Yunnan Daxue vs Yunnan Shifan Daxue

[philo-publius]

I'll revive this topic to ask if anyone else plans on attending Yunnan Shifan or Yunnan University this fall?

[franksny]

I'll be attending Yunnan Shifan in the fall.

[putonghua73]

Due to the lack of response I ended up going to Kunming College of Eastern Languages. My decision to study was quite last minute so KCEL being a private school was more flexible and responsive.

Aussieaznguy' date='

If you're still subscribing to this thread, could I politely request you to provide an update of your experience at KCEL either in this thread or an existing KCEL thread?

I'm looking to study Mandarin for a year from 31 August 2011, and it's a toss up - at the moment - between Keats and KCEL. I'll be looking for 1-2-1 tuition because it will be much better value, and I'd get a lot more out of it than a University group.

I'll look at 1-2-1 options at Yunnan Daxue and Yunnan Shifan Daxue to compare all my options.

At the moment, Keats is my preferred choice (although I'll look to live in a private / flat share arrangement after 3 months - need my independence), and KCEL is second. My focus is less on cost and more on [i']value[/i] i.e. quality of teaching staff, materials, to give me the best foundation for getting the most out of my year and really improving my Chinese (subject to putting in the required hard study i.e. 4 hours outside tuition).

Cheers.

[mandarina]

hello everybody,

i just started looking for some information about kunming, will probably go there in the fall for one semester. still don't know which school, college to pick.

[philo-publius]

I'll be attending Yunnan Shifan in the fall.

have you applied yet?

YNU told me to enter on an L visa and they'll convert it to X or F which seems odd, what are they telling you to do over at YNNU?

what level is your chinese at btw?

[bebezkidz]

Hi all - Sorry I can't offer any advice...just more questions. I have decided on attending either Yunnan Daxue or YNNU starting March 1. I cannot get find a working e-mail address for Yunnan Daxue though. Any advice? If I don't find anything, I will probably just attend YNNU since they have been responsive so far.

Thanks! -Abby

[brenna]

My recommendation? Yunda.

I've been studying at Yunnan Normal since september; and if I could change universities for the second semester...I would.

YNNU does guarantee small class size; where Yunda does not. If you miss feeling like you're in 3rd grade with people watching your every move and telling you what you can and can't do, please come to Shida. Shida is very strict on their attendance policy, for certain people....so if you're not white...be careful. This fall they sent at least 7 people home after revoking their visas (...for three years...). If you want to take any time to travel and plan on missing classes, it is troublesome to do so with shida, but, it seems like so long as you don't tell the truth; perhaps say you are sick or having family problems, it might be okay. But if you hoped on telling the truth, be aware that they will try and cause you trouble.

My friends and I had problems getting our passports back in time for the national holiday; the process was to take 10 days and after much longer than that and travel plans made, the school told us we wouldn't be able to get our passports back in time for the holiday (and thus wouldn't be able to travel). Other students told us this wasn't unusual, and suspected that perhaps it was done to be able to keep an eye on the students during the holiday...

Last semester I was enrolled in 4 different classes; of which ONE was worth my time going to. One teacher knew how to teach, the other three...if it wasn't for the strict attendance policy, I would've just learned better from the textbook myself.

That being said; although my teachers were terrible, the office caused me trouble and I spent a lot of time generally pissed off; shida does have way more foreign students than the other schools in Kunming and so I made some pretty sweet friends...but if you're looking to speak Chinese more often than not, going to a school with hundreds of foreigners may not be the best choice.

If I could choose again; I'm thinking I'd go for Yunda...

[bebezkidz]

Wow. Thanks much Brenna. This is the best review I have read anywhere; the information is very relevant. I studied at Sichuan Daxue a few years ago, and definitely took time off to travel without any difficulties. It would be very annoying to be prevented from doing so.

I finally did get a response (after a few weeks) from one of the emails I sent to YunDa: cisynu@ynu.edu.cn for anyone who might need it. I will just plan to enter China on a tourist visa and check out both schools during registration week. (Although given Brenna's advice, I will lean toward YunDa.) I understand this will cost me 400 kuai extra for the visa change fees, but perhaps it is worth it.

Brenna - is there a reason you cannot switch school for spring semester?

[brenna]

Yeah check it out for sure; and I'm in China on scholarship; so to change schools I'd have to go above shida...which I've tried but haven't received any responses as of yet...and now i'm out of the country and thinking that I may just try and score a job at the shanghai world expo half way through the semester...and so really, it's not worth the ma-fan to me...good luck!

[Di Ke]

Hi,

I have been a former YunNanDaXue student, but only for one term and it is years ago. I loved it and I could recommend it: motivated teachers and international classes with about 80% Asian students. I can not compare with other schools.

Now I intend to study there again, and would also check alternatives if they would be better/cheaper. But so far as I read here the YNNU seems not to be the better option.

I just emailed to YNDX (cisynu@ynu.edu.cn) but got the answer that they are on holiday until Feb 22th. Because this is close to the time I will start to travel I try to get more information here.

Who knows:

1.

How much does one school term at YNDX cost nowadays (for the school fee; not accomodation)? At my time it was about 500 Euro or less, but I know that it is more expensive today.

2.

I arrived last time with a tourist visa and changed it into a student residence visa. I think that this will be still the same procedure. Is that right? I ask because visa situation has changed a lot.

3.

If I would decide to have a private teacher than how about item points no 1 and 2?

4.

I want to study Chinese again, some terms OK. But once I also like to travel in China. Does anyone know if I could do a private teaching in a very comprehensive way (payment same but the term schedule put in one month or so?). Could I than use the rest of the time to travel? I fear that with the student residence permit you have your home in KunMing (in this case) and you have to ask your university for permission all the time you travel. Does anyone know more about it?

That are lot of questions. I’m happy for any reply.

Best regards

Di Ke

[DenLee]

Does anyone have any news or status update about these two universities as for 2011?

I want to go there for a 1-year Chinese language course starting in September. My upperclassmate was in Yunnan Normal University last year and said she was satisfied (though she isn't very talkative, so I don't know much more about it...).

And also, is it now real to find a small apartment in the school vicinity for about 1200~1400 RMB or less? (Just for 2 people and it can be really small with some basic furniture - at least a big bed or 2 small beds, refrigerator and preferably Internet connection - we want it just instead of a school dormitory, nothing more and no luxury required).

Thank you!

[Cheshire_Puss]

I chose YNU because I had better odds here form most of the students apply to famous universities in Shanghai, Beijing. Though my friend won scholarship to study at Shanghai univerity, lucky! My teachers told me that I was the one from whole university in to apply at YNU and...

I was awarded Scholarship of Confucius Institute to study at Yunnan DaXue. ) They wrote me to enroll between 1-15 September. Still waiting for the documents from them: the admission and the JW202 form. They did not reply to my last email.

I'm searching airline tickets now. Would be there any problems with documents I will order tourist visa and change it upon arrival.

My trip will be like this, starting in Kazan, Russia, then Moscow, Urumchi, Guangzhou, Kunming.