Exam Retake Season and Graduation Season Once Again

March’s main theme is all about master’s students. The old are leaving, the new are coming — the waves behind drive the waves ahead. What a scene.

The front wave’s problem is the Shanghai residency evaluation. The back wave’s problem is the entrance retake exam. Both happen to fall under my responsibility. It’s both fun and painful.

First, the Shanghai residency issue. This is a classic case of being victimized by the household registration policy. Not having a Shanghai hukou has a huge impact on an individual. One of the criteria for residency evaluation requires the school to certify a student’s academic performance. In principle, grades A, B, C, D are each supposed to be 25%. No problem. But the unspoken rule is that if your grade isn’t A, it’s very hard to get residency. The bigger problem is that some departments inflate grades — everyone gets an A. Our Software School has no backers above, so we’re afraid of getting in trouble with leadership if we inflate grades and something goes wrong. So we follow the process strictly. This makes things hard for students. Many of them have tried every trick in the book this week to get an A grade. Those whose fathers are Li Gang use Li Gang. Those who aren’t Li Gang cry, make scenes, threaten suicide, or submit joint petitions. As long as the hukou system exists, this will torment people every year.

As for the retake exam: I’ve participated for several years. It’s really frustrating. Some people score extremely high on the entrance exam but can’t answer basic computer science questions when asked. They’ve probably spent all their time memorizing “universal truths of Marxism combined with Chinese characteristics.” The retake exam is also murky waters — all kinds of Li Gangs show off their connections. That’s another Chinese characteristic.

Anyway, just get through this month. It’s exhausting. Spring comes in April, and things should get better.