CHINA, NATIONAL, EDUCATION, Analysis: The Age of Graduate Study?
By Li Chen
Graduate study, which is supposed to be a period of academic study furthering research in a certain subject by someone who has proved to have some research ability, is now considered as an exclusive way of getting a good-paying job in today's China. Apparently, students with graduate degrees are more likely to get better positions compared with "ordinary" students.
So there is no surprise why there are so many undergraduate students devoting themselves to the entrance exam for graduate study right after their first year of college life, some even from the beginning of the first year, by doing a lot of memorizing. Hence, when asked about some basic ideas in their own major, many of them are not willing to express their points; they are either not interested or have nothing to talk about, but when asked the analysis of a political issue or some exam-styled English reading assignments, they get totally involved. Then, what is the point of undergraduate study, anyway? How about we just start with special exam-training schools and get rid of those boring and time-wasting undergraduate majors? Actually, such training schools in China have made a great fortune over the last three years due to this graduate study heat.
Two months ago, I went to Shanghai Foreign Studies University to take an interpreting test. Since it was my first trip to that famous metropolis, I went there five days before the test day hoping to see everything I could of that charming city; I stayed in a dorm with a friend who is a graduate student there. Even though I went out most of my stay in Shanghai, I think I still know what those guys in the dorm are doing everyday: surfing on line, playing video games, and that's all.
To be frank, I was a bit confused and asked one of them if they have any paper assignments or reading assignments. Surprisingly, they don't have much of that stuff and according to one of them the key to making sure you have your paper passed is to keep on good terms with your professors who can also, by the way, help you a lot in your future job hunting. He added that he himself does not think he has learned anything that will really help his performance in his future job.
I started to ask myself, if a graduate title can guarantee a better job in the future, then what is the point of studying if the knowledge and skills I acquire during my graduate years have nothing to do with my future career? Is it merely a graduate diploma that can get me the job? I just cannot imagine I will be in a vice CEO position of a nationally-owned telecommunication company when I am a Chinese major who knows nothing about economy just because I received a graduate degree in Chinese classics appreciation! However, according to the latest statistics, most students with graduate degrees are not doing jobs that require their graduate degree knowledge.
A 26-year old Chinese girl had sex with a professor at Beijing Transportation University to ensure her success with the entrance test paper in politics; afterwards her conscience told her it was wrong and ridiculous. How many girls have done that in the pursuit of their graduate study dreams? And how many have realized how ridiculous it is? It's high time to stop this unreasonable craziness and get back to the study of our major.
Graduate study, which is supposed to be a period of academic study furthering research in a certain subject by someone who has proved to have some research ability, is now considered as an exclusive way of getting a good-paying job in today's China. Apparently, students with graduate degrees are more likely to get better positions compared with "ordinary" students.
So there is no surprise why there are so many undergraduate students devoting themselves to the entrance exam for graduate study right after their first year of college life, some even from the beginning of the first year, by doing a lot of memorizing. Hence, when asked about some basic ideas in their own major, many of them are not willing to express their points; they are either not interested or have nothing to talk about, but when asked the analysis of a political issue or some exam-styled English reading assignments, they get totally involved. Then, what is the point of undergraduate study, anyway? How about we just start with special exam-training schools and get rid of those boring and time-wasting undergraduate majors? Actually, such training schools in China have made a great fortune over the last three years due to this graduate study heat.
Two months ago, I went to Shanghai Foreign Studies University to take an interpreting test. Since it was my first trip to that famous metropolis, I went there five days before the test day hoping to see everything I could of that charming city; I stayed in a dorm with a friend who is a graduate student there. Even though I went out most of my stay in Shanghai, I think I still know what those guys in the dorm are doing everyday: surfing on line, playing video games, and that's all.
To be frank, I was a bit confused and asked one of them if they have any paper assignments or reading assignments. Surprisingly, they don't have much of that stuff and according to one of them the key to making sure you have your paper passed is to keep on good terms with your professors who can also, by the way, help you a lot in your future job hunting. He added that he himself does not think he has learned anything that will really help his performance in his future job.
I started to ask myself, if a graduate title can guarantee a better job in the future, then what is the point of studying if the knowledge and skills I acquire during my graduate years have nothing to do with my future career? Is it merely a graduate diploma that can get me the job? I just cannot imagine I will be in a vice CEO position of a nationally-owned telecommunication company when I am a Chinese major who knows nothing about economy just because I received a graduate degree in Chinese classics appreciation! However, according to the latest statistics, most students with graduate degrees are not doing jobs that require their graduate degree knowledge.
A 26-year old Chinese girl had sex with a professor at Beijing Transportation University to ensure her success with the entrance test paper in politics; afterwards her conscience told her it was wrong and ridiculous. How many girls have done that in the pursuit of their graduate study dreams? And how many have realized how ridiculous it is? It's high time to stop this unreasonable craziness and get back to the study of our major.
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