Going to China for University afet High School.

[paperbagprince]

I am a junior in High School, and myself, as well as 2 of my classmates (who are seniors, so more important for them) would like to go to University in China. Do students straight out of High School go to college in China without first going to American College. If so, for what majors? Do they ever do it if they do not yet know what they want to do? What advantages are there to going to college in China. I know this is a broad topic, but I guess my main topic would be is it a good idea to go to college in China if they are a freshman, or is it better for people with degress or a few years in an American College? Thank you.

P.S. We are pretty much beginner Chinese, 4 years experance. If I was to go to college in China, would I need to speak fluent Chinese?

[jeffofarabia]

you might want to think about doing a year of chinese language study at a university there and then try to pursue a degree. i am not sure what advantages there would be but it would be an interesting experience to say the least.

good luck

[wushijiao]

If I was to go to college in China, would I need to speak fluent Chinese?

Every college has different standards, but generally you need an HSK test score of 3 (or 4) to take science or tech related subjects, and a score of 6 or higher to take other (liberal arts) classes. You should be able to go to a university's webpage for more details.

Most likely, as jeffofarabia pointed out, you'd need a semester or year of language study to get to the point where you could take college classes in Chinese.

[heifeng]

Do students straight out of High School go to college in China without first going to American College. If so, for what majors?

Examples I'm familiar with of people (not American) who did this:

Huaqiao from Canada, studying law in Beijing. Took HSK without preparing, scored a 10 (he may have partially grown up in Beijing, I forgot...Now in his second year)

Korean students: Many (that I know of) studying Chinese language or Chinese Literature at universities here in BJ. (most had at least HSK 6's and many with HSK 9+ or so for Literature deptj. For Chinese language dept, you can probably start off from nil ...)

My previous roommate Huaqiao, Indonesian passport, also attended H.S. in China. Applied to Beida for int'l econ, but I guess there are restrictions on how many exchange students are admitted to each school from a certain country. As a result she is studying Chinese Literature at a different university. She may have had to use the local application process but is still considered an int'l student...

In my personal opinion having VERY GOOD Chinese before studying at a Chinese univesity would be advantageous, especially in a major with few exchange students. To be completely honest, when I took classes as a visiting scholar with Undergraduate students this is what happened for the most part: 3 groups of students stuck together: Local Chinese, Minority Groups & Non-Korean Exchange students, Korean students. This is basically what happened in all of our classes probably mostly due to the language and cultural differences. Also as a foreign student, you are not going to be housed with the Chinese students and may always just be regarded as an outsider and a bit more challenging to just "blend in"...In some cases, such as the literature courses offered since there are so many foreign students, special classes where offered to explain the material in more detail and more slowly...(especially for classical Chinese!!!)

But, this is just based on my limited experience....other please add....I think there are also some students I came accross here in math or history programs, but not for undergrad...

[tallynole]

I started studying Chinese after university and came to China to improve it. Being here made a big difference in my level as I get to use the language every day and hear it all around me.

My little brother finishing high school this year and will be coming to nanjing to get a bachelor in Chinese but we're getting him started early. He did a homestay with a chinese family this past summer and he's coming back for an intensive Chinese course this upcoming summer before starting uni. I think it does make a difference.

[hughitt1]

You would probably want to do a Chinese language program (Qinghua or ICLP) for a year, and then start with whatever else it is you want to major. If you try to take classes without having a pretty good grasp on the language, it will be tough.. a year should be enough to get you to the point where you can go to normal classes though.

Another thing you could consider would be going to school in the U.S., but then studying abroad for 1-2 years. You could even do a year in one place sophomore year, and then another semester your junior year etc. That way you will still graduate with a strong degree, and could always go back if you really enjoyed yourself.

Keith