With the popularization of universities and the improvement of the job threshold, the number of applicants who take the postgraduate examination every year shows a trend of increasing year by year. According to statistics, in 2021, the number of postgraduate applicants reached 3.77 million, and in 2022, the number increased to 4.57 million, with an annual growth rate of more than 20%. With the increase in the number of applicants, the difficulty of the postgraduate examination has gradually increased, and various training institutions have emerged in an endless stream.
This data shows that more and more college students are increasing their demand and willingness to pursue graduate studies. This can also be interpreted as a gradual increase in the demand for high-quality talents for social development. And the competition for graduate exams has become more intense. The surge in the number of applicants has made graduate exams a tipping point for the exam preparation boom. In order to get better development opportunities, many college students have begun to prepare for the graduate school entrance examination in advance, memorizing words and brushing questions. However, this way of preparing for the exam also comes with some undesirable consequences. University education should lay a solid foundation for students, but preparing for exams too early may lead to insufficient cultivation of students' interest in their majors, and there are also deficiencies in the breadth of the fields involved in their majors, making it difficult to find the direction they are interested in.
In order to stand out from the fierce competition, many candidates turn to various graduate training institutions for help. However, some candidates successfully land through training and question-brushing skills, but lack a real interest in scientific research and just want to get a graduate diploma in order to find a job. As a result, they may encounter considerable difficulties during their graduate studies.
The rise of postgraduate training institutions has a certain relationship with the demand of candidates for scientific research ability. These institutions help students do well in their exams by providing question-brushing skills and training courses. However, relying solely on the "test-taking" method of training institutions often fails to cultivate talents with real scientific research ability and interest. Some candidates have no real interest in the field of research, and their goal is only to mix up a degree and thus improve their employability. Graduate school can be a difficult and painful experience for such students. Of course, this is not to say that all students who have gone through training institutions do not have the ability and interest in scientific research, but this issue is really worth paying attention to.
At present, the training of graduate students in China is mainly divided into two categories: academic graduate students and professional graduate students, among which academic graduate students focus on cultivating scientific research talents, while professional graduate students cultivate applied talents. However, due to the size of the enrollment and the number of majors offered by the school, many students choose academic graduate students. The training of academic graduate students requires students to have a good Xi of reading scientific research literature, and also requires students to have certain hands-on ability. This is undoubtedly a challenge for students who have just started graduate school. Students in the first year of graduate school need to quickly change their thinking and understand that doing scientific research is not the same as doing a topic, but requires continuous interest and practical ability.
There are obvious differences between academic and professional graduate students in terms of training goals and training directions. Academic graduate students focus on cultivating scientific research ability and independent thinking ability, and require students to have a solid academic foundation and the ability to read scientific research literature. In contrast, professional graduate students pay more attention to cultivating practical ability and proficiency in applied technology, and require students to have the ability to solve practical problems. However, at present, the enrollment scale in China is limited, and the number of majors offered by many schools is also limited, so students are more inclined to choose academic graduate students. The training of academic graduate students requires students to have good Xi in reading scientific literature, which can be quite a challenge for students who are just starting out in graduate school. At the same time, academic graduate students also need to have certain hands-on ability, which also puts forward higher requirements for first-year students. During graduate school, students need to quickly change their mindset, clarify the difference between research and problem-solving, and maintain continuous interest and hands-on ability.
As someone who has been in graduate school, I know this very well. When I first chose to go to graduate school, I was already 35 years old, so I felt lost and directionless at first. At the beginning of each new semester, I face a similar problem and feel like I don't know where to go. However, these are very normal emotions and confusions. Through the communication with my fellow students and supervisors, I gradually clarified my research direction and interests. Gradually, I found myself interested in scientific research and willing to devote more time and energy to it. I believe that as long as we keep working hard and keep pursuing our interests, we can achieve good results in the end. Whether it is graduate school or taking the postgraduate entrance examination, it is a valuable experience and experience in life, and they can help us grow and improve ourselves. Therefore, no matter when and where, we need to keep faith in ourselves, believe in our abilities and potential, and be brave enough to take the next step. Through hard work and self-reflection, we will definitely be able to find the right direction for ourselves and succeed.