Graduation Season and Apartment Renting

　　July, graduation season, is upon us. It is said that this year is the hardest yet for job hunting for newly graduated students. Graduates are facing great pressure in terms of not only the employment market but also looking for apartments to rent. Li Dong has the details.

 

　　Yan Han, a masters student majoring in English translation made a quick decision to rent a duplex apartment. She says that as long as there is a suitable apartment, she will seize the opportunity immediately.

 

　　"I rented the apartment with one of my classmates. We split the rent. We hope to find a place with a montly rent of 2,000 yuan each. We are lucky. The apartment we are renting is not downtown but the room is big. Considering the decoration and the basic home appliances, we accepted the rate of 2,100 yuan a month each."

 

　　Sharing an apartment is usually the most viable¹ option for most students who have just graduated from the university, given their limited income.

 

　　Not all newly graduated students can easily find an apartment with ideal rent and location, not to mention a compatible roommate. Another new graduate in Hangzhou city says she needs to be more realistic, considering her financial status.

 

　　"The reason why I chose this apartment is because I can pay the rent month by month. Many landlords require the rent must be paid 3 months, half a year or even a year in advance. I really I can't afford it."

 

　　According to the Ministry² of Education, a record 6.99 million students graduated from colleges across China this year, an increase of 2.8 percent from 2012.

 

　　Yan Han says she feels enormous pressure this year from all aspects of her life.

 

　　"I felt great pressure, especially in the first half of June. I need to consider many things, graduation, looking for jobs, apartments, many decisions to make. There are so many uncertainties³. This is the most difficult year in my life. But I made it."

 

　　Zhou Baojun, manager of a real estate intermediate company in Hangzhou says the graduation season boosted the apartment renting market.

 

　　"The transaction volume in our company rose by 100 percent compared to previous months. It's hard to even find an apartment downtown. Many students are shifting their focus to comparatively isolated⁴ places but with convenient transportation like subways."

 

　　Zhou Baojun estimates that the property renting market will maintain a hot trend til at least the end of July, which marks the end of the of the graduation season.

 

　　According to statistics from National Bureau of Statistics or NBS, in June this year, rent rose by 3.7 percent nationwide compare to the same period last year. Figures also show that in major cities like Beijing, rent rose by 7.4 percent on a year-on-year basis, with 0.5 percent rise on a month-on-month basis.

 

　　Figures from NBS also show that rent level in the country has been rising for 42 consecutive⁵ months since 2010. The ever increasing rent has left the newly graduate students no choice but rent the apartment with others.

 

　　For CRI, I am Li Dong.

1 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

2 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

3 uncertainties   

无把握( uncertainty的名词复数 )； 不确定； 变化不定； 无把握、不确定的事物

参考例句：

• One of the uncertainties of military duty is that you never know when you might suddenly get posted away. 任军职不稳定的因素之一是你永远不知道什么时候会突然被派往它处。
• Uncertainties affecting peace and development are on the rise. 影响和平与发展的不确定因素在增加。 来自汉英非文学 - 十六大报告

4 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

5 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。