Beijing University

[7jason7]

Hi,

Does anyone know if Beijing University has a program for "unaffiliated" foreign students who are not otherwise students?

Thank you.

[roddy]

How do you mean? As a full-time language student, or a part-time student, or a part-time student who sits in on some of the full-time classes?

Roddy

[Nephand]

I imagine he means foreign students looking to study there, but that aren't going as, say, part of a degree course in their home country. So it's not just a 'second year away', it's the full course.

[7jason7]

I mean as Nephand explained. Not as a college student in one country who is visiting another country. Rather someone who is beyond college (i.e., working) and looking for a good program for a year or less.

Thanks.

[roddy]

You could certainly study at Beida, or indeed almost any university, as a short-term language student. I can't speak for Beida specifically, but most universities will have an intake every six months.

Roddy

[Guest suowei]

7jason7,

The site: http://www.pku.edu.cn/

There are contact numbers you can use.

[7jason7]

Thanks, Roddy and Suowei.

Suowei, I checked the link you provided. I was looking for it but didn't find it until your last post.

Does anyone have experience, good or bad, about Peking University Chinese language classes?

Much appreciated.

[bokane]

I'm currently a student at Beida: I applied to and spent a semester in their straight-up language courses at the Duiwai Hanyu Xueyuan, and then entered the university proper at the start of this semester.

As far as Beida's courses - in the Duiwai Hanyu Xueyuan, that is - go, and whether they're good or not, I'd say it depends on your level and what you're looking for. I found that at the advanced level there wasn't really very much to keep my interest: the Kouyu class I took (with Teacher Zhao, who is a really sweet old lady) was a lot of fun, and introduced some useful vocabulary, but not, I felt, as much as I picked up just from wondering around and chatting with people; the Modern Literature elective I took (with Teacher Long, who's a very nice guy and a great lecturer) was quite cool, and the Hanyu course I took was more or less useless: a lot of seemingly randomly-selected short essays from the 1930s or thereabouts, mostly dealing with the topic of how bad and wicked Japanese people are/were.

Beida's teaching materials are for the most part pretty lame - as are all the Chinese textbooks I've seen, really, although BLCU seems to have slightly more interesting ones - and so whether the class is interesting or not depends a lot on which teacher you get, and how much they do or don't stick to the textbook.

Another thing I disliked about Beida's program is that composition was really not emphasized: there's a Xiezuo class that's offered as an elective, but it fills up quickly, and even if you do get in, it's mostly limited to writing resumes and vacation requests. By contrast, my classes in the States required us to write two or so pages per week on a topic of our choice.

I don't mean to be too harsh on Beida's language program; from what I've heard, it's pretty standard, and I did pick up some stuff in my semester there. I've also heard good things about the classes at the beginner and intermediate levels. However, if you're at the advanced level, and fairly comfortable with reading and listening to Chinese - and with reading professors' scribbled cursive Chinese, which is the bane of my existence currently - then I'd recommend 入系'ing: taking actual university classes.

Hope this helped - please let me know if you have any more questions.

[7jason7]

bokane,

Thanks for the insight -- very helpful.

I'm a bit older in age, and want to study for no more than a year. My interest is primarily perssonal. So I can't take too much time away from career.

I don't personally know anyone who is considering language study abroad. Anyone care to share the typical experience??? Is it graduated college students who are continuing language study???

[bokane]

The students tend mostly to be in the mid-20s and recent college graduates. There are some anomalies - aberrations like me, and college students here through CIEE or a similar program, as well as 30-something and older grad students - but it seems to fall out in a nice Bell curve distribution with 25 or 26 at the center.

[Guest suowei]

Hi, 7jason7,

Perhaps you want to write in to ask.

As I know, there is a group of foreign students study Chinese Literature under the Department of Chinese Literature. However, the media used is Chinese simplified. The major is on Chinese Literature, not how to write Chinese tranditional.

[7jason7]

Thank you, bokane and Suowei.

I'm 34 and I guess would be one of the elder statesmen if I decide to quit my job and head overseas. I am in the San Francisco Bay Area now.

Wish I had done this a few years ago. But then again, I was pretty focused on career. . .