Best place to study in Shanghai?

[alfredocardoso]

Hi, i'm brazillian, and i plan to go to Shanghai in 2009 to study the language.

I'm already having classes in Brazil (beginner level), but i want to have a more intensive experience.

What are the best schools in Shanghai (considering i have only six months to stay, due to my work)?

I've checked out GEOS (www.geosshanghai.com), Mandarin House (www.mandarinhouse.cn) and a few others, but i think it's good to hear from people that actually know which ones are really good places.

Thanks in advance (and sorry for the poor english).

Cheers!

Alfredo Cardoso

alfredocardoso@gmail.com

[ziegphy]

http://lxs.ied.ecnu.edu.cn/defaultEn.aspx

Maybe you can see this links.

It is the first normal University for teaching Chinese as a foreign language in Shanghai.

[woliveri]

I agree...

East China Normal University is the best in my opinion in Shanghai for learning Chinese as a foreign language.

[jamesvuduhh]

Hey, this is my first post. I am currently taking a Hanyu class at my college and thought it would be great to step it up a notch by studying in Shanghai. I am considering on going in June or July of '09. I have a neighbor who is a USC (University of Southern California) professor and I had asked him for his recommendation on which school I should pick to study Hanyu in China. He recommended me Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU).

I thought I could get your guy's thought about SJTU. Is it a great place to study Hanyu? Is Shanghai clean? How are the professors? Are there lots of parties ? Is Shanghai a pretty expensive place to live?

Well, I plan on studying there just for a about 2-3 months just to get the feel of Shanghai. The school I was considering before SJTU was Beijing Language and Culture University (BCLU). Which would be better?

Thanks, I'll be looking forward to hearing from you guys.

-James

[laohu489]

I have a similar question, but I don't have time to go to a university (work and all).

I speak Chinese pretty decently, but I want to improve and I know my current methodology (长头发词典) has resulted in some gaps in my knowledge. I hope to take the HSK in April. As a result, I would like to try a training center. I have tried other methods in the past and they worked fine, but I have learned what I can through them.

I am just wondering, what is the difference between Mandarin House, Ease Mandarin, iMandarin, etc. if any? I have visited a few and they all seem to say the same thing. Just want to hear what experiences you may have had at any of these types of places before I drop a decent sum of money on one of them.

[jeffofarabia]

Is it easy to get cheap apartments in that area of Shanghai? How much should I expect to pay for a small place nearby?

[qvb123]

Hi, I would probably vote for Shang International Studies University, it is one of first university to train Mandarin Teachers in China, and also very well recognised, a 211 university (if you know what 211 is).

In term of living, put your budget as 2000-3000RMB/month, you'll get something nice and close, not luxury though:)

[woliveri]

I spent a semester at SISU and I still think ECNU is better, here's why:

1. At ECNU all the teachers are professional teachers or working toward their teaching degree. At SISU this is not always the case.

2. The material at ECNU is self developed and I think better than the BLCU books that SISU uses.

3. SISU has a large Korean, Japanese, amoung others population. My class was about 75% to 80% Korean/Japanese with a majority being Korean. I preferred ECNU as more of the class population are Chinese (becoming teachers).

Regarding an apartment. I found two apartments when I was there in a different district than SISU, the first was 1100 rmb, the second was 1200 rmb. Shop around and you'll find something.

My 2 cents.

[anonymoose]

I'm currently studying at Jiaotong University. I can't say what the beginners courses are like, but I'm fairly satisfied with the course I'm on. I have five different teachers, and some are better than others, but they are all fairly good on the whole. I know that SJTU offers short term summer courses, and also regular half-year courses. As far as I know, there are no other courses, though I could be wrong.

SJTU is in a very vibrant part of Shanghai which has its good and bad points. If you're up for partying, then one of the main bar districts is very close by. On the negative side, it is one of the more expensive areas in town, and you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere decent to live for under 3000 yuan per month. (I guess it is possible, but the size and quality will not be very good.) There are also many foreigners in this area, which could be good or bad depending on your point of view.

[jerukpopo]

Hello, 1st time poster.

I thought I would revive this post with a question specifically about universities and colleges w/ Mandarin programs in Shanghai.

Can I get a breakdown of the locations of the schools, in order of how close they are to the "exciting" parts of the city center?

1) nearest

2)

3) farthest

Also, if its not too much to ask, a breakdown of which university has the "best" mandarin program? Reasons why would also be great. I have read through all the posts trying to gather info so nothing needs to be repeated, but if there is some insight that has not already been shared, please feel free to contribute.

1)best

2)

3)not so good

Thanks!

[Chungwing]

hi,

i was wondering if it is possible to study mandarin at ecnu for 3 months during the summer in 2009. i have looked at the website, but not much is working, and not much information in english.

can someone please help me? thank you.

[mr.demoman]

learning chinese. absolutely, east china normal uni is your first choice.

I am a shanghainese. In shanghai, SISU has a fame for teaching foreign languages to chinese ppl. ECNU, however, has a fame for teaching chinese to foreign ppl.

[mr.demoman]

you can email them, chungwing

lxb@ied.ecnu.edu.cn

[kellaneym]

What about Fudan U?? Im under the impression that its a great school, but im curious about the chinese language program. I've never been to ECNU, but my impression is that there are a lot of english speakers studying there, and i would rather be in a not so 'college' environment, if you know what i mean. I studied at Donghua U, nearby ECNU for a semester, and really liked it because i was surrounded by other nationalities that didnt speak any english. Anyone know what im looking for?