Background Information
Many students in China and the United States have plans to attend graduate school and obtain a post-secondary degree, thereby making themselves more competitive in the job market. However, graduate degrees in China (and even degrees from overseas universities) are not the competitive asset they once were. This can be a bit of a shock for students returning home to China from years spent in the United States. Likewise, many American students studying abroad in China report having reverse culture shock, which can sometimes be more intense than culture shock itself. Of course, everyone’s experience with culture shock and reverse culture shock is different, and many have written articles detailing the difficulties they encountered back in the States.
Blog: Reverse culture shock after China study abroad (The Pitt News)
Chinese grads return home with degrees and disillusionment (World Economic Forum)
学期计划 Semester Plans
Suggested Level
Context Information: Bobby is an American student, and 雨晗 (Yǔhán) is a domestic Chinese student. They are discussing Bobby’s plans to enter graduate school after returning to the United States.
雨晗: 你的，你的假期那个你的这个学期结束之后在下个学期开始之前中间那段时间你会去哪儿？
Bobby: 是因为，好的1，我们，从这毕业以后。
雨晗: Mhmm。
Bobby: 我会留在北京。明年一月我会做一个ERC的项目。
雨晗: 哦，我知道ERC2。
Bobby: 对，还有我会教英文，但是一月以后我会回美国去，所以这是我最后的学期
雨晗: 哦。
Bobby: 我是一个四年级的学生。
雨晗: 你你你二月份之后会回美国，是吗？
Bobby: 对，二二，明明年二月一号。
雨晗: 二月一号。
Bobby: 我会回美国去，所以这是我最后的星期，学期。
雨晗: 但是你在美国还要继续上大学吗？
Bobby: 对一个星期。
雨晗: 一个星期吗？
Bobby: 一一个学期——
雨晗: 一个学期到六月份？
Bobby: Mhmm。
雨晗: 到六月份结束。
Bobby: 对。
雨晗: 你就毕业。
Bobby: 对，我会五月毕业。
雨晗: 五月你毕业之后会做什么？
Bobby: 我现在不知道。
雨晗: 哦。
Bobby: 是因为毕业以后我不得不做一个军军事的training。
雨晗: 嗯。
Bobby: 所以以后我觉得我可能上，博，不是博士——
雨晗: 硕士，研究生？
Bobby: 一，对研，研究生3。
雨晗: 研究生你会——
Bobby: 继续学西班牙语和中文。
雨晗: 哇。
Bobby: 对，还有商业，business?
雨晗: 嗯，商业。
Bobby: 对，国际商业。
雨晗: 国际商业。
Bobby: 对，这个是，对的吗？
雨晗: 对的，对的，对的
Bobby: 国际商业。
雨晗: 哇，那我觉得很有意思。
Bobby: 对。
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1. Here, 好的 (hǎode) ‘okay’ is being used as a filler word.
2. ERC is the name of the academic program Bobby is interested in.
3. 研究生 (yánjiūshēng) refers to ‘graduate students’, whereas 博士生 (bóshìshēng) refers specifically to ‘Ph.D. students’. 硕士生 (shuòshìshēng) also refers to ‘graduate students’.
Vocabulary
- 假期 (jiàqī) Vacation
- 结束 (jiéshù) To complete; to end
- 毕业 (bǐyè) To graduate
- 留 (liú) To stay
- 项目 (xiàngmù) Program
- 不得不 (bùdébù) To have no choice but to
- 军事 (jūnshì) Military
- 博士 (bóshì) Doctor (as in a Ph.D.)
- 硕士 (shuòshì) Master’s
- 研究生 (yánjiūshēng) Graduate student
- 商业 (shāngyè) Business
- 国际 (guójì) International
- 国际商业 (guójì shāngyè) International business