Schools cut slacking seniors some slack

"Senioritis" outbreaks occur in most high schools in the US every year, a disease which remains incurable to this day. Symptoms include procrastination, skipping class and a general "screw school" attitude until graduation.

In China, a new strain of the disease has popped up in China in recent years, and although the symptoms are similar, the cause of the disease is an admirable one – job hunting, which many educators feel the best cure is to cut seniors some slack for slacking off so they can concentrate on their future careers.

However, this has an adverse effect on current graduates by doubling the already cutthroat competition of the job market.

"Seniors looking for work has actually worsened the job environment for graduates," said Yang Dongping, a professor at the Beijing Institute of Technology as quoted by China Youth Daily last week.

Should schools turn a blind eye to senior slacking?

Kou Siyuan

A journalism senior at Wuhan University

Seniors have the double burden of studying and job-hunting. If the two overlap, they have to skip class or skimp on their thesis. Jobs are not assigned by the government any more, leaving seniors to hunt for themselves, so they really have no choice, which is both good and bad.
On one hand, students gain rich experiences in the real world while looking for work, which will better help them adapt to society. On the other hand, this leaves them overworked and stressed out, something that will surely have an effect on their health.

Wu Yiying

A professor at the Institute of Education, Xiamen University

Universities stress both quality of education and employment, so seniors can't really be blamed.
Schools should make adjustments in schedules if there are conflicts between work and class time. But students are often left with this dilemma and have to make the decision themselves. After all, only they are responsible for their future.

Brian Timm-Brock

An American first-year grad student of law at Renmin University of China
In the US, seniors have less academic pressure than Chinese do. They have more time after class to interview, some universities having no senior thesis requirements. I also feel the US is more understanding of their situation than China, which hopes for seniors to start work as early as possible. If American college students are having trouble in deciding what to do careerwise, many will work as volunteers or travel for one or two years after graduation, which families usually support and encourage.

Lai Jinyi

A second-year English grad student at China Foreign Affairs University
Most employers require college students to have work experience, which forces seniors to neglect their studies. However, studying is a student's job, and if seniors are busy with internships and job-hunting, this influences the whole academic atmosphere on campus.
These seniors are not only wasting an opportunity to use campus resources, but also missing out on time with their classmates and teachers that they'll cherish for a lifetime.

Therefore, not only do both seniors and schools lose out, but so does all of society.

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