Graduates Face Many Barriers in Job Hunting }>T$2"pf
It is graduation time again. Whether joining the social workforce or pursuing =mWr8p-H
advanced studies, about four million Chinese graduates will soon turn a new page in byrK``f
their lives. Still, no matter what, campus life will remain deeply etched on the minds 5OS|Vp||b
of China's former students. What lies ahead for the country's graduates? `mt.=d
Statistics released by relevant departments of China show that in 2006, graduates v
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from all Chinese colleges and universities numbered 4.13 million, up 750,000 from ZA> p~Zt
2005 with a growth rate of roughly 22%. Hence, the employment tension further o fw0_)!Q
intensifies. Meanwhile, various intangible barriers exist in social relations, regional ]u\K}n6[q
restriction, permanent residency and university's reputation have made the graduates' /xseI)y.B
job-hunting process tougher. 6%nKrK
Some analyze that against the backdrop of intensified employment tension for sb^%eUU])
university graduates, needy students from rural and urban areas usually find nS`DI92I
themselves in relatively inferior positions. KTzkJx
Some graduates realize that in order to get a job, they have to sign some "unfair &t0toEj
treaties" that promise not to take the postgraduate exam or leave the company within xdqiogu e
several years, or they have to pay 5,000 Yuan for breaching the contract. Some sh|@X\EZO
recruiters even declare openly that they only need students from famous universities, c/bIt
so graduates from other schools are not even entitled to apply. $:
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Currently the contradiction in China's higher education has transferred from entering O5;$cP:
to leaving a university and from the difficulty in enrollment to employment after f-M 9OI
graduation. It has become a common phenomenon that "graduates become jobless". @mbR
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Should this problem not be tackled rightly, the employment issue would turn into a B"9 /+Yj
new factor that causes social instability. 8T2iqqG/1
College—A New Experience FN)vFQ#J
Living at college, first of all, gives me a sense of responsibility, of being on my %%=PpKYtSD
own. My parents aren’t around to say, ―No, you’re not going out tonight‖ or ―Did you R"0fZENTG
finish your homework?‖ Everything I do has to be my decision, and that gives me the @aX$}
responsibility of handling my own life. During the second week I was at college, I had %I&[:
to go out and look for a bank where I could open an account. Before that I looked in :mpR}.^hv
the phone book since I had no clue about any banks around here or where they were N=`xoF
located. I went to the bank and made decisions for myself—whether to have a f-!A4eKe
checking or savings account and whether or not to get a MASTER card. @H?_x/qBT
Friendly people: that’s another aspect I like about college. On my first day (and jw^Pt~@
even now) people were nice to me. I came to Marymount University here in Virginia T==(Pw7R7
from New York and – even though I’d been here before—I was a bit confused about 6jGPmOM/
where I was going. My mother and I drove in, not knowing the building we were >*5+{~k~4
supposed to go to, and the guard was especially nice: with a smile, he told us what
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building we were looking for and where we could park our car. Some upperclassmen .Y?/J,Ch
saw me and asked, ―Are you a new student?‖ When they found out I was looking for Xg](V.B6
my dormitory, one said, ―Oh, just follow us; that’s where we’re going.‖ Even now I \;b)
qB
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feel comfortable in the dorm because there are friendly people around to talk with. sw(dd01a
7
Finally—to add to my likes of college—I love having Saturdays off. Also, I love
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to sleep in, something I couldn’t do in high school. BZXP%{njS
How Can We Finance Our College Education? (ei;Y~i
Nowadays, tuition fees for college are much higher than ever before. How to 9Yh0'
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finance our college education has become a matter of concern for many students, 5 W<\J
especially those who are from the remote areas. N}Ol`@@#h
Actually, there are many ways to solve this problem. We can get the money from FN#6pM']|
our parents. We can apply for a loan especially set up for college students. We can > n~l\
fC
also acquire the money entirely by ourselves, keeping a part-time job in our spare hSgfp
time and doing a full-time job in summer and winter holidays. Or we can ask our ^lqcF.
parents for most of the money and earn the rest in our spare time in college. y\'t{>U/
As far as I am concerned, I prefer the last way. I don't want to depend entirely on 58H [sM4>
my parents, which will be a burden to them. Nor do I want to work in my free time for idwiM|.iU
the tuition alone, because I would like to have enough time for my school work. If my avR4#bfc
parents pay most of the tuition for me, I will work part time for the rest and this, I *t;'I -1w^
believe, can make my college life rich and colorful. a pxZ}
Introduction of My College 8oSndfV
I'm a student at Maebashi Institute of Technology in Gunma. It is located qll)
between Komagata and Shinmaebashi on the JR Ryomo Line. It's only 10 minutes tJ>OZ
from JR Maebashi station on a bus or a taxi. (k9{&mPJ
Maebit was originally founded in 1952 as a junior college and it evolved into a _y}]j;e8>{
four-year college in 1997. Today there are some 700 students in both the junior 1}e1:m]r
college and the four-year undergraduate school. G9s: Wp
Our school offers two sets of programs, the day course and the evening course. \UI7H1XDH
Students can choose whichever suits their conveniences best from those two courses. m~ %\f8w-x
Many lessons here are taught in small-sized classes. 6(4FC?Y7
I'm in the Department of Information Engineering. My field of study is Robotics. N"2Ire
The first period begins at 9:30 a.m., which is rather late, and the last period of the day (W3~r
course ends at 4:55 p.m. The classes for the evening course begin at 5:45 p.m. and end /,'D4s:Gg
at 8:50 p.m. u8pJjn;
Maebit's campus is not very large but it has a lot of flowerbeds and plants. On *TY?*H
campus there are the library, the club building, sports fields, the student union hall, <6`_Xr7)
the laboratory building, and many other facilities. Our department building lies in the n7`R+4/s
northwest corner of campus. This building was built about five years ago, and Z@fMU2e=Z
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3 :T(3!}4
everything is still new in this building. dieGLA<5_X
There are many clubs, but I'm not a member of any club. One of my friends is a s/+@o:
member of the Tennis Club in which there are 5 members. They practice every F@Qzh
Wednesday and Saturday afternoon. They are hoping to make it into the best 8 in the g$<Sh.4A
coming intercollegiate tournament. n>?o=_|uR
I like my college. I have already made some good friends and we're enjoying our aMQfg51W:
school life. LIYj__4=|
Coping with Stress in College n}(/>?/
College life can be very stressful. Sometimes parents, faculty and others tend to Zq7Y('=`t@
idealize their college experience and remember it as that idyllic time when they had 2TB>d+
few worries or responsibilities. To students currently attending college, however, the oUrNz#U
process is often stressful and frustrating. The competition for grades, the need to 'E FP/(2J
perform, relationships, career choice, and many other aspects of the college NO5\|.,Z
environment cause stress. +~b@W{
But before condemning stress outright, we need to understand that stress is only rEEoR'c6
harmful when it is excessive. Much of the stress that we all experience is helpful and (Tt\6-
stimulating. The challenges of life tend to be stressful and an attempt to avoid stress H/"$#8-/
completely would lead to a rather boring existence. The problem comes when you ,.;q[s8
experience too much stress. jd]Om
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There are four primary sources of stress: the environment, (noise, pollution, T%|{Qo<j
traffic, crowding, and the weather), physiology, (illness, injuries, hormonal Aw#@}TGT
fluctuations, and inadequate sleep or nutrition), students’ thoughts (negative self-talk, /BEE.`6yI5
catastrophizing, and perfectionism), and social stressors (financial problems, work X@;;
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demands, social events, and losing a loved one). Symptoms of stress appear in many cQM_kV??!
forms. Some symptoms only impact the person who is directly experiencing stress, L\;n[,.
while other symptoms may have an impact on our relationships with others. )b AO A
Although some stress reactions are part of deeper and more serious emotional a}(xZ\n^D;
problems, many are not, and can be handled with relatively simple counseling and %DOV)Qc2
stress-management techniques. Developing a balanced lifestyle, gaining perspective +%E)]*Ym
by discussing problems with other students or tutors, specifying relaxation techniques, R*PR21g
and clarifying your values and cultivating a sense of life meaning can help you relieve l-/fFy)T
your stress in college. AN)exU ?
Sports Ht`kmk;I)
From the earliest times, people have held sports competitions. The athletic few ]*/%5ZOI&
compete on the field while the rest of us participate from the safety of our seats. *I)F5M
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Today sports are certainly as popular as ever, and because of radio and television, we -K%hug
can now compete from a distance. 6j2mr6o
In fact, for important competitions, the whole world becomes one big stadium. 8u|F
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It is hard to say why humans like organized games. The reasons that we enjoy ja2BK\"1:
sports probably differ from person to person. Whether little kids are kicking a ball ,SV34+(
around a city playground, or million-dollar-a-year athletes are playing in a modern ?GT,Y5
stadium, the excitement of competition, motion, discipline, and beauty are in the air. O yG#
Who doesn’t stop to watch a ball game in the street or a swimmer in a pool? What G4<M@ET
parents are not proud to see their children carried off the field by thankful fans? For H$M{thW
the players, the joys of sportsmanship can include punishing self-discipline and the wdMVy=SS
friendship of teammates. O'.sK pXe
Then there is special thrill that comes only to a lucky few. It is the thrill that c,L{Qv"n{
comes from hearing thousand voices shout your name. But personal victory is only =6O<1<[y
one kind of victory. In every game someone must lose, but mankind wins every time /w/um>>K.
an athletic record is broken. It is this aspect of sports that brings people together. 7=`_UqCV
Even in defeat, no one says to an athlete, ―So what?‖ You say, ―Good try!‖ And 0\KDa$'1k
when your pride gets hurt and your muscles are sore, you say to yourself, ―That’s part hi0-S
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of the game. I’ll win next time!‖ w:3CWF4q]
How to Deal with School Pressure *-,jIaL;
College can be a very demanding time for students. Professors, class projects, and 60XTdJkDkA
extracurricular activities can all contribute to a stressed-out college student. While 79d<,q;uR
you will undoubtedly experience stress as a college student, following these tips may &s~b1Va
help keep college stress at a minimum before it becomes too hard to handle. #-7m@EU;O
Prioritize your schoolwork. Identify what is most important. If you have a g$T%
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presentation to give this Monday, don’t write a one-page review that’s due in a couple \H{UJ
of weeks; prepare for the presentation first. Likewise, if you have an assignment that W{X5~w
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requires a lot of work, put it at the top of your list. When you prioritize your work, /;;$9O9
you will be more efficient. By becoming more organized, you can reduce your stress JWVn@)s
level drastically. c+N\uG4
Talk about your problems. Talking about your problems will help ease your tension !f01.Tq8
and anxiety. Seek a trusted friend or see if your school has a counseling \xjI=P'-25
center. Talking to others will not only help you feel better, but it will also help you / TAza9a
find more ways to deal with those problems that are causing your stress. #<81`%
Adopt a positive attitude. If you are always negative, stress will overwhelm you. By OR<%h/ \f
looking at things in a positive light, you will not only reduce your stress, but you will rtT*2k*
also feel better about yourself. Give yourself pep talks: ―I can do this. I will not stress Ry`Y +
over this.‖ UhbGU G
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5 dw3H9(-lp
Take time to relax. To maintain peak performance and reduce your amount of stress, ';KZ.D
you should take time to relax. Performing some sort of physical activity for thirty VL8yL`~zc.
minutes three times a week will considerably lower your stress level. Throw a Frisbee cjc1iciZ
with your friends, watch your favorite TV show or enjoy your alone time. Taking the pg/SYEvsV
time to relax will help reduce your stress level. ]z"7v
The Need of Iron "4WwiI9
How do we get more young people to increase their consumption of iron-rich (dQsR sA
foods? Many nutritionists are advocating the fortification of a number of foods. This ]Nb~-)t%B
may help, but I contend that we should also intensify our efforts in nutrition education x?n13C
among our young people. I simply do not buy the argument that it is futile to try to 3GM9ZPeN:
change eating habits. Once an intelligent person—and this includes 6&[rATU+
adolescents—understands the need for a healthy diet, I think he or she will act YTV|]xpR
accordingly. As for specific actions: I suggest that blood hemoglobin(血红蛋 \!s0H_RJY
白)should be checked as a routine part of a youngster’s yearly physical examination. aJSBG|IC
It should contain at least 11grames per 100 milliliters of blood for a girl and at least SoNT12>
12 grams for a boy. If it is any lower, the physician probably will prescribe an easily 'FwNQz zt
absorbed iron supplement. *L=F2wW
Adolescents—and everyone else—should cut out highly processed foods and *IV_evgM7
drinks, which may be low in iron and other nutrients. Read the labels for iron content. `Uy4> ?
Especially make sure that all bakery products are made with enriched flour or whole VTs
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grains. Try adding liver, chicken, beef, veal or any other variety to the weekly menu. 'h{| ]
Finally, even when you’re trying to lose weight, always eat a sensible, S|/Za".Gr
well-balanced diet made up of a variety of fresh or very lightly processed foods. This ">!<