Education: Variety is the spice of academic life

No regrets

That was certainly the case for Hua Lei from the northern municipality of Tianjin. She remembers that almost everyone she knew expressed reservations about her plans to study for a master's in journalism in the UK.

"Most people said that studying journalism would put me in an awkward situation after graduation because it would be hard to find a job," recalled the 29-year-old, who refused to change her mind and began studying for her master's at the University of East Anglia in 2012.

A year later, having gained her degree, Hua made repeated efforts to find work, lining up time and again at returnee recruitment fairs in Beijing. However, media work was hard to find, and she began to feel that the warnings given to her by family and friends may have been justified.

"Despite that, I've never regretted my choice of major," she said. "I'm just interested in journalism and was happy to study it as a major without thinking too much about what it could bring me."

Meanwhile, some students are still attempting to find a balance between job prospects and intellectual interest. For Penn State's Sun, both of her majors are of equal importance. "I've been interested in journalism for a long time, and I thought it would be a pity if I didn't study it, so I decided to undertake a double major," she said.

Although she has to work harder and spend more time on her studies than single-major students, Sun is satisfied because she has performed well in both disciplines.

"I'm proud of my choice and I believe it will make me more competitive in the future," she said.

Contact the authors at zhaoxinying@chinadaily.com.cn and zhangyue@chinadaily.com.cn