Training the Heavens

Chapter 301 Enrollment
Just as the Royal Swedish Academy was screening the fifteen final candidates, Zhang Xingjiu also welcomed another major event: the start of the school year at Aurora University had arrived.

On September 1901, 9, two days ago, the Qing government had just ordered the suspension of the military imperial examination. 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 is not suitable for going to school. In September, the high temperature has begun to drop, 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.

Students present their admission letters and other documents, and the staff verify their identities, distribute registration instructions, and explain the registration process to them. Then the students take the instructions and go inside to register.

At the same time, some staff members found conspicuous places at train stations, docks, etc., and hung banners at the Aurora College freshman reception point to welcome students from other places.

This was also the plan formulated by Zhang Xingjiu, which was modified based on his experience of attending university in later generations and combined with the current era background.

Anyone who can be admitted to Aurora University, whether they are undergraduates or preparatory students, must have a good brain. They quickly adapted to this method and knew what they should do when they had the reporting instructions.

I went to pay tuition, have a physical examination, collect my school uniform, and bring my luggage to the dormitory step by step.

It doesn't matter if your family is poor and can't 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 tuition fees, they can pay them back slowly after they graduate and can earn money. The interest rate is definitely much lower than ordinary loans. As long as they can graduate smoothly, 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 trained there are all useful talents, so it is easy to find a good job.

In fact, according to Ma Xiangbo and others, it would be best not to charge tuition. However, Zhang Xingjiu quickly stopped them. First of all, those who can be admitted to Aurora University must have good family conditions, otherwise they would not be able to learn these knowledge.

Even if there are some special cases, 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 it were as expensive as American medical schools in later generations, who would be able to afford it? It would be enough to set the price similar to other colleges, and most students would 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 some tuition can at least 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 to avoid differences in status and family background, and to cultivate a sense of collectivism. The style of the school uniform is modeled after Western schools, with a top and pants structure, which is convenient for students to exercise and do experiments. 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 public bathhouse. Similar to later dormitories, it only charges a small fee to help ease the burden on students. Since the number of students is still small, only some dormitories are open. Each room has four people, four beds, and two desks. Some students are accustomed to this because they used to live in similar conditions in the academy when they went to study abroad.

Some people from better-off families were not able to adapt. They wanted to rent a better house outside and have servants to serve them. However, these requests were rejected by Ma Xiangbo without hesitation.

"When I issued you your admission letter, I clearly stated that once you enter Aurora College, you must abide by the college's rules. Our rule is to live in a group. This will not only facilitate academic exchange and mutual progress, but also prevent you from being dazzled by the prosperity of Shanghai. If you can't accept this, then you can only go back to where you came from!"

These students had worked so hard to get in, so how could they bear to go home like this? They could only agree with a bitter face, honestly return to the dormitory, and start learning how to make the bed, sweep the floor, and clean the dormitory.

The registration of new students lasted for three full 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 equipment, and hire more teachers, so that it could teach more than 300 students.

Those students who have not arrived yet may have been delayed due to something on the way, or there may have been some problems at home. The school has now compiled a list of students who have not yet reported 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 could pass the exam now were all talented, and Ma Xiangbo and Zhang Xingjiu were reluctant to give up on any of them.

On the first day of school, Ma Xiangbo called all the teachers and students together to hold a meeting in the stadium, calling on them to study hard, work hard, and work hard for the rise of China. These young people were very excited to hear this.

Then, each class teacher brought the 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 began to elect class leaders. Ma Xiangbo encouraged student self-governance. 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 rather than guys who only know how to obey orders.

In this way, the teachers and students of Aurora University gradually adapted to their new identities. Early every morning, the students came out of the dormitories, gathered at the stadium, lined up according to their classes, and started morning exercises.

After exercise, I go to the cafeteria to have breakfast, and then start the day's study according to the 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 and basic chemistry.

In this way, time passed unknowingly and it was October. On this day, Aurora University welcomed a special guest.

(End of this chapter)