Chapter 301: Enrollment
Just as the Royal Swedish Academy was selecting the fifteen final candidates, Zhang Xingjiu also welcomed another major event: the opening of the Aurora College.
On September 1, 1901, two days ago, the Qing government had just ordered the suspension of the military imperial examinations. Now a new university has officially opened. Comparing the two, one can seem to feel the changes in history.
The school starts in September, mainly because of the weather. July and August are the hottest months, which are not suitable for school. The temperature has begun to drop in September, so it is just the right time to start studying.
Ma Xiangbo, Zhang Xingjiu and other founders arrived at the gate of the newly completed school early in the morning to welcome the arrival of many students. Behind them was a row of tables and chairs. Every time a student came, someone would come forward to ask questions and then take them to the corresponding table according to their department to report.
The students present their admission letters and other documents, the staff verify their identities, distribute registration instructions, and explain the registration process to them. The students then take the instructions and go inside to register.
At the same time, some staff members found conspicuous places at train stations, docks, etc., and pulled up banners at the Aurora College freshman reception point to welcome students from other places.
This was also the plan developed by Zhang Xingjiu, which was modified based on his experience of attending college in later generations and combined with the current era background.
Anyone who can be admitted to Aurora University, whether undergraduate or preparatory student, must have a good brain. They quickly adapted to this method and knew what they should do when they held the reporting instructions.
I went to pay tuition, have a physical examination, pick up my school uniform, and carry my luggage to the dormitory step by step.
It doesn't matter if their family is poor and cannot afford the tuition. The school will still allow them to enroll, provide them with school uniforms, textbooks and other necessities, and provide them with work-study opportunities in the future to meet their daily needs.
As for the tuition fees, they can pay them back slowly after graduation and earn money. The interest rate is definitely much lower than ordinary loans. As long as they can graduate successfully, there will be no problem of not being able to pay it back. New schools will be popular for a long time to come. Even if they can't do anything else, they will definitely have no problem becoming teachers in other new-style schools.
Moreover, with the teaching quality of Aurora University, the students it cultivates are all useful talents, so it is easy to find a good job.
In fact, according to the original idea of Ma Xiangbo and others, it would be best not to charge tuition. However, Zhang Xingjiu quickly stopped them. Firstly, those who could be admitted to Aurora College must have good family conditions, otherwise they would not be able to learn these knowledge.
Even if there are some special circumstances, I don't think they will be too many, and we can just provide them with help when the time comes.
Secondly, running a school is a very expensive thing, and tuition fees are more or less a supplement. For the long-term development of the school, tuition fees should still be collected, as long as they are not too expensive.
If the price is set to be similar to that of other colleges, most students will be able to afford it.
Moreover, if no tuition is charged, some students may feel that the opportunity cost is too low and will not study seriously. Charging tuition can more or less let them know that studying is not easy and can encourage them to study more attentively.
Students must wear school uniforms in school. This is done not only to avoid differences in status and family background, but also to cultivate a sense of collectivism. The style of the school uniform is modeled after that of Western schools, with a top and trousers structure, which is convenient for students to exercise and do experiments in their daily lives. If it were a long robe style, it would not be so convenient.
The dormitory is a four-story building with toilets concentrated near the stairs and a large collective bathhouse. It is similar to the dormitories in later generations and only charges a small accommodation fee to help students reduce their burden.
There are not many students now, so only some dormitories are open. Each dormitories accommodates four people and has four beds and two desks. Some students are accustomed to this because they had lived in similar conditions in the college when they went out to study before.
Some families with better financial conditions were not able to adapt. They wanted to rent a better house outside and have servants to serve them. These requests were rejected by Ma Xiangbo without any hesitation.
"It was clearly stated when I issued you the admission letter that once you enter Aurora College, you must abide by the college's rules. Our rule is to live together. This will not only make it easier for you to learn from each other and improve each other, but also prevent you from being dazzled by the prosperity of Shanghai. If you can't accept it, then you can only go back to where you came from!"
These students had worked so hard to get admitted, so how could they bear to go home like this? They could only agree with a bitter face, go back to the dormitory honestly, and start learning how to make the bed, sweep the floor, and clean the dormitory.
The reporting of new students lasted for three whole days. By then, more than 90% of the more than 200 undergraduates and more than 100 preparatory students had arrived, and the total number of students exceeded 300, which was much more than the more than 100 new students in the original history of Aurora College.
This was mainly due to the funds provided by Zhang Xingjiu, which enabled Aurora College to purchase more land, build more houses, buy more teaching aids, and hire more teachers, so that it could teach more than 300 students.
Those students who have not arrived yet may have encountered something delayed on the way, or something may have happened at home. The school has now compiled a list of students who have not reported yet and is preparing to write to them one by one to inquire.
Even if they reported a few days later, the school would still accept them. Those who can pass the exam now are all talented, and Ma Xiangbo and Zhang Xingjiu are reluctant to give up any of them.
On the first day of school, Ma Xiangbo called all teachers and students together for a meeting in the stadium, calling on them to study hard, work hard, and strive for the rise of China. These young people were very excited to hear this.
Then, each class teacher brought their students back to the classroom to continue the small meeting. Zhang Xingjiu, as the head teacher of the physics class, told them the importance of physics. Only then did most students have a basic understanding of physics.
Then they started to elect class leaders. Ma Xiangbo encouraged students to govern themselves. In the future, many things would be managed by the students themselves. If they were dissatisfied with certain school systems, they could also send representatives to discuss with the school.
Ma Xiangbo and Zhang Xingjiu both hope that they can become independent talents instead of guys who only know how to obey orders.
In this way, the teachers and students of Aurora College gradually adapted to their new identities. Early in the morning every day, the students came out of the dormitories, gathered at the stadium, lined up according to their classes, and began morning exercises.
After exercise, I go to the cafeteria to have breakfast, and then start the day's study according to the class schedule, either going to the large classroom to take general courses such as foreign languages, mathematics, history, etc., or going to the small classroom to take professional courses such as basic physics, basic chemistry, etc.
In this way, time passed unknowingly and it was October. On this day, Aurora College welcomed a special guest.
(End of this chapter)
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