VietNamNet Bridge – General school students prove to be the busiest students, because they have to prepare intensively for the university entrance exams. Meanwhile, university students prove to be the most leisured, because they know definitely that they will graduate their schools.

All year round for playing, one week for learning

University students go to class every day, but not to study and practice their knowledge. There are many reasons for them to attend the lectures. They need to be present at roll-call, so as to be eligible for attending semester exams. They go to class simply because they can meet friends there for chatting. Some students say they go to class because they have… nothing to do at home.

The university lecturer halls nowadays look far different from that in the past. The students of the previous generations listened to the lecturers with concentrations, while the students nowadays have many interesting things to play with rather than concentrating on their learning.

Some students sit nodding with their textbooks. Others keep themselves busy with making messages. The remaining students crack dried melon seeds. Some laptops are “on” to serve their owners to access to Facebook or play online games.

Hong Ngoc, a student of a university in Hanoi, said that she once felt worried about the university study because she thought she would have to learn harder. However, she has realized that university students are less busy than general school students.

“General school students have to learn hard to prepare for the university entrance exams. University students don’t have to attend any more exams,” she explained.

“We only have to review the lessons before the exams, while we spend the other time on private business,” she said. “What we need is to pass the semester exams to be moved up and obtain the university degree which allows us to find jobs,” she added.

“We play all year round, and we only have to learn hard for one week just before the exams,” Nga, a friend of Ngoc, said. “I believe that all university students act like us. No one would be foolish enough to keep him busy all day.”

Nga went on to say that she has to spend time on extra works to earn money. Her parents, who are farmers, cannot afford her tuitions and the expensive life in Hanoi.

One notebook for four years

Notebooks seem to have no significance for university students nowadays. Minh, a student of the Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanity, said no need to take note nowadays, because materials can be easily found on Internet. Therefore, Minh just brings iPad with her to school, and nothing more.

Meanwhile, Tuan, another student, said he does not think he has to take notes during the lecture, because the “lecturers just say exactly the same things in the textbooks.”

However, Tuan admitted that the print textbooks were published many years ago; therefore, students have to be satisfied with the backward knowledge.

Quoc Trung, a fourth year student of the Hanoi University of Technology, who is going to finish school this summer, said he has only one notebook for the last four years of studying.

Trung also showed tens of the textbooks he bought in the last four years, which all looked like brand new, because Trung nearly did not open them during his study period.

Le Anh Viet