The Phased Suggestions for the Development of 2023 Graduates

QMES, the first Sino-foreign cooperative education institution in Northwest China, is a Joint Educational Institution (JEI) established by Northwestern Polytechnical University in partnership with Queen Mary University of London with granted permission from the Chinese Ministry of Education. QMES makes full use of the excellent teaching resources of both China and UK, adopts the QMUL’s educational concepts of critical thinking and life-long learning, and takes full advantage of the high-level international research cooperation platform for materials science and outstanding teachers of both sides, so as to provide students with high-quality, internationalized and taught-in-English mode of education. QMES is committed to cultivating the leading innovative talents who can learn and work transnationally with international vision, recognition to international rules, solid theoretical foundation, strong professional competitiveness, high comprehensive quality and life-long learning abilities.

QMES has been recruiting new students since 2017, and has witnessed the graduation of two classes of students so far. In order to continuously promote the undergraduates’ further study and career development, the school has sorted out and analyzed the relevant data of the first two batches of graduates, and provided some suggestions and references for the graduates of 2023.

1.The Development Situation of 2021 and 2022 Graduates

The amounts of the graduates of class 2021 and 2022 were respectively 237 and 229, and the rate measuring the percentage of students who continued to study both at home and abroad and got jobs was 92.5%. Among them, 11.6% students got jobs, 37.3% were admitted by domestic universities for further study, 43.6% went abroad for further study, and the overall rate of the further study was 80.9%.

QMES is committed to its educational goal, namely, cultivating students with an international vision, knowledge of international rules, and abilities of learning and working transnationally and life-long learning. Among the two batches of graduates, the prospect of students going abroad for further study is promising. More than 90% of the students have entered the Top 100 universities in QS World University Ranking, mainly including Cambridge University, Imperial College of Technology, University College London, Manchester University, Queen Mary University of London, Nanyang Technological University of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Zurich Federal Institute of Technology, University of Tokyo, etc.. Thanks to the full-English teaching and the new educational mode, the graduates were able to adapt to the overseas environment very quickly after going abroad. More than 10 students have been offered doctoral candidates from world-famous universities such as Cambridge University and so on.

Graduates of QMES also are favoured by domestic famous universities and teachers. Many students were admitted to Tsinghua University, Peking University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Nanjing University, Zhejiang University, University of Science and Technology of China, Xi’an Jiaotong University and other top universities within the C9 League, and more than 98% of them have entered “Double First-class” universities for further study. Additionally, many students chose to study further at their alma mater—Northwestern Polytechnic University, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology and other colleges and research institutes of national defence. According to personal preferences, some students chose to go to Beijing Normal University, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics and so on for further study in the fields of law, economics, computer, translation and other disciplines.

Students who stepped into their career only account for a small proportion. Their career choices are mainly focused on the fields of civil servants, research institutes, and national defence and military enterprises, including the Organization Department of Heilongjiang Provincial Party Committee, the Organization Department of Jiangxi Provincial Party Committee, China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, Chengdu Aircraft, Shenyang Aircraft, Sichuan Aerospace Changzheng Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd., the 11th Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Corporation, Guangdong Science and Technology Press Co., Ltd., Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., P&G, SAIC Volkswagen Automotive Co., Ltd., BYD, etc., and one graduate joined the army and became a technical officer.

2.Suggestions for 2023 Graduates

*Advice for the students planning to study abroad.

Prepare for the interview.During the interview, interviewers will usually evaluate interviewees from multiple perspectives, such as professional knowledge, English proficiency, comprehensive quality, scientific research ability, and so on. When introducing yourself, you should highlight your characteristics, be responsive when facing the interviewer’s questions, and then give diplomatic answers, showing the competitiveness and charm of QMESers.

Think big to apply to the Top 10 universities.Considering the admission situation of 2021 and 2022 graduates going abroad for further study, the outstanding students from NPU are preferred by famous universities all over the world. Therefore, students can confidently apply for higher-level overseas universities based on their abilities. In accordance with QMES’ educational goal, namely, the cultivation of students’ “Four Abilities” which include “Political Discernment”, “Learning Motivation”, “Innovation and Creativity” and “Global Competency”, the school has recently set up a scholarship to reward the graduates who continue to study at the top 10 universities in the QS World University Ranking.

Think outside the box.In addition to UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada and other popular regions and countries, there are also many advantageous schools in some alternative countries, such as France, Germany, Spain and so on. The Business Schools in France, the Munich Institute of Technology and the Aachen Institute of Technology in Germany are also world-renowned universities, which are especially suitable for students who want to change their majors. These application requirements are relatively easy.

Get down to the application work.At the end of October, the online application channels of overseas colleges and universities have been opened one after another. Whether students resort to an intermediary or not, they should seize the time to register online and prepare for the IELTS and other language tests. The application to foreign universities basically follows the principle of “first come, first served”. Language scores and transcripts can be submitted to universities after receiving the Conditional Offer.

Take the “green channel” wisely. As the overseas alma mater of QMES students, Queen Mary University of London ranked among the Top 100 universities in the U.S. News & World Report Best Global University Rankings this year. QMUL is the first university in the UK to set up the discipline of Materials Science which is one of its most influential disciplines and ranked five-star by the British government several times. Its scientific research achievements ranked 4th in the UK and its scientific research strength ranked 6th in the world. QMUL has opened up a green channel for QMES students so that no language scores are required, and students can apply only if the average undergraduate score reaches 75 and will be given preferential treatment in tuition according to their academic performance.

*Advice for the students preparing for Postgraduate Entrance Examination:

According to authoritative statistics, students sitting for the Postgraduate Entrance Examination will exceed 5.2 million in 2023, with an admission ratio of about 4:1, which means passing the examination is no mean feat. In the next two months, students should set the stage for the exam with the solid knowledge and positive attitude .

Arrange the review plan reasonably. Learn to adopt the SMART principle, which stands for “Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based” to set clear goals or tasks, which can contribute to better implementing your plans.

Learn to deal with negative emotions.The closer you are to the exam, the more anxious you will be. You should learn to dispel negative emotions. When you feel bored, you can go out of the study room with your peers to do sport games on the playground, or relish some delicious food together, and exchange your review experience by the way. After adequate relaxation, you can study in a more efficient way.

lAdvice for the students seeking jobs.

Have a clear self-awareness and career planning.Senior students should have a clear understanding of themselves, so as to determine the direction of their future careers. For graduates, their first job is very important and may affect their future career development, so a clear career plan should be formed.

Seize the opportunities at the on-campus recruitment fair.NPU has created a favourable environment for students to get jobs by inviting well-known state-owned enterprises, central enterprises, research institutes, etc., to recruit employees on campus every year, so as to increase students’ employment rates. In addition to the employment information published by the NPU’s official employment APP, QQ groups and teachers, students can also ask their employed seniors to know more about the targeted enterprises and jobs. In a word, selecting jobs should base on profound consideration, scientific plan and full preparation.

Make full preparation.Enterprises usually have two to four rounds of screening of job candidates. The first round mainly considers students’ resumes , so senior students should deliver a beautiful and concise resume with comprehensive content displaying personal advantages. The interview session is more of a test of one’s ability, thus it is suggested that students should improve their abilities of resourcefulness, language expression, logical thinking, etc., and learn some interview skills in a targeted way. Don’t lose your nerve during the interview and make self-reflection after each interview, so that you can perform better next time.

Finally, it is noted that no matter whether you choose to pursue further education or seek employment, the identity of a fresh graduate is very important. The gap year after graduation is likely to become a disadvantage to your future development. There is a wish that every student can make a reasonable and proper plan for future development.

Text: Liu Jia, Cheng Yin

Text editor: Wu Sijia

Photo: Ding Jing

Graphic editor: He Daxiang, Gu Zimo

Translator: Liu Yang

Review: Fan Xiaoli