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How to make wise choices
本文作者：21ST
期号：894
By now, freshmen have thrown open the door to their coveted college life.However, some may have been disappointed and ask themselves questions like: should I stick to my original major? Should I keep working on campus activities alone or can I widen my horizons and reach further?
These questions will remain throughout a student‟s four-year campus life.But by seeking answers as early as poible, students can enjoy a more organized college life.Xu Jingxi interviews upperclamen, counselors and experts to offer you tips on making a wise choice.Change in major
According to a recent survey by MyCOS and Tencent on the 2014 Cla college freshmen, 54.1 percent of the 4,891 respondents are diatisfied with their majors.Fortunately, many universities allow students to apply to change their majors in the second semester of the freshman year.However, the quota is limited and many universities set high requirements in terms of the applicant‟s academic performance in their original major.Hu Tingzhou, 20, a freshman at Zhejiang University of Finance and
Economics was told that he needed to have a grade point average(GPA)of at least 3.5 in his original major in order to apply for a new major.“It‟s self-contradictory.It‟s hard for a person to score that highly if he is not interested and confident in that major,” said Hu.Fortunately, Hu succefully changed his major from credit management to finance.But it was definitely not an easy option.He needs to start from the beginning – make new friends and get accustomed to a new set of profeors.Ma Xiaolu, a counselor at Beijing Foreign Studies University, suggests another option for those diatisfied with their majors – pursuing a second major.However, Ma suggests that the key to succe is persistence, no matter what major you are studying.“Be prepared to take claes at weekends, sit more exams, and write one more thesis paper,” said Ma.“If you fail to get the diploma for the second major, you may need to come back for exams and papers – even after graduation.Part-time jobs
A part-time job is often the first step college students take when they reach out to the “real world”.However, they face a dilemma in terms of which job to choose.Should they opt for a well paid but time-consuming position, or a job that fits in with both their study time and choice of major?
Lu Miaomiao, 22, a junior in accounting at Wenjing College, Yantai University, suggested the latter.She has taken many part-time jobs: private tutor for kids, newspaper sales, marketing training courses, and handing out leaflets.None of these jobs looks as glamorous and profitable as modeling, which some of her clamates do.“They even skip claes to take the well-paid part-time jobs,” said Lu.“But I don‟t think it‟s worthwhile.Money is not my top priority when I work part-time.”
Lu feels that personal development is much more valuable for her.Being naturally shy, she used to stammer when speaking to strangers, so she took jobs which all required good communication skills.Ma suggested that students apply for schools‟ work-study programs.“The school will help arrange your work schedule to ensure you don‟t need to sacrifice your study time,” explained Ma.Lu also feels that work-study programs is a much more reliable source of work than job websites or job agencies.Campus clubs
Campus clubs usually elect leaders from among freshman members in the second semester.But, are you sure you want to aim for such a position? Being a club leader can hone the skills related to your future career.Yet it may shatter your balance between work and study.Zhu Liwei, 24, was the president of the student union when he studied at South China Agricultural University.He had to put aside his textbooks often in order to meet with his colleagues.Some freshmen put up with the workload in order to enhance their future CVs, but this is not neceary, according to Ma.“A better choice is to look for internships, which look more attractive to
employers.After all, working in a campus club is very different to experiencing a real workplace,” said Ma.English study
If the ultimate goal of your English study is the College English Test(CET)certificate, you may be counting the days until you can ki the language goodbye.However, smart senior alumni said that a CET certificate is not the end, but a new beginning, to fun English learning.Liu Zheng, 24, a junior in clinical medicine at North China Coal Medical University, improved her listening and spoken English by watching US TV dramas.“You could see it as a „leisure activity‟ spicing up your daily study schedule,” she said.Zhao Jiankun, CET and TEM(Test for English Major)project manager at Beijing New Oriental School, proved that continuing to study English can enhance your future career development.Zhao graduated from college with a major in Chinese and worked in a real estate company in Beijing.Thanks to the high standard of English he attained during his college years, Zhao got more opportunities than his colleagues.For instance, He acted as the interpreter for his bo when the company hired a US designer.He was also invited to accompany his bo on trips to international meetings.Language tips
English study tips from Zhao Jiankun, CET and TEM project manager at Beijing New Oriental School.Listening: Find materials at the websites of China Daily, CRI and 21st Century.Refer to the script while listening to the materials.Speaking: Read aloud after listening to your CET course materials.There are le background sound effects than in movies, and the contents are more closely related to your daily life.Reading, writing and translating: Use bilingual texts.Many English news articles have Chinese versions online.Find out the differences in sentence structure and choice of words.Interviews by Xu Jingxi
