· yánjiū shēng 研究生: a graduate school student; short for graduate school 研究生院/研究生项目