Around June 25, college entrance examination scores were announced across the country, and the ensuing voluntary filling and admission were the top priorities for many candidates and parents. Recently, many colleges and universities introduced the new regulations for undergraduates to change majors at the 2024 undergraduate enrollment policy conference, further reducing the application threshold for students to change majors, with higher policy flexibility and more choices. Why do colleges and universities lower the application threshold for changing majors? How can this policy be better implemented? What changes and impacts will it bring to higher education?
The policy is more flexible, and the number of choices is more
Wu Mingzhe, a first-year student majoring in civil engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, will switch to astronomy in the second half of this year. This year, Shanghai Jiaotong University released the restrictions on the application conditions for changing majors, and he seized the opportunity to finally realize his dream. Like him, the number of students who choose to change majors and successfully change majors has increased by more than 150% compared to last year.
Zhang Junliang, Director of Academic Affairs Office of Shanghai Jiao Tong University: Freshman, sophomore, and junior students are allowed to apply for multiple major changes, so that all students have equal opportunities and choices, and help students improve their professional satisfaction and achieve their personal career planning goals.
Yang Shuangyuan, a first-year student at Jilin University, found herself more interested in law after a semester of study in plant production. As a result, Xiao Yang applied to transfer to law school and was successfully admitted.
Yang Shuangyuan, a first-year student at the Law School of Jilin University: At that time, when applying for the college entrance examination, we considered the geographical location and comprehensive ability of the school, but we did not consider much about our own interests and hobbies and our own abilities.
Since last year, Jilin University has implemented the reform of the policy of changing majors, allowing first- and second-year students to adjust their majors according to their interests, strengths and development needs under certain conditions, and can apply for multiple majors to change majors.
Jiang Yong, Deputy Director of the Academic Affairs Office of Jilin University: Each student in each grade can choose up to 6 majors when applying for a change of major, and a maximum of 12 majors can be selected for two years.
Like Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Jilin University, in recent years, Tongji University, Fudan University, Wuhan University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Qilu University of Technology and other universities have implemented relatively flexible policies for changing majors.
According to the 2024 undergraduate admissions policy announced by Tongji University, students have 7 opportunities to choose their majors when they enter the university.
Qilu University of Technology also announced that all first-year students are eligible to apply for changing majors, and they can fill in three volunteers at a time, creating a broader space for students to grow and become talents.
There are standards to avoid rushing up and transferring out, and there are standards for unlimited transfers
Colleges and universities have lowered the threshold for applying for changing majors, will they rush in, resulting in an imbalance in the number of students in different majors in the school? In order to ensure fairness and justice, what kind of assessment do students need to go through and what kind of process can they successfully change majors?
In April this year, Wu Mingzhe participated in the interview for the astronomy major of Shanghai Jiaotong University and successfully passed the inspection. He told reporters that the interview involves multiple dimensions such as professional interests, learning attitudes, professional knowledge and academic planning.
Wu Mingzhe, a student from Shanghai Jiao Tong University: The interview teacher will follow every question we answer, continue to delve into it, and will continue to ask what the principle is.
Zhang Junliang, Director of the Academic Affairs Office of Shanghai Jiao Tong University: There is zero threshold for transferring out, but this does not mean that there is also zero threshold for transfer-in, each of our colleges has a very complete interview and assessment system, and there are also very detailed basic requirements, such as the composition of the interview committee, the detailed rules of the assessment and the observation points of the assessment students, and the very scientific and objective judgment of students.
Similarly, Jilin University not only has strict and standardized interviews to test the relevant qualities of students and have specific performance requirements, but also determines the number of transferable students according to the equipment of teachers and hardware in disciplines and majors, so as to ensure the quality of teaching. Taking the law school to which Yang Shuangyuan transferred as an example, this year, according to the allocation of teaching resources, the school openly recruited 36 first-year students and 12 sophomores who changed majors.
Yang Shuangyuan, a first-year student at the Law School of Jilin University: There will be two rounds of assessment of the written test and the interview, and finally the written test score is multiplied by 60%, and the interview score is multiplied by 40%, and the final assessment result of changing majors is obtained, and the result is comprehensively ranked.
Jiang Yong, Deputy Director of the Academic Affairs Office of Jilin University: In order to prevent this phenomenon of rushing in, the university made it clear at the beginning of the policy that the relevant colleges should set the upper limit of acceptance, which is mainly considered from the aspect of the student-teacher ratio of the college and the guarantee of teaching conditions. We usually set up between 20% and 25% of the total number of students who transfer to the major, and the college will announce the specific number of places it enrolls, and finally determine the successful candidates for changing majors, and there must be a corresponding publicity process to ensure the follow-up teaching quality and the stability of the teaching order.
Liu Yu, Vice President of Qilu University of Technology: We limit the entrance to 30% of the original number of majors.
It can be seen that many universities explore the "freedom to change majors" for the purpose of application, but whether the change of major can be successful depends on the results of the assessment of changing majors. Taking Jilin University as an example, a total of 1,960 students participated in the assessment of changing majors this year, and finally 1,040 students changed majors.
Jiang Yong, Deputy Director of the Academic Affairs Office of Jilin University: From the perspective of the actual situation of changing majors, the quality of students who can really change majors is still very high, and the motivation for follow-up learning is also very strong.
Expert's view: Stimulate students' interest and optimize the professional setting
Major universities have lowered the threshold for applying for changing majors, what is the background of the policy? Why is this policy being implemented?
In fact, colleges and universities have long had a policy of changing majors, and more and more attention has been paid to reflecting students' interests and expertise, and the application conditions for changing majors have been gradually relaxed. In 2017, Article 21 of the Regulations on the Administration of Students in Ordinary Colleges and Universities of the Ministry of Education stipulates that "students who are interested in and specialize in other majors during their studies may apply to change majors; Students admitted in the form of special enrollment are not allowed to change majors if the state has relevant regulations or there is a clear agreement with the university before admission. Schools shall formulate specific measures for students to change majors, establish fair and just standards and procedures, and complete public announcement systems. If the school needs to appropriately adjust the major according to the development and change of the society's demand for talents, it shall allow the current students to transfer to other relevant majors. ”
Wei Zhiqiang, President of Qingdao University: It is good news that undergraduates are allowed to change majors, which reflects that students are the first subject, because the purpose of the university is to cultivate students, and it also reflects that students' interests are the first driving force for training. At the same time, the process of changing majors can also allow us to improve the quality of our entire school in terms of major optimization.
Experts also said that lowering the threshold for applying for changing majors can also promote schools to pay attention to major construction and optimize major settings.
Chen Zhiwen, editor-in-chief of China Education Online: In the past two years, there has been a very obvious tendency in the voluntary application of the college entrance examination, because the employment pressure has led to people being particularly concerned about the future employment expectations of the majors they are studying, which directly manifests itself as being particularly picky about majors. This is one of the reasons for the adjustment of the school's policy on changing majors this year, but more importantly, I think it is also in line with, or in order to cooperate with the current reform of the discipline and major settings of colleges and universities. Last year, the five ministries and commissions proposed to adjust 20% of the majors in colleges and universities by 2025, and there is also a direction to eliminate the old majors and add four new majors (new engineering, new medicine, new agriculture, and new liberal arts), all of which are to actively respond to social needs and the needs of the people, which are worthy of recognition.
When changing majors, you must be rational and avoid blindly following the trend
The policy of changing majors in these colleges and universities generally adopts the principles of voluntary priority, two-way selection, strict assessment, and merit-based admission to ensure scientific fairness. It not only gives students more choices, but also checks for students, which reflects the seriousness of the policy of changing majors. What are the specific suggestions for students and universities to change majors?
Zhang Yanwei, a 2022 biotechnology student at Qingdao University: There may be times when you get lost in college, if you really like the major you chose after the college entrance examination, I suggest that you should stick to it.
Liu Qi, a junior at Qilu University of Technology: If you want to change majors, you should prepare as soon as possible in your freshman year, check the relevant requirements for changing majors, and meet the corresponding standards through your own efforts.
Ye Yutong, a first-year student majoring in microelectronics science and engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University: Don't blindly follow the trend to some so-called popular majors, think about whether you really like it and whether it is really suitable.
Experts warn against blindly chasing the so-called "hot" majors, because the concept of "hot" is always changing. From the perspective of students' long-term development, it is best to dilute the concepts of "unpopular" and "popular", and what suits them is the best.
Wei Zhiqiang, President of Qingdao University: In the long run, there are not too many popular and unpopular majors. Because in college, the most important purpose of a major is to cultivate students' ability, that is to say, to cultivate your ability to learn, and you can cultivate your own learning ability in any major, which is the most critical point.
The university also reminds students that changing majors will also face problems such as retaking disciplines, downgrading, and delaying graduation.
Jiang Yong, Deputy Director of the Academic Affairs Office of Jilin University: The second year is called downgrading, and he needs to be downgraded by one level, and then retake the original related basic courses of the transferred major.
Zhang Junliang, Director of the Academic Affairs Office of Shanghai Jiao Tong University: Students will also need to pay a certain opportunity cost when changing majors. For example, for a major with a large span, he may have a heavier academic workload, and he needs to take a lot of courses, and the Academic Affairs Office and the college will also inform him many times that the problems and challenges that may arise in the process of changing majors are requested to be carefully weighed and treated cautiously, and he is responsible for every choice he makes.
How can policies be better implemented? What is the impact on higher education?
Lowering the threshold for applying for changing majors, I hope to put greater choice in the hands of students. So, how to make the policy better implemented? What changes and impacts has this policy brought to higher education? Let's listen to Xiong Bingqi, president of the 21st Century Education Research Institute.
Xiong Bingqi, President of the 21st Century Education Research Institute: In order to implement such a policy of changing majors, colleges and universities must educate students about life planning. For college students who enter the university, career guidance should be provided to them, including letting them know their interests and abilities, as well as understanding the disciplines and majors of the university. If these students still don't particularly understand what they are interested in, or what they are suitable for, they may be blindly chasing the so-called popular major, which actually goes against the original intention of the policy of changing majors. At the same time, it is also necessary to strengthen the understanding of the school's majors, so that this policy of changing majors can really expand students' right to choose, guide students to make rational choices, and improve students' satisfaction with the school's majors.
Xiong Bingqi, President of the 21st Century Education Research Institute: At the same time, such a policy should also promote schools to optimize their disciplines and majors. Because on the whole, many people still divide university majors into popular majors and unpopular majors, and they all want to enter the so-called popular majors and avoid the so-called unpopular majors. The policy of changing majors does not mean that students are allowed to enter the so-called popular majors, but to promote the school to run every major well, so that each major has its own characteristics and quality assurance. In this way, we can really avoid what we call a one-way change to a popular major, and instead choose a major that is suitable for students. Therefore, the essence of this policy is to promote the equal competition of the school's various majors, and to optimize the layout of the school's disciplines and majors through this policy of changing majors, so that students can improve their core competitiveness through the study of this major, so that in fact, it is to dilute the so-called popular and unpopular, but to strengthen the quality and characteristics of the major.
Source: CCTV news client
Author: Li Jingjing, Wang Dianjia, Wang Yaping, Han Yuting
Process Editor: U022