Zhang Ming came out of the classroom of the Tsinghua Admissions Group Information Exchange Meeting at No. 10 Middle School and found a place to light a cigarette. As the leader of the Tsinghua Admissions Group, Zhang Ming led the group to Chengdu, Sichuan Province the day before yesterday. What followed was a series of publicity operations and finalization of the information release agreed with the relevant contracted media.
Tsinghua's actions this year are much more rapid, while Peking University's are a step slower, still stuck in the siphoning mentality of relying on its influence to swallow up top students from all over the country and half of Tsinghua's territory. Little do they know that Tsinghua has established dozens of admissions teams, stationed in major provinces and cities, using the power of the media to release admissions information in various places and actively promote it.
Although Peking University was behind, one thing was certain: for a province with a large population like Sichuan and a strategic location like No. 10 Middle School, the admissions department would not let it go no matter how slow Peking University was. Peking University arrived at No. 10 Middle School two days in advance and held a symposium with the principal of No. 10 Middle School and the expert group, inviting dozens of outstanding students.
Tsinghua University arrived two days later than Peking University, but Tsinghua's Sichuan Province Admissions Group had actually already secretly released the admissions information through the media. Therefore, it is not just No. 10 Middle School. The Tsinghua Chengdu Admissions Group office will also accept inquiries from top students from various high schools in Sichuan Province who rush to Chengdu.
This move, which cut off the source of the problem, quickly expanded the battlefield from No. 10 Middle School to a larger territory in Sichuan Province. Previously, the two schools only focused on a few top schools, but now Tsinghua University is casting a wide net to recruit the best students from all high schools. Even if only one or two fish are caught in one net, as long as Tsinghua University fishes diligently and provides policies and preferential conditions, it will be able to gain the greatest advantage in this enrollment war and catch Peking University off guard.
What gave Zhang Ming confidence was not just this, but the actual support from Tsinghua University for the admissions team. They were financially strong, unlike the Peking University next door. It was said that the admissions team of Peking University this time had limited funding and was located in a guesthouse not far away. The conditions were so shabby that when the bed sheet was pulled back, there was a thick layer of black ash.
Tsinghua University is quite different. The entire admissions team stayed at the Huaxi Angel Hotel, and the International Academic Exchange Center and conference hall were reserved to welcome inquiries from students from all over Sichuan Province. At the same time, as the head of the admissions team, Zhang Ming has a contact list and can directly call on resources from the School of Physics, the School of Law, the School of Fine Arts, the School of Pharmacy and other schools on campus at any time. He can also arrange for any professor or senior students from the same hometown to persuade and communicate with students at any time.
At the pre-enrollment conference, the enrollment team will receive training, introduce the enrollment situation and problems of previous years and their solutions, share their feelings and skills about enrollment, accept enrollment promotion materials, emphasize enrollment discipline, etc. At the same time, they also need to review the relevant student information sent by the principals of some middle schools in Sichuan Province. At Rongcheng No. 10 Middle School, Zhang Ming was asked by a department head of the School of Information to pay attention to a student named Cheng Ran, who is the son of the CEO of Fulong, a well-known telecommunications company in Sichuan Province. It would be best if he could brainwash him and recruit him to Tsinghua University to prevent Peking University from getting there first.
Zhang Ming has seen that Cheng Ran's grades are generally good. In the most recent test of No. 10 Middle School, he ranked fifth in the school. Otherwise, if the hard indicator of grades is not up to standard, everything else will be in vain.
In fact, Zhang Ming had a deep talk with the other party. It stands to reason that in such occasions, when facing students from No. 10 Middle School who are eligible to go to Tsinghua University, most of them should be treated equally. Even if there are some that he likes very much, he cannot show it too obviously. After all, although Tsinghua University took the initiative and actively promoted it this year, it still has to maintain the dignity of the highest institution of learning, right? In fact, every year's enrollment is a process of fighting wits and courage with outstanding students and parents, and bargaining at the negotiating table.
The admissions team has a "big move", preferential treatment and additional conditions. They can tailor the treatment to suit the individual, mediate with the relevant candidates, and engage in psychological warfare. However, the most important point is whether the students on the other side are qualified to sit at the negotiating table
What is qualification? “Points, points, points” is qualification.
Only the best students can sit on the other side of the negotiation table, and the school is indeed at a disadvantage in this process. But how many students with such conditions can be found in a province? Most of the others still have to look at the face of the admissions team and ask for a promise.
As the head of the Sichuan Province Admissions Group, Zhang Ming naturally went out in person since he had been notified by the school professors. However, during the conversation with Cheng Ran, he found that the other party did not have the hesitation, nervousness, timidity, or even the greed for better conditions that he, a seasoned head of the admissions group, often saw in students.
It's quite interesting. He is indeed gifted. He doesn't look like a student but more like an adult. He is battle-hardened and doesn't reveal his cards until the very end. He doesn't show off his abilities or reveal his intentions.
Considering his father's identity, as the second largest private enterprise in Sichuan Province and a strong force in the telecommunications industry, perhaps next year it will surpass Hope Group and become unique in Sichuan Province. With such a family background, he may not be judged as an ordinary student.
But so what? Zhang Ming felt that he had offered sufficiently generous conditions, some of which were even against convention. For Cheng Ran, a student who had never participated in any competition, had never been selected for provincial excellence, and had never received any award, Tsinghua University offered a maximum of 50 extra points and the privilege of freely choosing a major. However, Cheng Ran still did not respond to sign the contract on the spot.
Zhang Ming and several teachers and seniors from the admissions team suspected that Peking University had already won the bid, so they tentatively asked him about the direction and route he wanted to take in the future. If Peking University had any promises, why not tell us so we can give you some reference. It is wise to listen to both sides. The senior from the School of Economics and Management even blinked and said to Cheng Ran, "Peking University students are all liberal arts students and are very talkative, so don't be fooled."
But Cheng Ran still smiled and said that he hadn't thought about it yet and needed more time to think about it.
Zhang Ming and the admissions team felt a little regretful. It's not that Zhang Ming dislikes the school's resource allocation. He has also heard some clues, including some rumors in the academic community about what Fulong Company encountered in the United States. Now it is difficult for universities to conduct independent research and development. Fulong Company has established an eight-school research and development system, including Tsinghua University. So some professors would say hello and want to let such a person in. Maybe they also want to include the son of Fulong's CEO in their own academic team. They have both public and private intentions.
These involve a lot of things, and it is difficult to explain them clearly. There are many clashes and overt struggles among academic schools, but they are benign. Just like the saying "teaching and educating people will have many students all over the world", and some students who can bring special fragrance and honor to their mentors are naturally sought after.
Zhang Ming is just the first line of guide. He actually only needs to take the first step well and return without getting into trouble.
If we exclude these background factors, Zhang Ming is actually more optimistic about the student named Zhu Xu.
Originally, their Sichuan Province admissions team had been tracking him since his sophomore year. They had originally targeted a girl named Jiang, but she was snatched away by University College London in the second half of her senior year. So they targeted Zhu Xu, the top student in the grade from No. 10 Middle School who had recently been tested. Looking at his historical scores, he was either first or second, which was quite stable. There was a high possibility that he was the student most likely to win the title of Sichuan Province's top science student this year. This was the person that Tsinghua University's admissions team was most determined to get, but the key was that he was eligible for recommendation, but he refused.
The admissions team was trying to find out more about the major he wanted to study and his future development plans. This was actually quite normal. The admissions team thought that he refused the recommendation because he wanted to choose his major freely, which also hinted that he could be adjusted.
Zhu Xu suddenly asked the admissions team, "I want to ask, is Cheng Ran sure about applying to Tsinghua University? Has he told you what major he wants to study?"
The pen Zhang Ming was using to take notes paused.
Classmates... what are you doing
…
The leader of Peking University's admissions team was called Xia Fangweng. Similarly, when he finished the preliminary consulting work for No. 10 Middle School and was about to leave, Xia Fangweng learned that Tsinghua's admissions team had launched a sales promotion campaign facing provincial key middle schools in various places. This inevitably made the Peking University Chengdu Admissions Team, which had only worked with No. 10 Middle School, feel quite pressured. Xia Fangweng realized that Tsinghua's intentions in this year's admissions work were not good, and Peking University might very well suffer a Waterloo.
But now, as the leader of the expert group symposium of Chengdu No. 10 Middle School, she has to consider not these strategic issues, but the immediate gains. As of yesterday, 13 students from No. 10 Middle School have signed contracts with them, promising that Peking University is their only choice, and they will also receive different degrees of bonus points. But some students are still wavering, including the student named Cheng Ran. Xia Fangweng even offered a place at Peking University Guanghua School of Management, and the student could choose any one-on-one academic mentor, but the student did not express his opinion.
So Xia Fangweng called his parents directly, and the situation surprised her even more. She had originally wanted to invite him to a meeting, but it turned out that his parents were both businessmen and were very busy and not at home. On the one hand, they apologized to her, but on the other hand, they also said that her son was very opinionated and they would follow his wishes in everything.
This is simply…
Xia Fangweng felt that this was the first time she had encountered such parents. The expert group of No. 10 Middle School only had three days in Chengdu, with limited funding, poor conditions and very tight time. In the past, when any family heard that Peking University had come knocking on their door, no matter what the parents did, they would immediately put down their work and meet with the admissions team to discuss the student's future. But this time, both parents were busy. If it weren't for the consideration of pushing the other party to its competitor Tsinghua University, Xia Fangweng would have said to the person on the phone rudely, "Is your Fulun Company so great?"
And they also listen to the child's wishes... Isn't it because they can't handle your child that they hope to break through the parents and tie the other party over
But the Peking University admissions team still finished their tiring journey. Before boarding the plane at Shuangliu Airport, Xia Fangweng remembered to call the other party's parents. The person he called was Cheng Ran's mother, Xu Lan. She thought that his father was the general manager of Fulong and she represented Peking University. Both sides were strong, so the content of the conversation was inevitably hard-line, and it would be bad if it got awkward. As a mother, she should be more easily persuaded at this time, but when she called, a female voice said that General Manager Xu was in a meeting and would get back to you later.
After Xia Fangweng hung up the phone and boarded the plane, he thought that the next time they met might be during the decisive battle of estimating scores and filling out applications after the college entrance examination.