Abstract Based on the administrative data of the national training team of the chemistry Olympiad in China from 2014 to 2019 published on the Sunshine College Entrance Examination Platform, as well as the interviews with eight gold medalists of the chemistry Olympiad, this paper empirically analyzed the whereabouts in universities and the main influencing factors of the gold medalists of the chemistry Olympiad under the background of the new college entrance examination. Descriptive statistical analysis showed that chemistry was still the mainstream destination for gold medalists in chemistry Olympiad to go to universities, but the phenomenon of “Major Change” existed objectively and had a trend of strengthening. Further interview research found that to continue studying chemistry was a rational choice based on his interest or continuing his own advantages, and also a kind of inertial thinking and path dependence under the information asymmetry. Individual motivation and high school training model were the main factors that influence the gold medalists to give up chemistry.
