What other things overseas study can polish besides resume?

"As a target school for many leading companies to recruit talent, London Business School provides its students many job opportunities," said Gu.

Besides the opportunities, many returnees said they benefited from the improvement in language skills and ability to handle pressure as well as broadened their vision when seeking job back in China.

But most importantly, they also said that they now know better about themselves through overseas studies, making clear what kind of life and job they do want.

"It's hard to quantify what we gained through foreign studies, which may not translate into a decent job offer or high salary immediately. But we can sense our own growth. We know who we want to be," said Hu Rujia, a 2015 alumna of Colombia University.

Pregnancy interrupted her plan during the graduation season so she decided to baby-sit back home in China for now.

This is a rare option for Chinese graduates, more so as it's unacceptable from traditional perspective.

But Hu said this might be the most important mindset transition during the overseas life. "It's never too late to start a career so I decided to spend a year or two with my baby son when he needs me the most."

The mindset transition is also reflected in the changes in lifestyle preferences.

Gao Yuan, who now works and lives in Changchun, a second-tier city in Northeast China, said he chose not to accept a job offer in the first-tier city as he has been accustomed to the tranquil life in the suburb of Saarbrucken city in Germany when he was studying in University of Saarland.

"If I hadn't chosen to start a business of my own in Shanghai, I would have tried to seek a job in a coastal small town," said He Zhi, a returnee from France and the co-founder and CEO of online travel planning platform that aims to transform Chinese' travel style.