[Correspondent Diary] Will College Major Preferences Change in China After COVID-19?

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] The Chinese university entrance exam 'Gaokao (高考)', which was postponed for a month due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), ended on the 8th. This year, a total of 10.71 million third-year high school students in China took the exam. It was as if the entire population of Seoul took the university entrance exam on the same day.

Like in Korea, China also divides the exam into liberal arts and science tracks. The liberal arts exam subjects are Chinese, Mathematics, English, Politics, History, and Geography. The science track includes Chinese, Mathematics, English, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology.

Chinese high school students enter university solely based on their entrance exam results. School grades do not significantly help with university admission. Therefore, tricks like the "mom and dad chance" are almost impossible. Only bold cheaters cause headaches every year.

Gaokao was reinstated in 1977 by Deng Xiaoping (鄧小平). There was a need for talent to lead reform and opening-up. Gaokao, which had been abolished for 10 years, was revived due to the era's purpose of economic development.

Perhaps because of this, the majors preferred by Gaokao top scorers differ somewhat from those in Korea. According to the Chinese Gaokao top scorer survey report (1977?2015) by People’s Daily Online (Renmin Wang, 人民網), the most preferred major among Gaokao top scorers was Economics (343 people). Next were Business Administration (324), Electronic Information (113), Law (102), Biotechnology (89), and Computer Science and Technology (88). Universities also have a set ranking. Peking University (835) is by far number one. Tsinghua University (668), Fudan University (55), and University of Science and Technology of China (55) also rank high.

Because the purpose of reinstating the exam is clear, Gaokao is a shortcut to success and fame. Life changes depending on exam results. In China, it is not an exaggeration to say "happiness is determined by grades." Chinese parents’ passion for education exceeds that of Korea.

From 2016 to this year, there is curiosity about the majors chosen by Gaokao top scorers. As we enter the Fourth Industrial Revolution era, the world is focusing on advanced IT technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). Also, due to COVID-19, non-face-to-face business will become even more popular. Let us wait for survey statistics to see whether Economics and Business will still hold the top positions as in the past, or if IT fields such as Electronic Information and Computer Science and Technology will take their place.