Graduates Face Many Barriers in Job Hunting }pKv.
It is graduation time again. Whether joining the social workforce or pursuing Fr2kbQTg;
advanced studies, about four million Chinese graduates will soon turn a new page in C$t.C
rxx
their lives. Still, no matter what, campus life will remain deeply etched on the minds y]7%$*
<
of China's former students. What lies ahead for the country's graduates? re/xs~
Statistics released by relevant departments of China show that in 2006, graduates hAlPl<BO#V
from all Chinese colleges and universities numbered 4.13 million, up 750,000 from W oWBs)E
2005 with a growth rate of roughly 22%. Hence, the employment tension further df^0{gNHx
intensifies. Meanwhile, various intangible barriers exist in social relations, regional N6WPTUQ1mF
restriction, permanent residency and university's reputation have made the graduates' . Jptj
job-hunting process tougher. WqR7uiCi
Some analyze that against the backdrop of intensified employment tension for X:U=MWc>
university graduates, needy students from rural and urban areas usually find H<$pH
yxU
themselves in relatively inferior positions. JV&Zwbu
Some graduates realize that in order to get a job, they have to sign some "unfair 5`
{=`
treaties" that promise not to take the postgraduate exam or leave the company within O/(3 87= U
several years, or they have to pay 5,000 Yuan for breaching the contract. Some nT#37v
recruiters even declare openly that they only need students from famous universities, s:3aRQ%
so graduates from other schools are not even entitled to apply. Bj; [
Currently the contradiction in China's higher education has transferred from entering 1E8$% 6VV
to leaving a university and from the difficulty in enrollment to employment after )y(oHRCp->
graduation. It has become a common phenomenon that "graduates become jobless". ^)Smv\Md
Should this problem not be tackled rightly, the employment issue would turn into a Ywmyr[Uh'
new factor that causes social instability.
ccRlql(
College—A New Experience J`4Z<b53
Living at college, first of all, gives me a sense of responsibility, of being on my s%5Uj}
own. My parents aren’t around to say, ―No, you’re not going out tonight‖ or ―Did you cT\Ov
P*_
finish your homework?‖ Everything I do has to be my decision, and that gives me the KuIkul9^%
responsibility of handling my own life. During the second week I was at college, I had GI}4,!^N
to go out and look for a bank where I could open an account. Before that I looked in nT_*EC<.
the phone book since I had no clue about any banks around here or where they were s;anP0-O
located. I went to the bank and made decisions for myself—whether to have a =sxkr ih
checking or savings account and whether or not to get a MASTER card. /g13X,.H
Friendly people: that’s another aspect I like about college. On my first day (and :sU!PF[<
even now) people were nice to me. I came to Marymount University here in Virginia 2@rp<&s
from New York and – even though I’d been here before—I was a bit confused about [|y`y%
where I was going. My mother and I drove in, not knowing the building we were 8b-7]%
supposed to go to, and the guard was especially nice: with a smile, he told us what x6"/z
building we were looking for and where we could park our car. Some upperclassmen $[)6H7!U)
saw me and asked, ―Are you a new student?‖ When they found out I was looking for X";TZk
my dormitory, one said, ―Oh, just follow us; that’s where we’re going.‖ Even now I tX@0:RX%
Tw2Xe S
2 :8](&B68gE
feel comfortable in the dorm because there are friendly people around to talk with. bjuYA/w<
Finally—to add to my likes of college—I love having Saturdays off. Also, I love :uOZjEZi
to sleep in, something I couldn’t do in high school. 0PYvey }[
How Can We Finance Our College Education? p^T&jE8])#
Nowadays, tuition fees for college are much higher than ever before. How to XPar_8I
finance our college education has become a matter of concern for many students, X7t5b7
especially those who are from the remote areas. ]\[m=
0K
Actually, there are many ways to solve this problem. We can get the money from 1,m\Q_
our parents. We can apply for a loan especially set up for college students. We can U*
-%
M
also acquire the money entirely by ourselves, keeping a part-time job in our spare >L#];|
time and doing a full-time job in summer and winter holidays. Or we can ask our OG0r4^6Ly
parents for most of the money and earn the rest in our spare time in college. lF0K=L
As far as I am concerned, I prefer the last way. I don't want to depend entirely on elN{7:
my parents, which will be a burden to them. Nor do I want to work in my free time for suA+8}o]
the tuition alone, because I would like to have enough time for my school work. If my Ll008.#
parents pay most of the tuition for me, I will work part time for the rest and this, I N!tpzHXw
believe, can make my college life rich and colorful. kqj;l\N
Introduction of My College <f7?PAd
I'm a student at Maebashi Institute of Technology in Gunma. It is located 5W*7q
D[m
between Komagata and Shinmaebashi on the JR Ryomo Line. It's only 10 minutes JoZqLy!@
from JR Maebashi station on a bus or a taxi. 5F'%i;)oq
Maebit was originally founded in 1952 as a junior college and it evolved into a aR`_h
=a
four-year college in 1997. Today there are some 700 students in both the junior (%``EIc<8
college and the four-year undergraduate school. aK8bKlZe
Our school offers two sets of programs, the day course and the evening course. ^VSt9&
Students can choose whichever suits their conveniences best from those two courses.
Fpy6"Z?z
Many lessons here are taught in small-sized classes. r]8wOu-'
I'm in the Department of Information Engineering. My field of study is Robotics. o0zc}mm
The first period begins at 9:30 a.m., which is rather late, and the last period of the day 1x~%Ydy
course ends at 4:55 p.m. The classes for the evening course begin at 5:45 p.m. and end KzEuPJ?
at 8:50 p.m. hgTM5*fD}
Maebit's campus is not very large but it has a lot of flowerbeds and plants. On g*:ae;GP
campus there are the library, the club building, sports fields, the student union hall, YD/B')/ s
the laboratory building, and many other facilities. Our department building lies in the r
Iya\z1W
northwest corner of campus. This building was built about five years ago, and I-RdAVB/Ep
ib5;f0Qa
3 +-Z"H)
everything is still new in this building. MgJ%26TZ
There are many clubs, but I'm not a member of any club. One of my friends is a h(C#\{V
member of the Tennis Club in which there are 5 members. They practice every LK'S)Jk
Wednesday and Saturday afternoon. They are hoping to make it into the best 8 in the C m,*bgX
coming intercollegiate tournament. %8}WX@SB
I like my college. I have already made some good friends and we're enjoying our YtwmlIar`
school life. @A~B
,
Coping with Stress in College t,--V|7-
College life can be very stressful. Sometimes parents, faculty and others tend to c,v^A+sZu
idealize their college experience and remember it as that idyllic time when they had KKx&UKjV
few worries or responsibilities. To students currently attending college, however, the 5PPPd-'Z_
process is often stressful and frustrating. The competition for grades, the need to }};j2
perform, relationships, career choice, and many other aspects of the college SQO>}#qm
environment cause stress. <Um1h:^
But before condemning stress outright, we need to understand that stress is only wQo6!H"K
harmful when it is excessive. Much of the stress that we all experience is helpful and ^%K1R;
stimulating. The challenges of life tend to be stressful and an attempt to avoid stress rh:s
7
completely would lead to a rather boring existence. The problem comes when you Z^/z
experience too much stress. ?G~/{m.
There are four primary sources of stress: the environment, (noise, pollution, o1 hdO
traffic, crowding, and the weather), physiology, (illness, injuries, hormonal .c=$ bQ>^
fluctuations, and inadequate sleep or nutrition), students’ thoughts (negative self-talk, E)&NP}k-P
catastrophizing, and perfectionism), and social stressors (financial problems, work r+{!@`dYi
demands, social events, and losing a loved one). Symptoms of stress appear in many ugIm:bg&
forms. Some symptoms only impact the person who is directly experiencing stress, _Ep{|]:gw
while other symptoms may have an impact on our relationships with others. tMD^$E"C
Although some stress reactions are part of deeper and more serious emotional O+(. 29
problems, many are not, and can be handled with relatively simple counseling and ++J Bbuzj!
stress-management techniques. Developing a balanced lifestyle, gaining perspective dK0}% ]i3#
by discussing problems with other students or tutors, specifying relaxation techniques, 7':5
and clarifying your values and cultivating a sense of life meaning can help you relieve ND9n1WZ&x
your stress in college. CI~hmL0
Sports HobGl0<y
From the earliest times, people have held sports competitions. The athletic few |? ;"B:0
compete on the field while the rest of us participate from the safety of our seats. <eud#v
=
FtM;(\
4 7})!>p )
Today sports are certainly as popular as ever, and because of radio and television, we V',m $
can now compete from a distance. #GDh/t2@
In fact, for important competitions, the whole world becomes one big stadium. |*]X\UE
It is hard to say why humans like organized games. The reasons that we enjoy &;NNUT>Q
sports probably differ from person to person. Whether little kids are kicking a ball Q^1#xB
d
around a city playground, or million-dollar-a-year athletes are playing in a modern ,z0~mN
stadium, the excitement of competition, motion, discipline, and beauty are in the air. gNEzlx8A
Who doesn’t stop to watch a ball game in the street or a swimmer in a pool? What ;i-D~Np|
parents are not proud to see their children carried off the field by thankful fans? For VuO)
the players, the joys of sportsmanship can include punishing self-discipline and the 32iWYN
friendship of teammates. PoBukOv
Then there is special thrill that comes only to a lucky few. It is the thrill that _Ssv:xc,
comes from hearing thousand voices shout your name. But personal victory is only Fu1|b2B-x
one kind of victory. In every game someone must lose, but mankind wins every time lk+=26>
an athletic record is broken. It is this aspect of sports that brings people together. [kp7LA"`
Even in defeat, no one says to an athlete, ―So what?‖ You say, ―Good try!‖ And W)$|Hm:H
when your pride gets hurt and your muscles are sore, you say to yourself, ―That’s part 5Re`D|8
of the game. I’ll win next time!‖ v:J.d5
How to Deal with School Pressure :nbW.B3GV
College can be a very demanding time for students. Professors, class projects, and iaa (ce
extracurricular activities can all contribute to a stressed-out college student. While G8<It5CU
you will undoubtedly experience stress as a college student, following these tips may -+
IX[
help keep college stress at a minimum before it becomes too hard to handle. &23ss/
Prioritize your schoolwork. Identify what is most important. If you have a (7Ca\H3$
presentation to give this Monday, don’t write a one-page review that’s due in a couple ?^G$;X7B
of weeks; prepare for the presentation first. Likewise, if you have an assignment that sxC{\iLY%
requires a lot of work, put it at the top of your list. When you prioritize your work, g*w-"%"O
you will be more efficient. By becoming more organized, you can reduce your stress >ihe|WN
level drastically. 9TXm Z
Talk about your problems. Talking about your problems will help ease your tension AVevYbucB
and anxiety. Seek a trusted friend or see if your school has a counseling !3X%5=#L4
center. Talking to others will not only help you feel better, but it will also help you U*qK*"k
find more ways to deal with those problems that are causing your stress. u
UVV>An
Adopt a positive attitude. If you are always negative, stress will overwhelm you. By "]\":T
looking at things in a positive light, you will not only reduce your stress, but you will
~RR_[t2Z
also feel better about yourself. Give yourself pep talks: ―I can do this. I will not stress Med"dHo7
over this.‖ *V@MAt
E*T84Jh6
5 gx>mKSzy
Take time to relax. To maintain peak performance and reduce your amount of stress, BI]ut|Qw
you should take time to relax. Performing some sort of physical activity for thirty 3sg)]3jm2
minutes three times a week will considerably lower your stress level. Throw a Frisbee rb
J)RN^.
with your friends, watch your favorite TV show or enjoy your alone time. Taking the &<