Which colleges are on the wishlist of Gen Z in China?

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‍National college entrance examinations have been widely considered as the ultimate tests for life in China. However, the Generation Z, who is about to take the tests two days later, disagree with the idea.

According to a survey conducted by the Beijing-based Sina.com, more than half of the over 20,000 participants thought the examinations are not life-changing.

The survey results were published last week, several days ahead of the upcoming examinations this year, which will be participated by 9.75 million students this year on June 6 and 7.

The two-day-examinations will be the largest single sitting in eight years, Xinhua reported.

Students at a senior high school in Huizhou City of Guangdong, the coastal province of southeast China, cheered their fellow students up on May 31, a week before the national college entrance examinations. /VCG Photo

More than 25 percent teenagers born between 2000 and 2009 claimed they would try to get into higher learning institutions through applying for art schools, vocational schools, colleges abroad and those with independent recruitment programs.

Statistics show that 58 percent of the survey participants were tested takers, 31 percent were their parents, while 11 percent were other netizens.

“The national college entrance examinations are not the only way out,” Nanjing student Xie Tianren told Xiandaijin Newspaper. “I can do whatever I want. I’m confident at it.”

“Teens born between 2000 and 2009 have more advantages compared with the post-90s generation. They are sharper mentally and accept new things quicker. But some of them have more mood swings and fluctuations in their academic performance,” a teacher surnamed Zhong told Guangzhou Daily.

A student did her homework at a senior high school in Jinan City of Shandong Province on May 31. /Chinanews Photo

Test takers are not the only group changing their minds. More than 86 percent of the parents said it was unnecessary for their children to be sorry if they could not go to higher learning institutions.

Nearly one-fifth of the students said they would take their personal idols into consideration when applying for the colleges and 14 percent of the parents said they would support their children’s decision.

Wei Kexin loves ancient Chinese literature. “My dream school is Beijing Normal University because I want to meet with Professor Kang Zhen there,” Wei told Xiandaijin Newspaper. Kang Zhen is famous in the country for telling the stories of litterateurs from the Tang and Song dynasties on CCTV TV shows.

Zhou Ziqing wants to study abroad. “Being a fan of football club Bayern Munich, I hope to study in German.”

Chinese colleges have been adapting for the new generation by offering new majors, including data science and big data technology, robot engineering, intelligent science and technology, as well as cyberspace security.

In a public notice issued in March, Chinese education authorities have asked not to take top scorers of the examinations as publicity stunts, which is a move broadly seen as a way of cooling down the craze of the national tests.