Testing time for postgraduates

Expert: Majority of students take exam to get good jobs, not continue education

Only one in every 10 applicants for graduate studies in Beijing apply because they want to pursue academic studies while the rest see graduate schools as a way to distinguish themselves in the harsh world of job hunting.

More than 100,000 people participated in the two-day entrance examination in the capital that ended yesterday.

Some 258,654 people across China applied for postgraduate courses in the city, an increase of 14.6 percent on last year and the largest number for the past five years.

MBA and finance courses topped the list of the most popular majors.

More than 10,000 students applied for places at each of the big seven universities - including Peking University and Renmin University - according to information released by the Beijing Education Examinations Authority.

Most sitting the exam wanted to get a diploma from a better university, rather than concentrate on academic study, according to research conducted by Mycos, an education-focused HR consulting firm in Beijing.

It shows 34 percent of people who took the graduates' entrance examination believed a postgraduate certificate could help them land a better job; 26 percent wanted to be admitted by a better university and 19 percent thought it would support their future career development.

Only 10 percent wanted to concentrate on academic study, the survey showed.

A senior student surnamed Shui from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT) majoring in telecommunications took the exam at the University of International Business and Economics.

He would now like to take a finance major.

Shui decided to change his major because he thought finance offered better prospects in the job market.

"Demand in the finance sector is still very strong," he said. "If I can get a diploma from a science degree and an arts degree, I will have a great advantage when it comes to job hunting."

The mother of an examinee, surnamed Zhao, who got up at 6 am on Saturday to drive her daughter to the exam, told METRO it was the second time her daughter had taken the exam.

She said it was not difficult for her daughter to find a job, but the positions she was being offered were less well paid and less interesting than she hoped for.

"If she can't pass it this time, I hope she will continue to take it until she passes," Zhao said.

Chen Yongming, dean of Shanghai Normal University School of Education, blamed an overall unhealthy social environment for the unpopularity of academic study in universities.

He said fewer people were paying attention to academic research, which had greatly affected students' attitude toward study.

"Students should be clear about what they really want in life and work. A postgraduate diploma will not necessarily lead them to a successful life," he said.

(China Daily 01/11/2010 page26)