According to data released by the Ministry of Education, the number of applicants for the 2024 national master's degree entrance examination will be 4.38 million, a decrease of 360,000 from last year. This data raises questions about whether the "postgraduate entrance examination fever" has cooled down. An in-depth survey found that there are three important reasons for the decrease in the number of graduate students.
1.The gap between academic involution and employment expectations: With the continuous growth of the scale of graduate students, the involution of academic qualifications in the job market is becoming more and more serious, and many students choose direct employment rather than postgraduate entrance examination for employment considerations rather than academic aspirations. This has also led to an increase in the number of college graduates in direct employment.
2.Decrease in master's degree and increase in professional master's degree: In recent years, some famous universities have abandoned the enrollment of some master's degrees and directly implemented the "direct doctorate" plan. At the same time, the tuition fees for professional and master's degrees are relatively high, and most of them are not subsidized by the state, and the length of study is extended to 3 years, and the economic cost continues to increase, which also leads many students to choose to give up the postgraduate entrance examination, but choose direct employment or other ways of further study.
3.Increasingly strict quality control of graduate education: In recent years, in order to ensure the quality of graduate training, various schools have extended the study period of master's and doctoral degrees and carried out quality reform of graduate education. This move is believed to improve the quality of graduate training, but it also dissuades some students.
Although the number of students going to graduate school has decreased, there are still many students who are suitable for graduate school. So, what kind of students are suitable for graduate school entrance examinations?
1.Students with strong academic aspirations: For those students who are passionate about academic research and want to conduct research in their subject areas, the postgraduate entrance examination is an important way to improve their academic ability. They have a solid professional foundation and an enduring interest in academic research to lead to higher level academic qualifications.
2.Continuing students: Some students hope to deepen their professional knowledge and skills and enhance their employability through postgraduate entrance examinations. For example, some engineering students can learn in-depth knowledge in related fields through the postgraduate entrance examination, laying a solid foundation for future research and development work in scientific research institutions or high-tech enterprises.
3.Students who change their development direction: Some students find that their initial development goals are not suitable for them during their college years, and hope to change their development direction through the postgraduate entrance examination. They may want to change careers or majors, get more choices through the postgraduate entrance examination, and find a more suitable development direction for them.
College is an important stage of life, and how to plan your future path is very important for every college student. Here are some tips for college students:
1.Actively integrate into campus life: During the university period, you should actively participate in various campus activities to broaden your horizons and cultivate comprehensive and interpersonal skills.
2.Accumulate professional knowledge: We must conscientiously study professional knowledge and improve our academic level and professional skills.
3.Focus on personal development direction: During your university years, you should gradually clarify your own development direction and learn relevant professional knowledge and skills in a planned manner.
4.Graduate employment: Prepare for employment in a timely manner, participate in internships, accumulate work experience, and improve your employment competitiveness.
As for when to choose to look for a job directly or take the public examination and the examination editor, Chu Qingcheng believes that if students have no interest and motivation to continue full-time study after the senior year, they can choose to look for a job directly. In addition, he also advised college students to seize internship opportunities to learn about careers and industries through internships, and to test whether they are suitable for the profession.
In short, college students should formulate a reasonable career plan according to their interests, abilities and development goals, and continue to study hard to improve themselves to achieve smooth graduation and employment. Postgraduate entrance examination is still a valuable development path, but it is not suitable for all students, and everyone should make a rational choice according to their own situation.