[Campus] It's the college entrance exam season again

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it's almost time for the college entrance examination again. Every year around this season, my heart tends to get excited easily. Perhaps it's because every year there are children around me taking the exam, or perhaps it's because that period of our youth left the deepest memories.\ Looking back now at the years before the college entrance exam, although more than ten years have passed, they are still as vivid as vermilion sand imprinted in my heart. If I had to describe the years of preparing for the college entrance exam in one word, I think it would be “endurance.” Because that period was truly tough, with endless test papers to finish, countless tutoring books to read, and even more frustrating, the limitless pressure. When parents and teachers tirelessly offered their earnest guidance, the mental pressure we felt was like a depiction of modern Chinese history.\ I remember that one month before the exam, our head teacher actually held four motivational meetings for the college entrance exam. Standing at the podium, he spoke passionately and energetically, like Obama campaigning for the U.S. presidency, vividly describing the beauty of university campus life. Yet, we felt drowsy as if we had spent the whole night in an internet café, and some classmates even snored while talking in their sleep. In fact, many of his words at that time subtly touched our hearts, making us, like Buddhists, believe that “sunshine always comes after the storm.” Only when we got to university did we truly understand that high school life was indeed a prison, whereas university life was an ivory tower, at least allowing more freedom to spend money than in high school.\ Perhaps every stage of life has its own troubles. Back then, our parents tried hard to ensure we had as much energy as possible devoted to preparing for the exam. They would spare no effort to buy anything beneficial for our bodies, whether it was brain supplements, amino acids, or nutritious recipes. Some even went to temples to pray for us, just hoping that we could perform exceptionally in the exam…\ If we put aside the pressure of the exam, that period of life was actually quite fulfilling. The moment I handed in the last science test paper to the invigilator, I suddenly felt that the mountain I had been carrying on my back had vanished, and I had an urge to shout to the sky in praise of freedom. The exam was over, finally over. We were liberated, finally liberated. As for the scores, they no longer mattered, because we couldn't control the marks on the papers anyway.Even before stepping into the examination room, I began wondering how to squander the abundant freedom I now had. Should I stay at home and watch the long-missed television, or go backpacking with classmates; should I listen to music on my portable player, or go to karaoke with my friends? Suddenly having so many choices left me momentarily unsure of what to decide. In the end, I just invited a few friends to have a graduation meal together, discussed our future lives, and then went to sing at a KTV in a pleasantly tipsy state.

During the following days of filling out college applications and waiting for the scores to be announced, there was still some nervousness and uncertainty. Especially when filling out the applications, after three years of hard study, we feared that a wrong choice could lead to lifelong regret. At that time, our application process was not as structured as it is now; we filled out the applications based on estimated scores. We flipped through the thick "College Entrance Examination Application Guide" back and forth, drafting plans only to reject them, and then rearranging the order of our preferences. Particularly for those whose estimated scores were around the threshold for undergraduate admission, great care was taken, as if they were facing not a sheet of paper but a major life decision like marriage and children, fearing that even if their scores could get them into a good school, a wrong choice of applications could cost them the opportunity. Looking back as someone who has been through it, I believe that while scores are important, the most crucial thing is to have an accurate understanding of oneself and a general direction for one's life. One should not just choose a relatively obscure major they do not like simply to get into a good university. Otherwise, employment after graduation will become a new problem.

Upon reflection, the college entrance examination is not just a stepping stone to university; it truly lets us experience what effort and dedication mean! More importantly, it ensures that our youth is not wasted in regret, and allows us the fortune of meeting classmates who share the same goals, leaving deep friendships in the most memorable years of our lives.

Now, it is the time of the college entrance examination again. As students work diligently and nervously toward it, I fervently wish for favorable weather, hoping that the summer heat might be softened with a couple of cool days for them.