Article | Huang Jing
Edit | Autumn Rain
Typesetting | Xingyang
Five years ago, the result of 3 points less than the postgraduate entrance examination line of 985 colleges and universities, and the result of adjusting to the double African colleges and universities, became an inextricable knot for 985 students Xiao Meng in a long time.
She graduated from a 985 college in southwest China with a bachelor's degree, and then transferred to a double non college in Shanghai for postgraduate study. "Double non", originally the abbreviation of non 985 and 211 universities, now refers to non "double first-class" universities.
In order to relieve her anxiety, she recorded this experience on the social platform. As a result, she receives private complaints every year, and people like her who are "downshifting" will send long texts to express their depression to her.
The experience of Xiao Meng and others is a microcosm of the situation of fierce competition for postgraduate entrance examination. According to the official data of the Ministry of Education, from 2016 to 2020, the number of applicants for the postgraduate entrance examination rose from 1.77 million to 3.41 million, and the enrollment ratio was also adjusted from 3.4:1 to 4:1.
The picture is from the 2021 national graduate enrollment survey report
This means that it is more and more difficult to take the postgraduate entrance examination to a famous school. Due to academic anxiety, every year a considerable number of people choose to compromise and continue their studies in a school that is not as good as an undergraduate college.
In the environment of "everyone striving for the top", they made choices that did not conform to their life assumptions. Whether they accept it actively or passively, reconciliation with themselves has become an important lesson for those who fall into the cloud and need to study.
Emergency landing
In the college entrance examination in 2015, Xiao Meng was transferred to the mathematics major of a 985 college. She doesn't like this major, and it's hard for her to learn.
She spent a senior year in her freshman year, and often struggled on the edge of the passing line. "In order not to fail in the final exam, I try my best to understand and prove every time."
"After four years of undergraduate education, I suffered a lot," Xiao Meng said.
Xiaomeng often wants to escape from the feeling of powerlessness in her professional study, but something happened in the second semester of her college life made her constantly reflect on her situation.
One day in the next semester, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurred in Ya'an, more than 100 kilometers away from the school. Xiaomeng felt such a strong earthquake for the first time, and some grand questions suddenly emerged: What is the most important thing in life, and what do I want to pursue?
The picture is from Xinhuanet
However, until her junior year, she did not find the answer. At the juncture of deciding whether to go to school or work, her family gave her a suggestion to continue her postgraduate study, because they thought Xiaomeng was too young to enter the society directly.
In a daze, Xiaomeng chose to take the postgraduate entrance examination, aiming at the finance major of a 985 college, a major that she thought was more suitable for her.
It is not easy to take the postgraduate entrance examination across majors, and Xiaomeng's postgraduate entrance examination results are not satisfactory. In 2016, she missed the re examination line of the target university by 3 points, so she began to look for experience and information in various forums, and called the research and recruitment offices of more than 100 985 and 211 universities all over the country.
Some Posts in the Adjustment of Postgraduate Entrance Examination on Weibo
When she was discouraged, she received an invitation call from a non university in Shanghai. Excited as if she had won the lottery, she hurriedly agreed.
This call determines Xiaomeng's life in the next three years. It was her only choice at that time to transfer to the Double African School for postgraduate study, although that school did not have the reputation of other double African schools in Shanghai, such as East China University of Political Science and Law.
"I knew I was not suitable for World War II, and I also heard many stories of World War II failure. I didn't find a suitable job at that time, didn't think about going abroad, and didn't prepare to face the society directly." She used many "no's" to recall her determination to "downshift" to graduate school.
Unlike Xiaomeng, Chen Tong took the initiative to "downshift" to graduate school. She called this experience an emergency landing. A dangerous and frustrating choice that can ensure safety to the greatest extent.
Chen Tong was an undergraduate majoring in economics at a 985 university. Since most of her classmates chose to go abroad, she originally wanted to follow the trend of studying abroad. The attitude of her family was also very clear - she had to go abroad to study by smashing pots and selling iron. However, at the end of her senior year, due to her lack of action, she did not receive offers from graduate students from famous schools, and "Lie Ping applied to a language school".
The picture is from the 2021 national graduate enrollment survey report
Before officially applying for a visa to Japan, she was afraid of the uncertainty of the difficulties of living abroad. Considering the lack of family conditions, she gave up the idea of going abroad completely.
At that time, it was the middle of July 2019. Considering that there was little chance of success, Chen Tong chose to take the postgraduate entrance exam, which was "downshifting".
"The competition for postgraduate entrance examination in economics is fierce. I have less than half a year left to prepare for it, and I don't have much confidence in getting into a particularly good school. And the relatively strong parents suggested that I go to a Shuangfei college in southwest China, close to home."
Chen Tong said frankly that she was lack of assertiveness at that time, and she would do whatever her family said.
The stills of Little Joy
In the process of preparing for the exam for half a year, Chen Tong was unwilling and wronged all the time. Although she prepared hurriedly and insufficiently, she still got the first result in the first preliminary exam. Her explanation was that it was almost no difficulty for examiners to take the Shuangfei school exam.
After reporting to the school, Chen Tong found that several students in the college also came from 985 colleges and universities, and there were also 211 students from the same school. "They were all transferred to Shuangfei, and I applied for Shuangfei directly on a voluntary basis," Chen Tong said.
fall
For 985 students, going to Shuangfei School for postgraduate study not only means that they can enjoy the "demotion" of educational resources, but also face the eyes of others. They must face the double challenges from learning experience and spirit.
Having studied in 985 colleges and universities, Chen Tong appeared resistant and impetuous at the beginning of his postgraduate study.
She tried to find out the advantages of the school: there are many students who love learning, the learning atmosphere is not bad, the roommates are very good people, and the interpersonal relationship is relatively harmonious.
In a university library, students are immersed in self-study
"Although there are many excellent teachers here, the teachers' strength is not as good as that of 985 universities on the whole, and the school platform resources are relatively lacking." Chen Tong added.
On the surface, Chen Tong is well integrated into the graduate environment, but the challenge from the spiritual level makes her unable to parry. From 985 to Shuangfei, it was a loss of identity, which made her feel that she was no longer outstanding. For this reason, she was upset and cried.
Disappointed, she joined the online forum and wanted to open a post to talk about it several times, but finally gave up - she was worried that netizens would swarm to her and say, "You are such a waste".
Related topics on Zhihu
When encountering other people's questions such as "Where do you go to school now?" "Why do you want to take this school?", she will instinctively feel sad; Seeing her former classmates enter a famous school, study abroad smoothly, and become elites in a large factory, her mood will fall into depression.
Shuangfei, 985, became a sensitive word here in Chen Tong.
Different from Chen Tong, Xiaomeng has done a good job of psychological construction from the very beginning. She constantly warned herself that everything depends on people. "We should be grateful for this opportunity and read books."
Xiaomeng looks at the eyes of the outside world very lightly. Her biggest worry is that she doesn't know how to face herself - have I stepped back?
In the "985 Waste Introduction Group" of Douban, under a post of "211 undergraduate students only admitted to the double non graduate school, do you still want to read it", some people said that reading graduate students from double non university equals to self depreciation
"The famous school complex is my recognition of my past efforts. I managed to achieve this goal, but I was thrown away at will," Xiaomeng explained his mood.
What comforted her a little was that in the graduate school, she met conscientious teachers and friends. She spent her days in the library, doing research with teachers, and attending academic conferences in other universities. She was much happier than when she was an undergraduate.
At the beginning, the idea of holding a mixed diploma disappeared, and Xiaomeng really liked finance.
This is Rhode Island
The autumn move in 2019 was not so smooth, and Xiaomeng still got her offer by hard work.
Xiaomeng worked in the consulting industry for two years. Now when it comes to the adjustment of double non schools, she said that it was a great part of reconciliation with herself.
Especially during the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020, Xiaomeng also felt that human beings were insignificant and personal worries were not worth mentioning. She also answered the question that she threw to the world when the earthquake happened - family is the most important thing in life. The idea of making life more meaningful is still too metaphysical.
At the turn of spring and summer every year, her Zhihu account still receives many confiding letters, and the other end of the private letter seems to be her past self. Xiaomeng will reply to these private messages patiently, but she cannot help them make decisions.
In these replies, her attitude is very consistent: no matter what, do not waste time, but look at the problem from a longer life scale.
The private message replied by Xiaomeng Zaizhihu
Xiaomeng's experience made her firmly believe that if you are unwilling, you should redouble your efforts to prove yourself. At the same time, you should also ask yourself: "What do you want is the glory of a famous school, or what you gain in a famous school?"
She will also use examples around her to enlighten the latecomers: her classmates who were transferred from the same class with her have worked hard during their master's degree, and finally passed the doctoral examination in Tsinghua.
Chen Tong, who is about to rise to Yan Er, has gradually calmed down. She believes that the title of 985 is no longer so important. She had her own plan - read blog, "continue to take off, make a good overhaul in this forced landing, and strive for the next voyage."
These changes began with a lecture video that she accidentally saw one day. In the video, the lecturer said, "This is Rhode Island. If you want to jump, jump here."
This sentence originates from Aesop's Fables. A returning traveler boasted that he had won the first place in the long jump competition in Rhode Island. Others told him that for the time being, this place was also regarded as Rhode Island. Now you can show us. If you jump far in Rhode Island, you will jump as far everywhere.
The stills of My Genius Girlfriend
This allows Chen Tong to contact himself - to accept the current platform first. "If we can't do well in both schools, we can't do well even under the best conditions."
(Xiaomeng and Chen Tong are pseudonyms)
