Even though classes have been out at most of Beijing's universities for over a month, seniors can still be seen haunting campus, cafeterias and dorm buildings, many avoiding a similar fate that they all dread: parents probing questions about their love lives.

None of your business

Spring Festival is usually the time when children proudly tote their sweethearts back home for "inspection and approval" from the family. However, if you're still flying solo, parents often take it upon themselves to help "arrange" one.

Chang Yue, an English senior at Beijing International Studies University said that ever since her freshman year, she would face interrogation about her love life and other personal issues during Spring Festival vacation.

"If I said I don't have one, some relatives would start to introduce local boys to me. And up until now, I haven't met a winner yet," Chang said. "It's really a headache for me. I'd rather stay at school for the week than have to deal with arranged dates, which always make me feel so awkward."

Chen Jin, a medical senior at Shandong University who just took the Graduate Entrance Exam in January, also said that although he wanted to return home earlier, he plans to go back as late as possible for similar reasons.

"Compared to being asked by tens of relatives about how is your job situation is, how your exams are going, and when are you going to get a girlfriend, it seems better to spend those extra days at school," he said.

Catch up

And if you have to hide out in the school halls, you might as well get some stuff done. Many students are taking the opportunity to zhai, or "stay in, huddle up," for the break in order to catch up on studying, look for work or recover from grad exam burnout.

"I feel I'm not ready for the real world," said Li Shan, a landscaping architecture senior at Beijing Forestry University, "So, I want to take advantage of the library to read some useful books. School is a better place to study anyway."

Students like Li looking to study up during the holidays are not a minority. Yuan Qiang, an administrative management senior at Qingdao University in Shangdong Province said that about 12 among his 51 classmates stay at school preparing for either the GRE or TOEFL exams, or looking for work.

Hou Cong, a Swahili senior at Communication University of China, said that he just had an interview with CCTV.

"If I went home, I would have missed the chance. Sometimes you have to sacrifice, so I need to stay a few more days before meeting my family," he said.

Burnout break

Of course, it's not all books and business for everyone. For those needing exam rehabilitation therapy, it's time to kill some time.

"I missed so many good films and TV dramas. I downloaded Woju (Dwelling Narrwoness) and some US soap operas to watch over the next few days. Then I will call some friends out for shopping," said Hu Ying, an English senior at Shanghai International Studies University, who decided to stay a week more at school before going home at Jiangxi Province.

Tang Haibo, director with the Psychology Health Center at Central South University, said that squeezing some time in to study at school during the holiday is a positive thing, showing that undergraduates are realizing the pressure they will face in society and are actively engaged in improving themselves.

But for those who are reluctant to go home for fear of facing awkward and probing questions about your love life (or lack of), Tang suggests that they return home now and communicate more openly with their parents.

"Escaping doesn't help in solving problems," said Tang, "Proactively talk with your parents. If you can get moral support from your family, you will alleviate a lot of pressure, which is also beneficial to your studies and work during the year to come," he said.