Following the completion of the National College Entrance Exam, or Gaokao in Chinese, students and their parents find themselves facing an even bigger dilemma--the application process.

The two-day National College Entrance Exam is finally over.

The two-day National College Entrance Exam is finally over. But very few students are feeling truly relaxed. Most students and their parents are trying to solve the difficulties that surround the application process. In theory the process should be a two-way choice between universities and students. However, the application inevitably involves Chinese parents, who traditionally put too much pressure and expectation on their offsprings.

A student of Yuyuantan High School in Beijing, said, "I personally prefer accounting or statistics. I want to choose a major like that. But my parents want me to learn something more technical, something you can make a living from."

More and more people have come to realize that 'hot majors' and 'not-so-hot majors' are subjective. One major can be extremely hot one year, resulting in more students choosing it the next year. However, they may find it hard to get a job after they graduate since there are a flood of graduates with the same degree. Recently, the traditionally hot majors like management and computer science have begun to cool down, as long-neglected majors like geology and forestry regain popularity.

Zhao Rong, Admissions officer of China UNI. of Mining and Tech, said, "As long as the student is accepted by a good university, he or she can switch to another major or get a second degree. But there is only one chance to get into a famous university."

This reflects one of the drawbacks of the Gaokao. Now there are two application methods in China, depending on which province the examinee is from. One way is to apply with a rough estimation before the final score is released. The second method is to wait until the student receives his or her actual score. The first one can be frustrating and risky. Beijing is currently using this method. If students are not accepted by their first choice, they will fall into the second tier universities. That's why a lot of students choose universities over majors.

He Guanhong, a teacher of Yuyuantan High School, said, "I think in the application process, parents should only offer suggestions. They should leave the final decision-making to the students, and let them be responsible for their own future."

Besides which major or which university to choose, students and parents face another dilemma: the location of the university. Students from big cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou usually opt for an average local university instead of going to a better university in another city.