Recently, a number of colleges and universities have announced the number of applicants for the 2024 postgraduate entrance examination, and the number of applicants in some colleges and universities has dropped by more than 10%. This phenomenon has attracted people's attention. In order to better understand and explain this phenomenon, we need to analyze it from different perspectives.
According to relevant data, the number of applicants for the postgraduate entrance examination in 2023 will be 4.74 million, an increase of 170,000 over the previous year, an increase of 37%。Although the number of postgraduate students has increased overall, some universities have seen a decline in the number of applicants, such as Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Shandong University, Fudan University and other well-known universities have dropped by more than 10%. So, why do some candidates begin to choose to give up or turn to other ways out in the context of fierce competition in the postgraduate entrance examination market?
First, we need to look at this phenomenon from a practical perspective. The reason why many candidates give up the postgraduate entrance examination is mainly because of the existence of employment pressure. As the number of college students continues to increase, so does the pressure to find employment. Many employers also have higher and higher requirements for academic qualifications, making some candidates think that the postgraduate entrance examination is a better choice. However, in reality, some candidates are not clear about their future career plans, and just blindly choose to take the postgraduate entrance examination, resulting in the end of failing to pass the exam or not finding their dream job.
Secondly, the difficulty of the exam is also an important reason for candidates to give up the postgraduate entrance examination. The postgraduate entrance examination is a highly competitive examination, which requires candidates to have a solid academic foundation and high comprehensive quality. However, some candidates are unable to pass the exam due to their own lack of ability or insufficient preparation time.
In addition, financial pressure is also a factor for candidates to give up on the postgraduate entrance examination. The postgraduate entrance examination requires a certain amount of financial resources and time investment, and for some candidates whose family economic conditions are not very good, if they cannot afford this part of the cost, they will choose to give up the postgraduate entrance examination.
In addition to the practical reasons, there are some long-term reasons why candidates give up on the postgraduate entrance examination. These reasons mainly include a lack of interest in academic research, consideration of future career development, and thinking about personal growth.
The reason why some candidates choose to take the postgraduate entrance examination is mainly to improve their academic qualifications and employment competitiveness, but they are not interested in academic research. In this case, if you can't pass the exam or can't find the research direction you are interested in, you will choose to give up the graduate school entrance examination.
In addition, some candidates believe that their professional prospects are uncertain or that they want to pursue a career in other industries, but they don't know how to start, which leads to giving up on graduate school entrance examinations.
There are also some candidates who believe that they already have certain knowledge and abilities and can realize their value and development through other ways, so they choose to give up the postgraduate entrance examination.
In response to the decline in the number of applicants for graduate school, there are some measures we can take to alleviate this problem.
First of all, we should strengthen career planning education. Colleges and universities should strengthen career planning education for college students to help them better understand their interests and abilities, and avoid blindly choosing to go to graduate school or engage in other industries.
Second, improve the pass rate of the exam. Candidates should strengthen their preparation for the exam, improve their subject foundation and comprehensive quality, and strive to pass the exam at one time.
Third, provide financial support. Colleges and universities can provide some financial support to help candidates whose families are not in a good financial situation to complete their studies.
In addition, strengthening the connection between academic research and social practice is also a way to solve problems. Colleges and universities should strengthen the connection between academic research and social practice, so that candidates can understand the connection between academic research and social practice and the importance of personal growth.
To sum up, the phenomenon of a decline of more than 10% in the number of applicants for graduate school entrance examination is a complex issue, involving both practical and long-term reasons. In order to solve this problem, measures such as strengthening career planning education, increasing the pass rate of examinations, providing financial support, and strengthening the link between academic research and social practice are needed. At the same time, we should also recognize that this problem is not only an educational problem, but also a social problem, which requires the joint efforts of all parties to solve. Only through our joint efforts can we provide candidates with better development opportunities and choices, and make greater contributions to China's higher education and career development.