A tired student who is preparing the entrance examination for graduate schools.  "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 influential 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 Ministry 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 applicants have noted, 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 disillusioned because they have seen post-graduate degree holders 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. 點擊查看更多雙語新聞 (AFP)

1月21日全國研究生入學考試結束后，新華網等幾個有影響力的網站上刊登的一篇文章中說：“今年研究生入學考試的報名人數增幅回落，這一轉折意味著大學畢業生對于讀研的興趣將逐漸減退。” 據教育部的有關數據顯示，盡管今年的絕對報考人數仍有增加，但與去年相比，增幅有明顯下降。 今年共有128萬2千人報考，僅比去年增加了7000人，增幅為0.5%，。 從1981年恢復研究生入學考試以來，考研人數年年激增。去年共有127萬5千人報考，比2005年增加了10多萬人，同比增長9%。 中國傳媒大學研究生院副院長田智慧說：“今年報考人數增長放緩表明，學生在對待是否要考研的問題上變得更加現實。” 一些報考的學生說，考研既費時間又耗精力。 此外，考研所帶來的潛在經濟負擔也是學生們不得不考慮的一個因素。 在備考期間，學生通常不會去工作，這進一步加重了他們的經濟負擔。 田主任說：“考研人數增幅回落的主要原因可能是學生們開始醒悟了。因為他們發現，近年來研究生在就業市場上也逐漸失去了競爭力。” 由于研究生人數的不斷增加，很多人發現花了大量的時間、精力和財力拿到一個碩士學位后，仍然很難找到理想的工作。而對于那些沒有工作經驗的人來說，情況就更糟糕了。 （英語點津姍姍編輯）