ChinaHR.com has conducted a survey among undergraduates in Shanghai recently, finding that students of different years have different "key topics". However, generally, "perplexity", "study abroad" and "job-hunting" are the most popular ones.

 

The most common topics of freshmen are "perplexity", "students organizations", "becoming mature", "express oneself", and "fields of study". They are "perplexed" because they have just started a completely new life, not knowing what to do next. In fact, the rest four topics only add to their perplexity.

 

The key topics of sophomores and juniors are "studying abroad", "career", "future success" and "love". They feel perplexed as to whether they should go abroad not, whether they should start a love affair or not and whether they should start job hunting now or preparing for further studies after graduation.

 

Seniors pay more attention to "job-hunting", "interviews", "staying in Shanghai or going to other cities to work", "boy/girlfriends" and "future academic plans".

 

They want to get a job, but don't know how to. They want to impress the interviewers, yet don't know how to make it. "Staying in Shanghai or going to other cities to work" is specifically the main concern of students who are non-locals.

 

"Boy/girlfriends" sometimes stands for a choice between romance and career. The last key topic is the topic of those who have started their postgraduate studies.

 

Thus in a word, the most common "key topic" of undergraduates is still "perplexity", they will get rid of this depressing "key topic" after they learn from social experience.

 

(chinanews.cn November 30, 2006)