Society

Striving for their dreams

By Zheng Jinran (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2011-01-12 13:18

"I gave up the opportunity to be a recommended post-graduate student at my university but took a risk to take the exam for my dream. Though it's a hard way to go, I will still head on," Xiao Du said with a smile.

Xiao Du (not her real name), a senior at Hunan University, wears her hair short and has a round, cute face and looks younger than her age, but like other seniors, she has to face the huge pressure of the future.

"I want to be a teacher in my hometown (in North China's Hebei province), but senior high schools there require at least a master's degree. So I have to further my studies. Beijing Normal University is the best in that category," she said.

The competition of getting into that university is fierce. According to a post from the university's official website, only 25 students will be recruited for 2011 in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics in Foreign Languages. But it's estimated that more than 1,000 students have applied.

"I have been preparing for the post-graduate entrance exam for five months. My daily routine is quite simple, beginning when the library is open at 8 am and back to dormitory when it closes at 10:30 pm. The library is the only available place for us to get heat since no classrooms have air-conditioning."

She added that she is enjoying chats with her friends during their brief breaks in the library. They are all brave soldiers in the fierce competition. "We are all here to fight together for our dreams on that long road. We prepare for the best, and hope we can get what we want in the end."