CHINA, NATIONAL, SOCIETY, HIGHER EDUCATION, NEWS: Their Unusual Student Life
They are not students included in the recruitment, but they lead a hard life on the campus with their everlasting goals.
By Yu Feng
It is 5:30 am in a dark room no more than 5 square meters near Qufu Normal University. The room is empty except for two bunk beds and a small table. Two girls live here; both of them are students preparing for next year's postgraduate entrance examination. They are reluctant to get out of bed, especially in the cool late autumn, however, they have to, if they are late, they won't get a seat in the individual study room.
"Life is not easy, but I enjoy it," said Weiling, a 25 year-old girl from Rizhao, Shandong Province. After graduation, she found a position in an import and export company in Qingdao City. "I worked very hard, and I earned my manager's appreciation. My friends thought I was lucky to get such a good job with considerable income. However, the desire to study never left my heart," Weiling said.
Suffering a fierce conflict in her mind, she finally resigned and pursued her dream. Qufu Normal University, established in the hometown of Confucius, is her ideal place to further her education. She went to Qufu in September and rented a small house near the university.
"The study life is not as easy as I thought it would be," she said. She used all her savings to pay for books, food and lodging, and her parents provide her with an allowance. Although she gets up very early, when she reaches the study room after a twenty-minute walk, there is already a long line waiting outside. After 10:00 at night, she goes back and continues to study till 12:00. She doesn't have access to the library, so it is inconvenient for her to refer to some reference books.
Her only entertainment is to pay one Yuan and watch a film on the campus. However, she never regrets the decision she made. "I am proud of myself, although the future is unforeseeable, I will try my best. Finding a job is not the only concern of studying, the process of pursuing knowledge should be appreciated," she said.
Wangjing also leads an unusual life at the edge of Tianjin University. The 23 year-old girl, who graduated from Qingdao Technological University, did very well in her postgraduate entrance examination this year. Unfortunately, she was kept outside the school gate because her score in English was inadequate. It's easy for students like her who majored in Urban Planning to find a decent job, but she said she would feel great pity if she gave up. So she rented a flat on the campus and began her study life.
Sometimes she feels lonely and isolated, because she is different from other students. At these times, she hides herself in her quilt, weeping quietly. When she thinks of her parents and friends, Wangjing is refreshed. "I am very lucky, my parents and friends give me great support, and my boyfriend studying in Liaoning often calls me to give me encouragement. Their support accompanies me when I am studying from dawn to midnight. I will not fail them," she said.
Although she can't use the library and computer lab at present, she is confident she will become a real postgraduate of the university next year.
In Shandong University, Jingfeng and his friends share the same experience with Weiling and Wangjing. He graduated from Shandong Technological University, majoring in Electronic Information Project. After leaving University, he went to the "talented people's market" every weekend, but to his disappointment, few companies needed graduates like him. So he decided to further his education.
Jingfeng and his friends rented a student's dormitory in Shandong University this July, paying 150 Yuan per month for each bed. "Actually, I don't know whether it is a sensible option, I believe I will be more confident in finding a proper position in society after improving myself." During the day, Jingfeng and his friends bury themselves in piles of books preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam, at night they will relax on the Internet for a while. Jingfeng said his favorite website is a forum where he can exchange his experience with friends holding the same goal.
Around us, there are a group of students like Weiling, Wangjing and Jingfeng. They lead an unusual student life at the edge of the university, and insistently hold that their dream will come true one day.
By Yu Feng
It is 5:30 am in a dark room no more than 5 square meters near Qufu Normal University. The room is empty except for two bunk beds and a small table. Two girls live here; both of them are students preparing for next year's postgraduate entrance examination. They are reluctant to get out of bed, especially in the cool late autumn, however, they have to, if they are late, they won't get a seat in the individual study room.
"Life is not easy, but I enjoy it," said Weiling, a 25 year-old girl from Rizhao, Shandong Province. After graduation, she found a position in an import and export company in Qingdao City. "I worked very hard, and I earned my manager's appreciation. My friends thought I was lucky to get such a good job with considerable income. However, the desire to study never left my heart," Weiling said.
Suffering a fierce conflict in her mind, she finally resigned and pursued her dream. Qufu Normal University, established in the hometown of Confucius, is her ideal place to further her education. She went to Qufu in September and rented a small house near the university.
"The study life is not as easy as I thought it would be," she said. She used all her savings to pay for books, food and lodging, and her parents provide her with an allowance. Although she gets up very early, when she reaches the study room after a twenty-minute walk, there is already a long line waiting outside. After 10:00 at night, she goes back and continues to study till 12:00. She doesn't have access to the library, so it is inconvenient for her to refer to some reference books.
Her only entertainment is to pay one Yuan and watch a film on the campus. However, she never regrets the decision she made. "I am proud of myself, although the future is unforeseeable, I will try my best. Finding a job is not the only concern of studying, the process of pursuing knowledge should be appreciated," she said.
Wangjing also leads an unusual life at the edge of Tianjin University. The 23 year-old girl, who graduated from Qingdao Technological University, did very well in her postgraduate entrance examination this year. Unfortunately, she was kept outside the school gate because her score in English was inadequate. It's easy for students like her who majored in Urban Planning to find a decent job, but she said she would feel great pity if she gave up. So she rented a flat on the campus and began her study life.
Sometimes she feels lonely and isolated, because she is different from other students. At these times, she hides herself in her quilt, weeping quietly. When she thinks of her parents and friends, Wangjing is refreshed. "I am very lucky, my parents and friends give me great support, and my boyfriend studying in Liaoning often calls me to give me encouragement. Their support accompanies me when I am studying from dawn to midnight. I will not fail them," she said.
Although she can't use the library and computer lab at present, she is confident she will become a real postgraduate of the university next year.
In Shandong University, Jingfeng and his friends share the same experience with Weiling and Wangjing. He graduated from Shandong Technological University, majoring in Electronic Information Project. After leaving University, he went to the "talented people's market" every weekend, but to his disappointment, few companies needed graduates like him. So he decided to further his education.
Jingfeng and his friends rented a student's dormitory in Shandong University this July, paying 150 Yuan per month for each bed. "Actually, I don't know whether it is a sensible option, I believe I will be more confident in finding a proper position in society after improving myself." During the day, Jingfeng and his friends bury themselves in piles of books preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam, at night they will relax on the Internet for a while. Jingfeng said his favorite website is a forum where he can exchange his experience with friends holding the same goal.
Around us, there are a group of students like Weiling, Wangjing and Jingfeng. They lead an unusual student life at the edge of the university, and insistently hold that their dream will come true one day.
1 Comments:
At 2:18 PM , NJ said...
I think I heard this somewhere on the web: "only the ones who could not find a job after graduation would go on right to graduate school."
I think this is really interesting though: on one hand, many chinese companies are in need of highly trained employees; on the other hand, brilliant students who came out from college with a "wrong" major simply have no chance in the "talented people's market".
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