The number of applicants has exceeded 10 million for three consecutive years, and the college entrance examination "tens of millions of people squeeze the single wooden bridge"?

Text/Yu Yang

Figure/Figureworm Creative

On June 7, the college entrance examination officially kicked off, and this year's national college entrance examination registered 10.78 million people, setting a new record high.

In 2019, the number of college entrance examination applicants returned to tens of millions of people after ten years, and in 2020, it increased by 400,000 people over the previous year to 10.71 million, and this year it increased to 10.78 million, and the number of college entrance examination applicants exceeded 10 million for three consecutive years.

In the past, people said that the college entrance examination is a bridge for tens of millions of people to squeeze into a single wooden bridge. So now? China News Weekly invited Chu Zhaohui, a researcher at the China Academy of Educational Sciences, to talk about the changes in the college entrance examination over the years.

Can go up the mountain, different children at different heights of the mountain

China News Weekly: The number of applicants for the college entrance examination has exceeded 10 million for three consecutive years, how to see the resurgence of the number of college entrance examination applicants in recent years?

Chu Zhaohui: The change in the number of applicants for the college entrance examination is generally related to two factors, one is the total population of this age group, and the other is the popularity of high schools.

From the perspective of the whole country, the time process of popularizing high schools in different regions is not the same, like the eastern Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions, the popularization of high schools is relatively early, of course, it is difficult to increase the number of people after that. In Henan, Shanxi and some areas in the west, because the popularity of high schools is not high, a basic situation is now showing that the increase in the number of college entrance examination applicants has appeared in the central and western regions, and the increase in the eastern region has relatively come to an end.

Three years ago, the education department put forward the demand for universal high schools, and the popularization of high schools in various places is actually very fast, because we have the basis for the popularization of compulsory education for nine years, in fact, within three or five years, our universal high schools can be basically achieved in various places. Therefore, the increase in the number of college entrance examination applicants can be maintained for about five years at most, and the increase in the future is mainly determined by the population of this age group, and has no correlation with the popularity of high school.

China News Weekly: Although the number of applicants for the college entrance examination is tens of millions, the admission rate has gradually soared to more than 80% now. In the past, it was said that the college entrance examination was "tens of millions of people squeezing the canoe bridge", so now it is "tens of millions of people running two-way eight lanes"?

Chu Zhaohui: From the metaphor of a canoe bridge to an eight-lane road, I think there is something more appropriate. Just like these children are climbing, there is a hurdle in mountaineering, 80% of the children can cross this hurdle and go up this mountain, but different children are at different heights in the mountain, some are in a higher position, some are in a relatively low position.

The way up the mountain is mainly through the college entrance examination. In general, mountain climbing should be in multiple ways, fast or slow. The college entrance examination is at the same time, everyone is running up this road, some running high, some running relatively low.

I think as long as you go up the mountain, you shouldn't care too much about where you are in the mountain, because the university itself is a threshold. After entering the threshold, children still have to spend time to study and change themselves.

China News Weekly: In the past, the college entrance examination was given the mission of "changing destiny", and now it seems that going to college is no longer so exciting, so what is the purpose of going to college?

Chu Zhaohui: From the actual situation, when the country is in development, the change in the fate of individuals by the college entrance examination is greater, and when the country is becoming more and more developed, the change in the fate of individuals by the college entrance examination will be smaller. That is to say, when the society develops to a certain level, society will no longer change people's fate through the college entrance examination, and it will change people's fate through other paths and ways.

From the perspective of the proportion of people, when only a few people can enter the university, then the effect on changing people's fate is even greater. Now that the gross enrollment rate of higher education has reached more than 50%, it has entered the era of popularization, and the college entrance examination is only a step to engage in a certain occupation or enter a certain industry, and it cannot immediately change people's fate.

But it helps people who are admitted to college to stand on a higher level in the future to find employment, to broaden their horizons, and to find new space. I think the main function of the university now, which is to enable you to go up a little higher, can only play this role.

Be sure to care if your state is still growing

China News Weekly: Although going to college is relatively common, the acceptance rate of key universities is still only about 5%. To be precise, the college entrance examination is actually "tens of millions of people squeezing the single wooden bridge of famous schools"?

Chu Zhaohui: The people who can really climb to the top of the mountain are a few people, and more people may be in the middle of the mountainside, at a relatively low foot of the mountain. I recommend that you don't care too much about what school you are admitted to, as long as you enter this threshold, it is very good.

Then enter this threshold, don't feel like you climb to the top of the mountain to sleep, there is no goal, in fact, climbing to the top of the mountain is still inside the threshold. Looking at the statistics of academicians of the two academies, many academicians originally came from junior colleges, and the proportion of academicians that Tsinghua Peking University can reach is relatively small.

The proportion is relatively large, and it is a professional college that does a good job in a certain professional field. From this point of view, everyone should not care about what school they are admitted to, they must care about whether their state is still growing, which is the key.

China News Weekly: In order to enter a famous school, in recent years, many candidates, even if they have been admitted to college, still choose to re-innovate, and there is a high-score re-reading fever phenomenon, is this really necessary?

Chu Zhaohui: First explain the phenomenon of repetition. After the college entrance examination, there was a re-enrollment, and at that time, the overall number of admissions was small, and many people did not re-study for many years without being admitted to college. After 1999, the nature of repetition changed. This new change is that it is not because he can't get into college to repeat, but because he wants to go to a better university to repeat, so there is a high-score re-reading fever.

From the data, there are three situations. In the first case, the score of the second year examination is significantly higher than that of the first year, so that the students account for about 30%; in the second case, the score of the second year examination is comparable to the first year and does not increase; in the third case, the score of the second year examination is lower than that of the first year. In other words, only 30% of the students who repeat the exam can guarantee that the score of the second year examination is higher than that of the first year.

In addition, it is necessary to calculate the time and economic cost of re-reading for an extra year, so that the students who can really afford to repeat the re-reading are only about 20% at most. When I talk about this data, I hope that everyone will rationally look at this fact, do you want to re-read it? Do you want to repeat the high score? I don't think it's really necessary for the average person. If you did play out of order in your first year, I suggest you re-read it.

The second dimension, for a person's growth, is it important to enter what school, or is it important to continue the growth process? Obviously, it is more important to continue the growth process. You go to any school, it is a stage in your life, you eventually have to get out of this school, the school value for your growth has been realized.

What everyone should consider is their real potential in a certain aspect, what kind of school they can go to, and then seek change in the school, even if it is a very remote school still has its opportunities. Even if you enter a top university and don't find your potential, you still can't find an opportunity.

After understanding this truth, I suggest that everyone treat re-reading rationally and decide whether to re-read according to their own growth needs, rather than simply looking at what kind of university they want to enter.

China News Weekly: Why is society so obsessed with being admitted to a major school?

Chu Zhaohui: This is the influence of certain factors in the process of China's historical development, the first is that we attach importance to names in China's history, the so-called names are not justified, and the "reality" corresponding to "names" is less considered. We now emphasize academic qualifications and famous schools, which is actually an effect of many people paying too much attention to fame.

In a sense, this effect is a distraction to human growth. When people grow up, they must care about what their interests are? Where is your strength potential? What is your growth path? These are all true. So we don't care too much about famous schools, we must care about what we can learn, and what role the school can play in our own growth and development, which is very critical.

Treat it with a "little thing in life" mentality

China News Weekly: The college entrance examination is not once and for all, and more efforts will be needed in the future. After entering the university, many candidates are gradually confused and even depressed because of academic pressure and difficulty in adapting to university life, and now students are becoming more and more vulnerable?

Chu Zhaohui: First of all, the composition of today's college students is different from that of the past. In the past, a small number of people went to college, and among their peers, this group was relatively highly excellent. Now that the gross enrolment rate is more than 50 per cent, universities are recruiting people who were impossible to enter universities in the past, which is a change in composition.

Secondly, many students have now adapted to the learning method of memorizing scores by rote at the secondary school level. After entering the university, it is actually a flexible learning style that has to be chosen by oneself and has to make their own decisions, resulting in many students not adapting.

In addition, many students have been warned by their parents and teachers to study and enter the university well since childhood, and many students have taken the university as their life goal and as the end point. When he enters the university, he can't generate new goals, at this time he is at a loss to learn, learning without direction, learning effect will be better. After a period of time, the university still has to take the exam, and the mood of the test is naturally affected.

I think that from the starting point, from the threshold of entering the university, we must establish new life and learning goals, adapt to changes in learning styles as much as possible, and make our own arrangements as much as possible.

China News Weekly: The college entrance examination is an experience in the lives of many of us, what pertinent advice do you have for the children of the college entrance examination?

Chu Zhaohui: First, attach importance to the process, do not look at the results excessively; second, take the college entrance examination as a test, do not be too nervous, and treat it with a normal heart; third, entering any university is only a threshold, and we must pay attention to future development.

From the historical situation, at the age of 20, there may be a gap in what kind of university a person enters, the gap is narrowing at the age of 30, and the nature of people at the age of 40 will be highlighted. If life is viewed in 80 years, the impact of the college entrance examination on people accounts for only one-quarter, and three-quarters is determined by people's subjective initiative.

All in all, the college entrance examination is a major event in life, and it is treated with the mentality of "small things in life".