Wendy Zhang/ Shanghai Daily news

More university undergraduates from outside the city will not go back to their hometown for the upcoming Spring Festival holiday for fear that they might miss opportunities to find employment, eastday.com reported today.
Although it is the time for winter vacations and the Chinese Spring Festival is considered the most important festival for family-gatherings, many final-year students decided not to go back to their hometown this year.
"I have sent many resumes, but haven't got replies. If I am asked for an interview someday, I will miss the opportunity if I am not in Shanghai," explained Li, a third-year post-graduate student at East China Normal University, adding that as his hometown is far away, he can only return home once a year. "I feel sad when seeing others buying railway tickets to return home, but it is worthwhile if I can get more interviews during this period. More than half of my non-local classmates plan to spend the holiday on campus," he said.
"I haven't found a job, so I cannot be happy to return to my hometown," said Huang, who has just sat the entrance exam for a post-graduate program, explaining that he was busy preparing for the exam before mid-January, so he will try his best to find a job from now.
Parents are supportive of their children's decision. "Studying for four years is with a good job in mind. My daughter hesitated over whether to return home or not, and our support encouraged her to make the decision," said Li, a parent from Fujian Province, adding that the winter vacation is a key period to find employment. However, he admitted that without their daughter, they would feel lonely for the Spring Festival holiday.
It is the last long vacation for final-year students, and for non-locals who want to find employment in Shanghai, they will have less time to go back home after they join the work force, so they should cherish  opportunities to stay with their families, said Grace, a Shandong-native who works at a foreign-invested company, adding that most companies have holidays during the Spring Festival vacation, so job-hunters will not have many opportunities during the period.