Fan Rui: Chinese 132, Math 142, English 57, Liberal Arts Comprehensive 254, Total score 585.
"Ai!" Hearing his specific score from the phone, Fan Rui felt a bit weak but also a bit relieved as he hung up. Today was the first day scores were released, and there was no online way to check them. The best method was by phone, as the nationwide online query system wasn't fully operational until 2006.
However, none of that mattered, as the method of checking wouldn't change his score. Fan Rui's total score was indeed 585.
The admission cut-off lines had been announced three days earlier. For liberal arts, the first-tier university cut-off was 583, and the second-tier was 542.
This made Fan Rui's score quite peculiar, precisely two points above the first-tier line, allowing him to apply for first-tier institutions. He couldn't help but recall his exam at Jiangnan University last month, where he had also just made the admission cut-off. He truly felt fortunate.
However, a score of 585 meant Fan Rui would have a hard time choosing prestigious universities. 985 universities were out of the question, and 211 was also a long shot. He could only aim for universities ranked lower among the first-tier institutions or choose less popular majors. Otherwise, even with a score meeting the first-tier cut-off, he might not get accepted by any first-tier university.
Ultimately, it would come down to either repeating the year or attending a second-tier university, which would be quite humorous.
In this exam, Fan Rui had performed normally in most subjects, and his math score showed a small burst of brilliance. After all, scoring over 140 was considered an extraordinary level. Fan Rui felt he should even thank the Jiangnan University exam, as two of the math problems there were similar to the large problems on the college entrance exam.
They were only similar, but the problem-solving approach was the same, which was a small stroke of luck for Fan Rui. Unfortunately, his English score was truly disappointing, falling short of 60, even lower than his usual practice scores.
Overall, he considered himself fortunate. At least he had secured a first-tier university, not a second-tier one. Otherwise, rejecting a monthly salary of tens of thousands that he could have obtained without further education, only to end up in a second-tier university, would have been a complete joke.
Soon, the family phone rang. It was Fan Rui's parents. They likely couldn't focus on work today. As soon as they woke up, it was their son's scores that were on their minds. When the scores were released at 9 AM, their anxiety was palpable.
However, they didn't dare call their son immediately, knowing Fan Rui also had to check his score by phone. If they caused busy signals or line disruptions, the consequences would be dire.
So, they decided to wait half an hour. At 9:30, they called home to inquire about their son's score and learned it was 585.
Their feelings mirrored Fan Rui's. After the college entrance exam, Fan Rui had used the answer key to estimate his score and had told his parents that his English might be a failure and whether he could reach 580 points depended on fate. After all, the liberal arts first-tier cut-off line usually hovered between 580 and 560. As long as he scored above 580, he was guaranteed a spot in a first-tier university.
To their surprise, this year's cut-off line was three points higher than usual, reaching 583. The science stream's first-tier cut-off was even more staggering, reaching 596. Normally, this cut-off line was below 560, indicating that this year's college entrance exam papers were generally easier.
This also left Fan Rui with a slight dissatisfaction. His strengths lay in Chinese and Math, and he was exceptionally good in them. If the exam were more difficult, he could have widened the score gap and comfortably secured a spot above the first-tier cut-off, even aiming for a 985 university. But now, all of that was impossible.
Soon, it was the end of the workday. His parents rushed to take half a day off and return home. After confirming the score again with the phone, the three of them were all smiles. In the afternoon, they accompanied their son to school for a parent-teacher meeting.
Of course, this parent-teacher meeting wasn't about announcing score rankings. They had all graduated; some went to college, some entered the workforce, and others prepared to repeat the year. Such "chicken-and-egg" motivational tactics were no longer effective.
The purpose of this parent-teacher meeting was actually to guide students in filling out their university applications.
Fan Rui's high school was quite responsible. To ensure their students had a better future, they arranged for experienced teachers to guide them in their university applications.
These teachers were usually responsible for teaching the senior year curriculum, maintaining contact with their students annually, and knowing the likelihood of successful admissions to various universities based on scores.
Furthermore, they knew which university departments offered good job prospects after graduation. Therefore, having these teachers guide the students' university applications was ideal.
Originally, only students needed to attend such events, not parents. However, due to many students acting eccentrically or being overly arrogant, ignoring teachers' advice in their applications, they ended up in second or third-tier universities despite meeting the first or second-tier cut-off scores. This led many parents to cause disturbances at school.
Consequently, this guidance session, initially for students only, became a parent-teacher meeting that parents also had to attend. Teachers would directly inform parents of the recommended application outcomes. Any subsequent issues would then be irrelevant to the teachers.
In the afternoon, they arrived at the school, and the classroom was filled with parents. Although it was a regular workday, it was insignificant compared to their children's future. Almost all parents accompanied their children to the meeting to hear the teachers' advice.
The teacher guiding Fan Rui in filling out his application was none other than his homeroom teacher. As the homeroom teacher of the school's top priority class, he had the widest network of contacts, the most students in various universities, and the deepest research into college entrance application strategies, making him the best guide.
"Firstly, my advice is that if you don't have a score above 652, don't even consider 985 universities!" the old homeroom teacher announced loudly, causing a wave of dejected faces among the students.
Last year, the old homeroom teacher's recommended cut-off for 985 universities was only 640. This year, it had increased by a full 12 points, leaving many students deeply disappointed.
After receiving their scores, they had all initially estimated their scores based on last year's 985 cut-off of 640, and a large portion of the class, around 40 students, were happy, believing they could get into a 985 university.
However, according to the old homeroom teacher, it was now 652. Although the difference was only 12 points, it blocked one-third of the students in the class. In the end, only about 13 students in the entire class met the 985 score line. It was understandable why these students were so disheartened.
"Don't you see how easy this year's exam papers were? The first-tier cut-off reached 582, a full 20 points higher than last year. What's wrong with the 985 cut-off increasing by another 12 points?"
"Originally, based on my estimates, only 10 students in our class could get into a 985 university. Now, there are 12, which is already lucky for you!" the old homeroom teacher said, half angrily, half smiling. "If you truly feel pain, it should have been before the college entrance exam. If you had worked harder and strived more then, you might not be in this situation today. This is all your own doing; you have no one else to blame!"
"Yes!" the students replied in a scattered manner. In the past, when facing the old homeroom teacher's reprimands, they would all put on a show of high spirits and determination. However, now that the college entrance exam scores were out, the old homeroom teacher's influence had diminished. While they still respected their homeroom teacher from the bottom of their hearts, they no longer harbored the same fear.
Next, the old homeroom teacher specifically called out the names of three students, stating they could list Tsinghua and Peking University as their first choice. Others who wanted to take a gamble could also list them, but the chances were slim. It was better to list some excellent other 985 universities.
After all, these 985 universities often filled their quotas with students from their first choice. Relying on the second or even third choice to get into a good 985 university was very difficult.
It was better to give up on Tsinghua and Peking University and list these other universities as the first choice, as the chances would be higher.
Afterward, the old homeroom teacher introduced the recommended score line for 211 universities, which was around 612 points and above. He didn't mention the rest, which clearly implied they were the most ordinary first-tier universities.
After explaining the general directions, it was time for individual guidance. The old homeroom teacher would walk over to each student to offer advice and have short discussions. This process would continue until the end of the meeting.
Fortunately, the homeroom teacher didn't give advice in the order of college entrance exam scores. Instead, he started from the first row of seats and moved backward, then returned, moving along the students sitting on both sides of the aisle to offer advice.
Fan Rui, being shorter, sat in the front row and was the third student to receive advice. The parents of the surrounding students almost simultaneously crowded around them, wanting to draw experience from others.
"I told you to study English more before the exam. If you had scored just a dozen more points, you wouldn't be in this situation. Look how well you did in Chinese and Math. If your English had been better, we could have at least gotten into a 211!" the old homeroom teacher said. Fan Rui could only smile awkwardly.
The old homeroom teacher realized that such remarks might be embarrassing. Seeing the parents around, he decided to hold back further comments and stated directly, "Your score is just at the cut-off line, so most universities are not recommended. I only suggest you apply to Huazhong... and these five universities. Based on past experience, your score should be very stable for some majors in these universities as your first choice!"
"Then which majors should we apply for?" Fan Rui's parents couldn't help but ask.
"Hmm, for XX University, the History and Philosophy majors are very stable! There's over a 90% chance of getting in!"
"Also, the Humanities College at Yuzhang University has a very high chance!"
"And here, XX University's Religious Studies major has the highest chance, but avoid the Buddhist College. Its popularity has mysteriously surged recently, so you might miss out!"
"And the Environmental Studies here also has a high chance," the professional guidance teacher said effortlessly.
"Are these majors good for employment after graduation? Do they pay well?" Fan Rui's mother couldn't help but ask.
"Well, you win some, you lose some. Getting in first and obtaining a first-tier diploma is the most important thing..." the homeroom teacher said earnestly.