重访中大:不同的感受

应我的师叔党论之邀,我于上周五(12月23日)前往广州中山大学的岭南学院进行了一场友好的私人访问。期间,我和师叔就当前的学术热点、国际期刊和投稿以及本人的研究兴趣等方面进行了热情的讨论,并应师叔的邀请,为岭南学院和管理学院的数位博士们就英国的博士培养和科研方面进行了汇报。师叔表示:“这个活动还是很有意义的,体现了XXX(此处省略若干字,参见中央电视台《新闻联播》)”。会后,在师叔的殷切关照下,本人与数位师兄弟姐妹共进晚餐,席间大家讨论热烈,气氛轻松愉快。

说起中大,那跟我算是也是有了一番渊源。先不说我的硕导王雄元教授曾毕业于此校,我在考博时候也只报了这一所学校。尽管最后连是否能够录取尚未揭晓就被我主动“拒绝”之,此校在我心中还是占有相当大的地位。毕竟,在这里曾经存在并还活跃着一群中国会计学界年轻的学者和科研人员。他们的务实作风和卓越的科研能力正在促使中国的科研一步一步往前走。

这次的访问,纯属来源于与党论的一次闲聊。期间我还在英国,正在为没有idea而头疼。每天看着论文脑子里却想着锅里的红烧肉。尽管鄙人的确是个百年才出一个的吃货,但是如此行为却属意外。好在硕士三年的研究经验给了我点信心,我心里知道这种状态是暂时的,只是这个暂时会有多久就只有天知道了。而此时党论却破天荒的提出要我站到岭南的报告台去做一个报告,则让我实在是措手不及。要知道,去中大这种科研学术重镇吹牛,后果是啥?各位看官不言自明。

而后来我则发现,其实党论并非“耍我”。他真正的目的是希望能够给沉闷的学术界带去一丝新鲜的空气。其实对于这一点,我也是非常赞成的。其实我一直不太喜欢去听各种Seminar,无论是国内还是国外。原因在于他们实在是过于专业了。专业到这些报告听起来似乎是一群圈内人在自娱自乐。作为圈外人,如果没有足够的背景知识和对于此类话题的了解,那恐怕就真的只有睡大觉了。其实就这点来说,国内外都有类似的问题。而国内的问题更严重在于:很多论文并不阐明其研究背景和意义。

这次的报告的主题其实很松散,基本就围绕我为什么去英国等展开,重点阐述英国博士与国内培养制度的不同。尽管我本人并没有国内读博士,好在周围一群朋友相助,也就有了一些比较研究的基础。更重要的是,通过这个报告以及同听众的交流,我第一次更清楚的了解了这两者的区别。事实上,如果有人问我国内的博士和国外的博士培养制度哪个好?我会表示,这个问题根本无法回答。因为,他们完全是基于不同的模式,基于不同水平的学生和基于不同的目标。

我倒不是说要鄙视英国的博士学生,毕竟这样也会把我自己包括进去。但是我要说的是,就北大,清华,中大和上财等学校而言,其博士生的入学水平还是要高于英国的。毫不夸张的说,一个国内顶级学校的博士一年级学生,可以轻易搞定一个英国博士二年级甚至于三年级的学生,尤其是在对于基础文献的掌握等方面。但是反过来,一个英国博士所做出来的论文却可以轻易干掉很多中国学者,甚至于一些教授。而其中的差距,恐怕就是博士阶段的培养了吧?而事实上,美国与英国之间的水平悬殊,尽管英国人自己心里清楚却不愿意认账,其实也是由于博士阶段培养的区别导致的。

当然,作为我一个在读的博士,去关注培养制度并无太大的意义,毕竟,这些东西对我而言属于外生变量,无法去左右和控制。相反,我能控制的那些内生变量,如资源,学习方式等等,英国还是有一定的优势的。如中大的博士生办公室要求打卡,其初衷是为了督促博士生的学习。然而其办公室却弄得跟网吧一样,空间狭小,空气混浊,却非常不利于学习。想想我自己大不列颠的那个办公室,尽管条件也非常简陋,却要好得多。同时,我们也不需要打卡,需要的或许只是拍打自己的脑袋。

其实这次对我而言收获最大的,恐怕是与党论和应博士就一些学术问题的讨论。在此之前,其实我对我的研究有了一个非常浅的idea,朦朦胧胧但不清晰,而且并没有落实。以至于在应博士问的时候搞得我非常为难。如果说出去,恐怕有道德风险的问题,如果不说,恐怕引起他人不悦。好在他们比较宽宏大量,我也就不再有顾忌。毕竟面对中国一流的青年学者,学术道德应该不是我担心的问题。而事实上,他们或许无意中提到的一些东西,为我顿时打开了思路。或许,我能在一年后重回中大讲故事哦?呵呵

当然,作为结尾,我非常感谢党论的盛情款待和超颖师妹以及舒伟师兄的作陪。同时我也非常感谢听众们对我的报告的支持和鼓励。

 

The Result of SYSU PhD Entrance Exams Reveals

Eventually the entry line for the PhD program of Sun Yat-sen University has been revealed today with 2 days earlier than its estimation, as is published on the web. Thanks to the suggestions from Jianguo, a younger student following my professor, otherwise I shall miss this notice, but as foolish as waiting for the result until 22nd. The result is acceptable, that I am able to participate the second run of the exams, though whether I shall be admitted is still of mystery.

The score, unlikely the line published today, has been known much earlier. Though the score seems to be not that bad, there is no certain information on whether this is adequate. That’s why I didn’t push the score out directly when I got that two weeks, but only announcing it on my twitter with quite limited audience. The line published today, however, proves my concern. As I anticipated earlier, the sub-lines for each score, including the test of English language and two professional courses, should be around 50-55, with the basis of 100 points in total. While the formal version, on the other hand, requires a high score on both English and professional courses. For the majors in management school, including mine, want a score no lower than 55 for English and 60 for the rest courses.

Following is a picture of my result. To protect the privacy, both my name and ID number are covered. I don’t know if it is the fortune that I achieved the score that is, instead of much higher than, just equivalent to the requirement. it reminds me of the occurrence 3 years ago when I was still a student of Nanjing Normal University, waiting for the information from Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, my present school, the result of postgraduate entrances. Now both my mood and situation are surprisingly similar. The only difference is that I am not that young any more, and I start to consider more.

Now that the result for the first run is acceptable, I don’t know how it would be for my second run. Interview with professors want higher requirement of knowledge that I master, and better understanding of research, both classical and contemporary ones. For the next two weeks, I shall take a review of recent research in China, focusing on the works produced by the faculties in SYSU, but also including some important works from others. It would be a great job, and what I am still under consideration is that, whether I shall read some classical papers, like Coase (1938, 1950), Alchian (1957), Jesnsen and Meckling (1976, 1985) etc. They definitely formed the foundation of contemporary research, especially those on corporate finance.

I don’t think much can be done in two weeks. I suppose the only thing to do for me is to build up sufficient confidence, and take as much preparation as possible. Guys, wish me succeed!

The Past Month: A Miscellaneous Comment

我的父母常说一句话“你看这个人做事情,就跟江南的黄梅天一样,不靠谱”。由此可见江南的黄梅天有多么的恶心了。然后,今年,我估计不仅仅是江南了,全国的气候都非常不正常了。以至于我母亲跟父亲都在笑言,活了半辈子,如此四月底照样可以把羽绒服穿在身上,实在是非常难得的天气了。说实话,我对这种天气是无语了。唯一的庆幸是这样的鬼天气我在家里,没有在武汉。我估计财大那破宿舍里这种天气是会让我很不爽的了。尽管我住在7楼,阳光理应比较灿烂。

  1. 有时候,胡说八道也需要理由

    需要说明的是,这篇博文并没有一个很明确的主题。而是属于那种“脚踩西瓜皮,滑倒哪里算哪里”的东西。倘若这是高考作文,那这将铁定是被语文老师当街示众的大作。上过学的人都应该知道那种“意散形更散”的文章的魄力。其实说真的,我是不太赞同可能吧的观点,即写博客都要有一个核心,并且把自己作为媒体来写。说真的,博客只是一个个人宣泄的平台。而若要每篇文章都去金雕细琢,耗时耗力,恐有不务正业之嫌。要知道,博客毕竟是一个展示自我,尽情挥霍的舞台。而对于精雕细琢的东西,何不拿去发表?这样才会有更多的读者群,也才有更好的版权保护,也才能更好的普渡“众神”嘛。

    诚然,这种事情也没有一个统一的说法。毕竟嘛,我是一个介于文科和理科之间的夹生饭。我做的是偏文科的研究,却有着理工类学生的爱好。这就注定了我的博客会成为一锅“珍珠翡翠白玉汤”。我喜欢在博客上写乱七八糟的东西,从恋爱到计算机,从计算机到会计,从会计到资本市场。只要是我熟悉的,我喜欢的,我了解的,我愿意废话的,我都会写几句。这样,这些或幼稚、或浅薄、或偏激、或专业的文章构成了我的博客。不得不说,正是这些天来在博客上的胡说八道锻炼了我的思维,以至于我在对付Issue(GRE作文的一种,旨在考察应试者的观点和逻辑)的时候可以做到从容不迫。但是,如果真的是有技术,比如Bill,比如他的朋友Solrex的博客,那我是由衷的佩服。毕竟作为计算机行业的人,他们应该做的就是去弘扬技术,而不是去体现价值观。价值观是御用文人干的活儿。别抢人饭碗嘛。

  2. 懒得更新博客更需要借口

    写本博客之前,我回望了下自己的博客。突然发现,我上一篇文章发表于3月23日。距今已经快有一个月了。不出意外的话,这次的时间间隔应该是我开独立博客以来时间间隔最长的一次了。在我保持博客静默的一个月时间里,我穿越了英语学习的时代。尽管说雅思成绩还不知道。但是从报名到考试才20来天的时间里去准备一个类似于雅思的高级别英语考试,说真的,不得不说是一个疯狂的举动。没办法,谁让哥们想着人家兜里的英镑呢。既然要人家给掏钱,那就只有乖乖的听话了。本来一直以为新托福因为其名字为“iBT”而彰显了其变态的本性而应稳居天下第一变态英语考试,考完雅思我才发现,“闷骚型”永远比“花枝招展”的恐怖。雅思的变态实在是令人有点发指。好在结果没出来,希望犹存。俗话说“No news is good news "嘛。

  3. 考试不好,考题太难是永恒的理由

    再来说说中大的那个变态的考试。在等待了数个礼拜之后,成绩终于揭晓了。不知道为什么中大这次改卷会弄得如此之慢。要知道之前的那个周末,北大连博士的复试都结束了。哎。不过考试的成绩不算太坏,只是分数线还没揭晓。希望可以过线吧。说真的,我很喜欢中大的风光,也很喜欢他们的研究氛围。最后上一张中大的图片,上网找的。不过可惜的是,我同战壕并肩作战的战友却不惜落败。不过话说,当一个考试的难度已经变态到人神共愤的地步,那他就不是考试了,而是变成了一群人,在一个固定的时间,一个固定的场所开始自虐。更郁闷的是,包括我和我朋友在内的大多数人,却还乐此不疲。不知道这是不是我自己的悲哀了。

  4. 为什么那么多人“求自虐”?

    由于最近是考研的录取和调剂时段,而下一批打算接受考研或者考博自虐行为的人也开始了准备。于是乎,作为某不太知名高校的校友,我总是接到一些师弟师妹的电话。问题很简单,无非就是是否考研啊,或者说如何准备云云。如果说后者的问题还是一种基于过来人经验的考虑的话,那前者的提问水准就有待商榷了。作为一个不太出名的学校的领导,鼓动学生去努力积极的考研本来也无可厚非。毕竟对他们而言,能够鲤鱼跳龙门进入一个好的研究生院是个不错的选择。而我无形之中似乎也成了他们的所谓的榜样。但是他们又何时真的去想过他们真的适合这么干么?要知道,我固然是这个学校出去的,但我的专业课教育却是在一个本一学校接受的。更重要的是,他们真的想过考研出来做什么吗?我很庆幸我遇到了一个不错的硕导。但是在当今这个“水导年年有,今年特别多”的大环境下,遇到一个好的导师的难度绝对不亚于找到一个好媳妇!

结束语:话说世间总是透着太多无奈。就如我遇到奖学金杯具时候我老板劝慰我所言:“世间并不如你想的那么美好,但是它有着自己的相对公平和均衡的运作机制”。作为一个大博弈的参与方,我们在当前,似乎做的,只能是遵守游戏规则吧。这篇博文应该是我写过的最无厘头的东西了。突然发现,写无厘头的东西感觉也是不错的呢。

PhD Entrance Exams at SYSU: A Conclusion

The PhD entrance exams for Sun Yat-sen University have eventually been accomplished, no matter how the result would be. The questions appeared on the subject of corporate are a bit easier, but due to a long trip from Guangzhou to Suzhou, I have mostly forgotten them. But there is one lesson that you should take if you are to be a player of such exams in 2011 or later. That is, paying adequate attention on econometrics, not only its usage, but also its fundamental knowledge.

The questions that I came across at the exams of accounting theory may indicate its potential failure. The questions this year are focusing much on auditing and financial accounting. Unlike the questions that you can find in previous years, the questions this year are focusing more on policies, accounting standard settings, and, most of them are following the framework of narrative research, rather than the positive ones which are of great popularity recently.

Anyway, quite a number of questions are focusing on academic thoughts, which are highly regarded by both professors and graduate students nowadays, especially those working in top universities of China. Take an analytical question in finance for example. A paragraph is presented, which is introducing a new policy published in 2008, that mostly listed firms in China are required to announce the details of their dividend plans. The question is that you are invited to make a brief analysis on why it comes out, its influence of capital markets, as well as the potential research opportunity it may involve. Such questions would, undoubtedly, a disaster to those who are not accustomed to develop their independent thinking.

However, there is one thing that would be beneficial for most takers of the exams, no matter whether they are admitted eventually or not. The lesson is that the questions showed us the correct way that a researcher should probably work like. Focusing and take a good think on the important events on the capital markets should be a good way to find research opportunities, as is shown on the exam paper. Trying to use the existing theory and research to explain, or predict what is happening and is to happen, though not that correct and accurate, would be beneficial for you to know the way of academic considerations. Once the resource of research is ensured, and the academic thoughts are formed, doing some top-level researches would not be far except for some professional training on methodology and tools.

There has been a debate in the academic world, especially in the field of economics and something related that intuition or methodology, which is more important? In my opinion, neither should be abandoned. So also pay sufficient attention on econometrics. What you want to know is not only how to read the result appeared on the computer screen, but the concept of them, like the way how the estimate produced, the steps that somewhat test aligned, and what their potential assumptions are likely to be. If you are still feeling frightened of reading a textbook with mathematics, try to get used to that from today!

I don’t know how my exams would be. In fact, a summary of the exams has been required for my potential supervisor, and I am concerning how to make it with sufficient objectivity and unbiased. Anyway, I do learn a lot from this process.

PS: It is unlikely to make a revision before you take the PhD entrance exams at SYSU, especially in the field of accounting. What you have learned and mastered during the daily research would work!

PhD Entrance Exams at SYSU: Accounting

今天考完了第一天的考试。说实话,中山大学真的很漂亮,绿化做得很好。北门外的珠江也很漂亮。不过广州这两天的天气实在是不好。非常的潮湿。尽管对于一个像我这样在南方生活了二十多年的土著而言,此种潮湿天气并不是什么大问题,但是还是让我些许不爽。不过相比较武汉而言,广州让我最喜欢的一点是这里的吃食非常好,非常符合我的口味。我现在终于知道我老板和我姐都会抱怨广州的菜没有味道了。哈哈。

早上的英语考试,说实话没有太强的感觉。毕竟最近英语看得比较多,以至于看到考卷都没有了感觉。但是这种感觉也绝对不是好事儿,因为你会忘记自己是在考试和做题目,然后就会不知不觉的看得飞快,以至于我在不到一个小时时间里就搞定了除了作文外的所有题目,但是正确率却不敢保证。以至于后来的作文我磨磨蹭蹭的写了一个来小时,写了400来个字,才算对得起重大给的我三个小时的考试时间了。总体来说,英语考试不算太难,应该比考研英语略容易。不过考场上还是有不少同志没有做完的。

下午的会计理论考试才是真的郁闷了。这个题目跟往年相比,差异巨大。我以为中大向来不入俗套,没想到他今年也狠狠“低俗”了一把,没办法,哥们认栽。考虑到有很多人会跟我一样在网上搜索历年考题,我就在这里贴出来,供明年的小弟弟小妹妹们参考吧。

  1. 简答

    1. 就“系统免疫”论谈谈你的看法
    2. IASB的报告体系的逻辑关系,会给你一张图
    3. 金融工具准则的“顺周期效应”,谈谈看法
    4. 市净率和市盈率分别是什么?他们提供怎么样的信息?
  2. 两个讨论题

    1. 2008-2009年度中国资本市场重大事件列出并写出研究机会、
    2. 写审计质量的文献综述。
  3. 研究设计题

      关于薪酬计划的一篇英文论文的第一部分,要求提假设、研究问题、研究设计和其余部分是什么,可用英文作答 这篇论文晚上搜索到了,居然是陈冬华的大作。对了,这个题目是可以用英文作答的。只是不知道用英文会加分不?
      有兴趣的http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1464015

结论:中山大学的题目的确不好准备。要考好,或者自己有关系事先弄到题目(这个不是没可能~),或者够牛(如此牛何必留在中大?),再或者,跟我一样,泰然处之!

PS:中大风景美,人更美!

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