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A tired student who is preparing the entrance examination for graduate schools.
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"The weak increase in the number of students applying to take the entrance examination for graduate schools this year suggests a turning point, indicating that students will be less interested in graduate studies in the future," said a story appearing on influential1 websites like www.xinhuanet.com.cn after the examination period ended on January 21.
Though the absolute number of students signing up to take the examination is increasing, the rate of increase dropped precipitously this year compared with last year, according to data provided by the Ministry2 of Education,
This year, 1,282,000 people registered to take the exam, only 7,000 more than last year, representing an increase of only 0.5 percent.
In the years following the reinstatement of graduate applications in 1981, the number of students applying for the exam skyrocketed. Last year 1,275,000 students signed up for the entrance examination, 100,000 more than in 2005, representing a year-on-year increase of 9 percent.
"This year's slight increase shows that students are becoming more realistic in thinking about whether to take the entrance examination or not," said Tian Zhihui, vice-dean of the Graduate School of Communication University of China.
As potential applicants3 have noted4, it takes time and energy to prepare for the examination.
The potential financial burden represented by the examination is another factor students have to consider.
During this period, the students usually do not work, which only adds to the burden.
"But maybe the main reason for this phenomenon (the declining growth rate) is that students are somewhat disillusioned5 because they have seen post-graduate degree holders6 losing their competitive edge in the job market in recent years," said Tian.
Because of the boom in master's graduates, many have found it difficult to find the kind of job they would had expected after investing so much time, energy and money in getting their degrees. The situation looks even worse for those without any work experience.
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1月21日全国研究生入学考试结束后，新华网等几个有影响力的网站上刊登的一篇文章中说：“今年研究生入学考试的报名人数增幅回落，这一转折意味着大学毕业生对于读研的兴趣将逐渐减退。”
据教育部的有关数据显示，尽管今年的绝对报考人数仍有增加，但与去年相比，增幅有明显下降。
今年共有128万,000人报考，仅比去年增加了7000人，增幅为0.5%，。
从1981年恢复研究生入学考试以来，考研人数年年激增。去年共有127万5千人报考，比2005年增加了10多万人，同比增长9%。
中国传媒大学研究生院副院长田智慧说：“今年报考人数增长放缓表明，学生在对待是否要考研的问题上变得更加现实。”
一些报考的学生说，考研既费时间又耗精力。
此外，考研所带来的潜在经济负担也是学生们不得不考虑的一个因素。
在备考期间，学生通常不会去工作，这进一步加重了他们的经济负担。
田主任说：“考研人数增幅回落的主要原因可能是学生们开始醒悟了。因为他们发现，近年来研究生在就业市场上也逐渐失去了竞争力。”
由于研究生人数的不断增加，很多人发现花了大量的时间、精力和财力拿到一个硕士学位后，仍然很难找到理想的工作。而对于那些没有工作经验的人来说，情况就更糟糕了。
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