Tsinghua v BNU?

[xyz01]

I'm applying to both uni's for Mandarin study. I've seen a lot of comments about BNU on here and it seems to be well recommended. However, there isn't much talk about Tsinghua. Should I take this as a bad sign or do Tsinghua students simply not use this forum?

If anyone's studying at either of these places this semester have you got any comments on the courses that might be useful for those of us choosing between them?

[Qcash3]

Hi, I am studying at Tsinghua this semester and I really like it. It does seem like not alot of Tsinghua students use this forum. The language program here is pretty good, I really enjoy my classes and my teachers. Also the atmosphere here is pretty decent, the only thing is alot of the Chinese students here are a little...boring. They are not as lively as some of the Chinese students at other universities, but they are still nice all the same. If you would like specific details, drop me a message or something and I can help you out.

[roddy]

It does seem like not alot of Tsinghua students use this forum.

Same for Beida students - I've always suspected it is because students at these two universities tend to be on exchange programs, and therefore less likely to feel a need for help in choosing a location or planning a trip.

That said, if you want to point them in the direction of the site

[Dani_man]

hey

I'm studying in tsinghua.

I can't tell what's better cause I've never studied in BNU,

but I hope I can direct you a little.

I think the main thing you should care the most is what are the lesson you study and how many hours each subjects has.

in tsinghua, for example, I have speaking class 8 hours per week, 6 hours of listening, and 6 hours of reading comprehension.

-I know, for example, that the beginners class in BLCU have only 2 hours per week of speaking class (the subjects in the uniersities are very similar as you can see). for me, it is the most important, so I would mind that one,

-listening is a waste of time. seriously. you can do it by yourself by buying the books and cassettes of Beida and if you have enough self discipline you can do it yourself. I don't think you should mind if you don't have so many hours in your program.

-comprehension and reading are important too. that the lesson where you learn grammer and stuff. the only thing you should mind, but I'm not sure you can, is that the reading books are new and interesting. in tsinghua, for instance, they use very old and boring books in some of the levels...

another point that is important is the teachers...teachers really make the huge difference between a good and a bad lesson. but, unfortunately, sometimes we cant help it... in tsinghua for example you can change classes only in the first week. try to find out if you can change classes easily so you won't get stuck with a bad teacher (like bad speaking teacher if it is most important to you).

that's all, I hope I helped you a little.

good luck!

[xyz01]

Thanks for the replies!

Can someone tell me if the students who apply directly to Tsinghua are in the same classes as those who are on exchange programs? I'm wondering if the level of teaching is the same, as the IUP has a pretty good review in the forum archive. I'm a direct applicant.

Also, what's the class size like? Is the student/teacher ratio better at BNU?

[Dani_man]

well, the official number of students in my class was 16.

but, let's say that you can meet your whole class together only in the mid-term exams...

people drop class, skip class, so it is never 16.

in my class it's average 10-13 per lesson.

[Jamoldo]

I think if you want prestige, an awesome campus and to be surrounded by some of the brightest in China, Tsinghua is the answer. I see some people have posted here that they have liked their experience at Tsinghua. That being said, I have also met people who really didn't like it one bit (the academics and all). Get one thing straight, its going to be nothing like the IUP Program which is sickengly intense and expensive and awesome. What I have heard is that studying at Tsinghua is like taking English as a Second Language at MIT or Cal Tech in the US. There won't be a real stress on it since the university is concerned with ground breaking in other subjects, but you can do well.

BNU on the other hand is a well recognized university, construction on campus is ridiculous (fast pace etc), but its certainly nowhere near as pretty or prestigious as Tsinghua. That being said, it's pretty well known in China for the quality of its Chinese instruction to foreigners (it is a teaching college). I'm not going to say the admin runs like butter, it's China (in fact it took us 3 months to get our permanent student cards Though the location is not in Wudaokou, like Tsinghua, I think BNU is in a better spot, a more "Chinese" area and closer to the middle of the city (we don't have to use the 13 subway line). Overall the facilities are good, I like the location, the teaching material (text books) are good for Chinese books, and are known to be good throughout China, and I've had good luck with teachers (though listening class sucks).

However some of my friends don't like BNU at all or their teachers and are leaving to try their luck at BLCU or other places. So my verdict in all of this? It's all about your luck with teachers and how good they are, and I think BeiShiDa gives you the best shot to get good teachers and good materials and for me that's the most important thing. The facilities are good and we're taken care of well. All of this made me choose BeiShiDa rather than others. In fact I didn't even apply to Tsinghua or Beida in the end, though if I get a CSC scholarship and am told to study there, I will...