Making the most of every opportunity

Unlike hundreds of thousands of Chinese students, Chen Chaoyi never worried about school entrance examinations.

The 23-year-old Shanghai native graduated from Fudan University in 2011, and quickly found a good job.

"Nearly all of my friends from primary school stayed with me till high school," Chen said, adding that about 25 percent moved on after high school. "They may have had alternatives, such as transferring to better schools or going to study overseas," he said, adding that one or two of his primary school classmates were among those who dropped out.