The sudden drop in the number of applicants for graduate school in 2024 has attracted widespread attention. Graduate school has long been a popular option for many college students, but this year's data shows that the number of applicants has dropped by 360,000. This change has sparked a lot of speculation and discussion, and on this issue, I have summarized some possible causes and implications for candidates. In the following sections, I will introduce and elaborate on each of them in this article.
First of all, considering that the change in the employment concept of college students is an important reason for the decline in the number of graduate students. In the past, due to the severe employment situation, many college students chose to take the postgraduate entrance examination to increase their employment competitiveness. However, in recent years, although it is possible to obtain a higher degree by being admitted to graduate school, the difficulty of finding a job has not decreased significantly. More and more college students are realizing that even with a master's degree, it is not easy to find a satisfying job. Therefore, some college students decide to give up the postgraduate entrance examination and go directly into the society to improve their competitiveness by accumulating work experience.
In addition, in order to attract excellent students, some colleges and universities have increased the number of students who are exempted from promotion, which has also led to a decline in the number of graduate students. These changes have allowed candidates to re-evaluate the "cost performance" of the postgraduate entrance examination. The cost of going to graduate school is gradually increasing, but the ultimate reward is no longer as attractive as it used to be, which makes some college students abandon the idea of going to graduate school.
In recent years, there has been a gradual rise in the craze for studying abroad, which is one of the reasons for the decline in the number of graduate school students. Now, only a postgraduate degree is no longer seen as a unique advantage, and many people choose to study abroad to add to their academic "plus". With the increase of domestic and foreign exchanges and the superiority of the study abroad environment, many college students have turned their attention to overseas studies to obtain broader development opportunities and better academic resources.
This shift has caused some students who were going to go to graduate school to study abroad, which is one of the reasons for the decrease in the number of applicants for graduate school. With the popularity of studying abroad, it is foreseeable that the competition for postgraduate entrance examinations will become more fierce in the future.
The 2023 National Postgraduate Examination has encountered a special situation, as the pandemic has just been lifted, and many candidates have been unable to enter the examination room and missed the opportunity to take the exam. Even candidates who take the test may be in poor condition due to special circumstances, which affects the test score. As a result, candidates in 2024 have more opportunities to take the exam and will prepare in a better condition as compared to 2023. This is also a possible explanation for the decline in the number of graduate school applicants.
The drop in the number of applicants may have relieved some candidates who had found the competition to be more likely to be on the shore. In reality, however, the opposite may be true. The intensity of competition is likely to increase due to the decrease in the number of applicants, resulting in a decrease in the percentage of admissions. Therefore, candidates should not take it lightly, but continue to work hard to prepare for the exam and prepare for the challenges of the exam.
Therefore, the most important thing for candidates is to have a reasonable Xi plan and strictly follow it. They should arrange the Xi review time of each subject reasonably and pay attention to the consolidation of basic knowledge. Candidates also need to adjust their mentality, maintain a positive and optimistic attitude, and believe that their efforts will pay off. In addition, sleep is also very important, candidates do not sacrifice their rest for the sake of resuming Xi, and maintaining a good routine Xi is essential to maintain the best performance in the exam.
The decline in the number of applicants for the postgraduate entrance examination in 2024 has attracted widespread attention, and the reasons can be attributed to the change in the employment concept of college students, the rise of the study abroad craze, and the impact of the special circumstances of the postgraduate entrance examination in 2023 on the number of applicants. For candidates, this change means that the intensity of competition may increase. They should maintain a good Xi plan, adjust their mindset, and maintain a good routine Xi routine. Only in this way will you be able to cope with the challenges of the exam and do well.