Since February 15, the scores of the preliminary examination of the 2019 national postgraduate entrance examination have been released in succession. For a while, the topic of postgraduate entrance examination scores has continued to occupy the hot online search list.

Among the increasing enrollment data year by year, "postgraduate entrance examination fever" is an old topic in the public opinion in recent years. There are various reasons for college students to choose to take the postgraduate entrance examination, either to avoid employment competition, or to seek a golden diploma, or because of the complex of famous schools. Some people take the postgraduate entrance examination, or even just because of the "following the crowd" in graduation anxiety.

When academic qualifications become obsessive, how many people decide to take the postgraduate entrance exam for further academic study?

Inside of a postgraduate entrance examination training institution, photographed by Zhang Yong

　　 No reading except 985! The complex of famous schools on the way to study

On February 15, Xiong Xiaoshan got her postgraduate entrance examination results. Compared with last year's score, she is expected to get the second round qualification of communication major in Shandong University.

In 2019, Xiong Xiaoshan entered the postgraduate examination room for the second time. She was also consulted by 2.9 million examinees from all over the country. This scale increased by 520000 yuan over the previous year, with a growth rate of 21.8%, making it the largest growth year in the past decade.

There are 2.9 million candidates for different reasons. In Xiong Xiaoshan's view, only by taking the postgraduate entrance examination and rushing into a famous school can we stand out among graduates.

Xiong Xiaoshan's competitive pressure is supported by reality. According to the statistics of China Education Online, the number of college graduates across the country has been growing for nearly 20 years. In 2019, the number of college graduates across the country is expected to reach 8.34 million, an increase of 140000 over the previous year.

On the one hand, it is the expansion of the scale of college graduates, and on the other hand, it is the employment opportunities of more monks than porridge. Xiong Xiaoshan believes that only by obtaining the 985 college master's degree can we stand out from the employment force.

For two consecutive years, she set her goal at Shandong University. In her eyes, the 985 university with the highest professional ranking can make her a beautiful turnaround in her academic qualifications.

However, entering 985 University is not easy. Throughout the senior graduation season, Xiong Xiaoshan gave up internships and recruitment opportunities in all units and focused on preparing for the exam. But she failed in the first year's exam.

"Take another exam." Xiong Xiaoshan quickly made a decision. Even though this year is the "World War II" postgraduate entrance examination, Xiong Xiaoshan does not intend to make any compromise. She said that she would never accept the adjustment, whether it is a major or a university: "It is not 985 University, I will take the third exam next year."

Students study hard for postgraduate entrance examination. Photographed by Zhang Bin, a reporter from China News Service

　　 Under the condition of "threshold anxiety", highly educated adults are obsessed with taking postgraduate entrance examination

In the "postgraduate entrance examination craze" that continues to heat up, it is not new for former students to fight for postgraduate entrance examination repeatedly.

According to the 2019 National Postgraduate Enrollment Survey Report released by China Education Online, in the 2019 postgraduate enrollment examination, the proportion of previous students in 2018 has reached 45%, nearly half.

Li Jiaheng, 23, is a member of the group of "former students" taking the postgraduate entrance examination. In 2019, he took the postgraduate exam for the second time. In his opinion, a master's degree from Communication University of China can bring better job opportunities.

With the improvement of the overall employment threshold of the society, the pursuit of higher education has become the driving force for most college students to take the postgraduate entrance examination. According to the data of China Education Online, the primary motivation of candidates when they apply for postgraduate examinations is to increase employment pressure and improve employment competitiveness, accounting for 36%.

Li Jiaheng's idea of taking the postgraduate entrance examination also comes from the "threshold anxiety" of employment. Li Jiaheng, an undergraduate majoring in journalism, entered an Internet enterprise as an intern in his senior year. Colleagues told him that he must have a master's degree to enter.

"Having no education means being rejected by many units". After submitting several other resumes, Li Jiaheng realized that education has become the hard threshold for entering a good organization.

After failing in the postgraduate entrance examination at the beginning of last year, in June, Li Jiaheng, an undergraduate, stayed in Beijing to rent a house to concentrate on the "World War II". The new round of test preparation also made him feel more stressed: his peers have either started their jobs or entered their favorite university, but they have not found a solution yet.

　　 Confused with employment, becoming the "only option" for graduation?

On the way to postgraduate entrance examination, some people want to enter famous schools and some people want to have a better employment platform. But for He Lifeng, who is 25 years old now, the postgraduate entrance examination has become a kind of helplessness: "I have no idea what to do in the future, so I have to go on studying."

In total, the 2019 postgraduate examination is the third time that He Lifeng has entered the examination room. In his words, the first two examinations failed because he did not find motivation for postgraduate entrance examination.

In 2017, He Lifeng graduated from a university in Chongqing majoring in agriculture. When he was looking for a job in his senior year, he was confused: "There are few jobs that match his major, and I don't know where his interests lie." For a while, He Lifeng didn't know where the future lies.

The postgraduate entrance examination is the choice of most of He Lifeng's classmates. At a loss, he also decided to join the army of postgraduate entrance examination. Since 2016, He Lifeng has been taking the postgraduate entrance examination for three years.

But this road is a single wooden bridge. In front of He Lifeng, the number of candidates is increasing year by year: 1.77 million graduate students applied for the exam in 2016, and rose to 2.01 million in 2017. In one year, the number of people surged by 240000.

But He Lifeng did not spend time preparing. In his life vision, entering a higher school is not for the pursuit of academic qualifications or the dream of a famous university. It is just a life-saving straw in front of him when he is confused about employment: "If he is admitted to graduate school, he can postpone graduation for several years."

In the face of employment pressure, postgraduate entrance examination has become He Lifeng's "only option" to escape from reality. It is a dilemma for He Lifeng to miss the employment opportunities of new students, whether in employment or postgraduate entrance examination.

Not long ago, He Lifeng got his third postgraduate entrance examination result, but the result was still unsatisfactory. The dilemma of whether to fight for another year or go to work at this point was once again before him.

The picture shows postgraduate students sitting on the stairs reciting attentively. Photographed by Sun Hongyuan

　　 How to cool down the fever of postgraduate entrance examination?

Today, the "postgraduate entrance examination craze" has lasted for many years. Statistics show that since 2011, the number of applicants for postgraduate entrance examination in China has increased in all the years except 2014 and 2015, with an increase of more than 10% in 2017 and 2018.

Should postgraduate entrance examination be the choice of most students? Wu Rui, a career planner for college students at Haitian Graduate School, told reporters: "Candidates should not regard the postgraduate entrance examination as an obsession or an ideal. They should consider their own conditions and the external environment of society when choosing whether to take the postgraduate entrance examination or not."

In view of the fact that more and more former students insist on taking the postgraduate entrance examination, Wu Rui also believes that there are realistic reasons to support them: "With the higher education requirements of the work unit, students have to take the higher education under the pressure of employment."

"Even so, the postgraduate entrance examination should not follow the trend blindly." Wu Rui pointed out that for former postgraduate candidates, judging whether they continue to take the postgraduate entrance examination should start from their own learning ability and scientific research ability: "If learning is difficult, we should properly adjust the target colleges, or even carry out new career planning."

In addition to its own scientific research ability, the external social environment should also become the reference standard for postgraduate entrance examination.

"Employers value vocational skills more than education, and candidates should start from their majors, combine the current employment environment and professional practicality, and fully consider the necessity of going to graduate school," Wu Rui said. (Author: Yang Yuqi)

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