Senior high school students in Guizhou have returned to school to prepare for July’s gaokao. XINHUA
For over 40 years, gaokao has been a touchstone for students to get admitted to certain programs in Chinese universities. But gaokao doesn’t just affect individual students. As China.org put it, it can also “have a significant impact on national development”.
40多年来，高考向来都是学生进入国内高校深造的试金石。但高考影响的绝不仅是学生个人。正如中国网所报道的那样，高考对于“国家发展也有着深远的影响”。
In a move to fix talent shortages in the high-end chip, software design, intelligent technology, new materials and advanced manufacturing, and social sciences, the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced a new college enrollment plan – called the “strengthening basic disciplines plan” – that will start this year.
为解决高端芯片、软件设计、智能科技、新材料、先进制造和社会科学等关键领域的人才紧缺问题，教育部此前宣布了一项全新的高校招生计划 —— “强基计划”，并于今年起实施。
The pilot plan has been rolled out in the country’s top 36 universities. By May 13, all schools had released their distinctive enrollment plans, encouraging senior high students with special talents to sign up.
这一试点计划将面向36所一流高校开展。截至5月13日，所有试点高校的招生简章已陆续向社会发布，鼓励有特殊天赋的高中生报名参加。
Before the end of May, students can apply to one of the 36 participating universities. Each applicant can choose one to four majors listed as their top preferred disciplines, reported Xinhua. Enrollment policies vary by university, with admission limits set from dozens of students to 200.
据新华社报道，五月底之前，考生可报考36所试点高校的其中一所，每位考生可以填报1-4个专业志愿。各高校都有不同的招生政策，招录人数从几十到两百人不等。
These universities also detailed their recruitment procedure.
这些高校也详细介绍了各自的招生流程。
After the results of gaokao are released, schools will release lists of qualifying students, who either excel in gaokao, or have won first or second prizes in Olympiads with gaokao scores at least higher than the first round of register lines. These applicants will then receive additional tests and interviews. The final enrollment decision is heavily based on the gaokao score, which will remain the most important criterion, accounting for more than 85 percent of the final result, says MOE.
高考成绩公布后，各高校将会发布入围学生名单：第一类是高考成绩优异的学生，第二类是奥林匹克学科竞赛金牌和银牌的获得者，且高考分数至少超过一本录取线。这些考生将会参加额外的笔试与面试。教育部表示，最终录取结果主要基于高考成绩，高考成绩所占比例原则上不得低于85%。
The universities have announced that they will also consider physical tests as a reference for submission, according to China Youth Daily.
据《中国青年报》报道，各高校还考虑将体育测试成绩作为考生录取的参考依据。
Once the students are enrolled, they are expecting an intensive educational program. For example, Tsinghua University has set up five schools, offering courses in chemical biology, information and computing science, theory and applied mechanics as their dominant disciplines. The university’s goal is to “put admitted students in small, independent classes with the best and [most] specific teaching resources and learning environments [for their discipline]”, according to Yu Xiaoxiao, the director of admission at Tsinghua University.
录取后，学生们将参加高强度的培养计划。比如，清华大学新设立了五个书院，提供化学生物学、信息与计算科学、理论与应用力学等优势学科的课程。清华大学招生办主任余潇潇表示，学校的目标是将“强基计划学生单独编成小班，配备高水平的一流师资，提供（针对具体学科）一流的学习条件。“
Compared to the previous independent university enrollment scheme, under which some students could either gain admission without taking gaokao or be awarded bonus points in the exam, “the new plan positively facilitates diverse, efficient and scientific progress in Chinese college admissions”, noted China.org.
此前根据高校自主招生计划，一些学生无需经过高考即可被录取，或者能在高考中获得加分，而中国网指出，“如今的新计划积极推动我国高校招生取得多元、高效、科学的进步”。
“The next step is to establish an effective quality-monitoring and feedback mechanism to continuously improve enrollment and training,” Zhong Binglin, member of the National Education Advisory Committee told People’s Daily.
“下一步，要建立有效的质量监测与反馈机制，持续改进招生与培养工作。” 国家教育咨询委员会委员钟秉林在接受《人民日报》采访时如此表示。
