The number of graduate students has dropped for the first time in 8 years, what signal does it send?

Mondo Education Updated on 2024-01-19

The number of applicants for the 2024 national master's admission examination will be 4.38 million, a decrease of 360,000 compared with last year, which is the first decline in the number of applicants in the past eight years. This is a manifestation of a rational regression, indicating that the craze for graduate school entrance examinations is cooling down. The reasons for this can be analyzed from the following aspects:

1.Increased employment pressure: With the implementation of the policy of expanding the enrollment of colleges and universities, the number of undergraduates has increased significantly, the relationship between supply and demand in the job market is unbalanced, and the employment situation is becoming increasingly severe. Many students choose to go to graduate school to increase their employability competitiveness, but in reality, graduate students still face employment difficulties.

2.The threshold for postgraduate entrance examination has been raised: In recent years, the weight of the re-examination has been increased in the postgraduate entrance examination to ensure the quality of students. Postgraduate entrance examination is no longer a guaranteed choice for graduation, and postgraduate students must have a solid knowledge reserve and the ability to adapt to the Xi mode of postgraduate study. This makes many undergraduates realize whether they are suitable for graduate school, and cannot simply aim to be admitted.

3.Changing Perception of Employment: The old belief that graduate school can solve the employment problem is gradually being broken. More and more people are realizing that academic qualifications are not the only factor that determines employment success, and that practical work experience and ability are equally important. Graduate school entrance examination does not guarantee employment, and it requires a lot of time and effort, which may not be wise for those students who wish to find employment as soon as possible.

4.The rise of vocational education: With the development of vocational education, more and more students are choosing vocational education instead of postgraduate entrance examinations. Vocational education focuses on the cultivation of practical skills and employment orientation, which can connect with the job market more quickly.

Graduate school does not solve the problem of employment 100%, and this view has been recognized by more and more people. Although the postgraduate entrance examination can improve one's academic ability and research level, there are still the following problems:

1.Fierce competition in the graduate market: The scale of graduate student enrollment has expanded, but the number of graduate jobs has not increased accordingly, and the competitive pressure is very high. Many graduate students cannot find a satisfactory job after graduation, and even face difficulties in finding employment.

2.Employability advantages for undergraduates: With the continuous improvement of the quality of undergraduates, many undergraduates already have some academic ability and research foundation for graduate students. In some highly competitive industries, the competition for jobs for undergraduate and graduate students is no longer unequal.

3.The importance of work experience: Many employers place more emphasis on a candidate's actual work experience and abilities than on their academic background. Therefore, for students who want to find employment as early as possible, accumulating practical work experience may be more conducive to employment.

Of course, it is not an easy task to go to graduate school, and you need to carefully consider the following two questions before going to graduate school: whether the individual is suitable for graduate school and whether the graduate school can meet the expectations of future employment.

Whether an individual is suitable for graduate school needs to consider whether he has a strong interest and passion for scientific research, and whether he has strong self-motivation and ability to work under pressure. At the same time, it is also necessary to recognize that the postgraduate level is an independent exploration of knowledge, which is completely different from the mode of knowledge input at the undergraduate level.

In addition, graduate school does not exist to solve employment problems. Graduate school entrance examination may require a lot of time and effort, and employment is not guaranteed in a highly competitive job market.

In short, it is necessary to clarify the purpose and motivation of the postgraduate entrance examination, carefully consider your personal interests and development direction, comprehensively consider your own conditions and employment situation, and make a wise choice.

Through the discussion of the decline in the number of graduate school students, I have a deeper reflection on the relationship between graduate school entrance examination and employment. We need to realize that postgraduate entrance examination is not the only way to solve the employment problem, nor can we simply evaluate a person's ability and quality based on academic qualifications.

In the context of fierce competition in the job market, in order to improve one's employment competitiveness, it is not only necessary to improve one's academic ability and research level, but also to pay attention to the accumulation of practical work experience and professional quality. At the same time, the rise of vocational education has also provided students with more opportunities to choose.

For students who are considering graduate school, they should carefully consider their interests and development direction, and clarify their purpose and motivation for studying in graduate school. Graduate school requires a lot of time and energy, not simply for the purpose of being admitted, but also to consider whether graduate school can meet the expectations of future employment.

The ultimate goal is to choose a career development path that suits you, improve your ability and quality through practical actions and continuous learning Xi and pave a stable and promising employment path for your future.

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