Dalian University of Technology

[xstof]

Hey, I was wondering if there is anyone here who will be studying at the University of Technology's intensive mandarin program - which starts March 1st??

I will be moving there mid feb., and want to network with others who are doing the same.

If you have or are currently living in Dalian, how do you like it? Any tips/recommendations with regards to anything from eating to studying to having a good time??

Thanks for your help.

Hope to hear from you all soon.

K

[whereishunter]

Check out.

www.dalianxpat.com

www.daliandalian.com

You will find all the Dalian info and people you need.

[CapnKernel]

Hi K,

I studied at DLUT last year, and I'm happy to answer questions. Ask away!

Mitch.

[CapnKernel]

Hi K,

I've replied to your email here. That way, others interested in Dalian can also benefit.

Hey, I was wondering if there is anyone here who will be studying at the University of Technology's intensive mandarin program - which starts March 1st??

I will be moving there mid feb., and want to network with others who are doing the same.

If you have or are currently living in Dalian, how do you like it? Any tips/recommendations with regards to anything from eating to studying to having a good time??

I studied at DLUT in the first half of last year. I went through this company:

http://www.chinese-in-china.com/

I will refer to them as C-in-C.

Where did you live/where is the best area to live?

"Best" depends on what your needs are. Your needs may not be the same as mine.

While other students generally rented rooms off-campus, I stayed on-campus in the "foreign experts dorm". I had a room to myself. It was carpeted, clean and comfortable. That particular dorm is not new, and it follows that nothing inside it is new either. Daily room cleaning and weekly bedding changes were attractive to me, and of all the living options, it was the closest to school. In China, get used to climbing stairs.

C-in-C's website talks more about the accomodation options:

http://www.chinese-in-china.com/accommodation

What was your experience like?

Intense. Classes started at 8 and we would go until 12. In the afternoon, I would meet with two or three people for either paid Chinese assistance, or Chinese-English exchange. In the evening I would do homework, and go to bed around 12. I'd get up at 6, have a 5km run (track is next to the dorm) then do more homework before class.

I had studied Chinese about two years part time before I went to China, and in the 4 months I was in Dalian, I think I doubled my ability.

Were the teachers good?

All were very committed, and most were extremely competent. I had one younger teacher who was a bit inexperienced, but still ok.

What are the best restaurants/clubs?

The foreign language dept is near the west gate, and there are any number of inexpensive restaurants and student dining halls just outside this gate. To me, the food was cheap, tasty, and there was enough of it. Tip: Get a stored value card for the dining halls.

Socially, I'm a boring guy, I don't like going out, so I rarely left the campus. I never went to any club or bar.

What did you do for fun/liesure?

I don't fit in the typical young-student-seeing-the-world category, as I have a family here in Australia, which I left while I was in China. Also, I didn't have a salary while I was in China. So for me, going to China was an exercise in spending my family's money while I learned as much Chinese as I could, so I could get home. For that reason, I preferred to study over relax. I made several good (local) friends, and spent a LOT of time with them talking English and Chinese. That satisfied my need for social contact.

DLUT is surrounded on two sides by big hills/small mountains/take your pick. I would often walk or run the trails on these mountains, either on my own, or with a friend. I enjoyed walking and talking with my friends very much.

Was the workload strenuous?

For me, yes. Partly because one learns slower when you're 40 than 20, partly because I am not a natural language learner (I'm an engineer, and I get hung up on details, which stalls my progress), and partly because I elected to "go hard" with my studying. But it's also what I was looking for. Some students in my class (esp the Korean ones) found class a lot easier than I did.

Did you learn a lot?

Oh yes. I found that in Australia, I had reached a hump in my Chinese learning that I couldn't get over. Going to China got me over that hump, and I am now able to continue my studies here. Before, I would say "我会说一点儿中文(I can speak a little Chinese)". Now I say "我会说中文 (I can speak Chinese)". Although I'm not great at it, I can now handle most day-to-day conversation.

Were you satisfied with the program?

In general, yes. There was a week or two at the start where we didn't do anything useful, and I felt that was wasted time. Then at the end, we crammed the last few chapters in without really having time to learn it. That's probably my only complaint about the program as such. Otherwise the program was well run and excellent value for money. In Beijing or Shanghai you'd pay double for the program, accomodation, living costs, etc.

Anything else you can add would be much appreciated!

Life and conditions in China are so different to what you expect. When I was exploring going to Dalian, I wrote an email just as you did, asking for people's experiences. A consistent message I got back was that regarding every facet of life, you have to prefix it with "well, it's China". Now it's my turn to pass it onto you. If you can get into the habit of saying to yourself, "well, it's China", things will be much easier when you are there.

Dalian's bus system is great, and the taxis are cheap, so getting around is fast and easy.

If you haven't already made arrangements, can I suggest you look into C-in-C (see above)? The C-in-C person in Dalian is also a senior teacher in the department. It really helps to have someone who you can call to ask advice, or to iron out any complications. I can really recommend them.

Mitch.

[koreth]

I did the 4-week summer program at Liaoning Normal University in 2007 and am thinking of heading to Dalian again to study this summer. LNNU was fine but I figure I should try something different and this school is one of the top few on my list.

A few more questions, if you don't mind:

What's the neighborhood around the school like? At LNNU I enjoyed being in the middle of a residential area full of mom-and-pop restaurants, fruit stands, and street vendors, and it was an easy 10-minute walk to a decent supermarket. Scoping out the area on various map sites, it looks like DUT is literally on the edge of town in more of a business area. Do you have to hop on a bus to go shopping for meats/produce or to hang out with some non-university-student locals?

How's the noise level in the dorm? Obviously that depends on your neighbors, but, for example, are the walls paper-thin or reasonably solid? Any frequent loud noises from outside (traffic, sporting events, etc.)?

What was the mix of speaking, reading, listening, and writing in terms of time spent in class? Did they have you writing essays? Reading out loud in class? Role playing? Transcribing?

And finally, given that they seem to let short-term students drop in at any time (handy for me since my wife wouldn't stand for me going for an entire semester) what was the format of the class? Is it a series of independent units all at roughly the same difficulty level, or do they do something else to accommodate drop-ins?

Thanks!

[neonoodle]

DUT is in the middle of a school district, so the neighborhood around the school is more schools. The campus is rather large, it's a 10 minute walk from the north gate to the south gate. The west gate is where all the action is. There's a small market just outside where you can get meat produce and basic food/household items. If you take a 3-5 min walk down the street there is a larger market under an apartment building with fresher produce, meat, and fish. If you need a supermarket then Trust Mart is about 2 and 1/2 bus stops from the campus west gate. There is also many restaurants, and small shops right outside the west gate, also street vendors at night.

The dorms walls are relatively thin, but you might not even be staying in a dorm if you're going for the summer program. During the summer some of the foreign students dorms decide to close without much of any warning. If you're going through chinese-in-china then don't worry they'll take care of it* if something like that happens.

As for what the classes are like, I only know what I've heard from my roommate last summer, because I decided to take the summer off. Summer course through chinese-in-china is a chinese-in-china only thing. The teachers are chinese language teachers from DUT, but classes are not held at DUT because the regular school of international student exchanges is closed for the summer break.(explains why the dorms want to close too) You should be getting more personal attention from the teachers because the class will only be made up of chinese-in-china students, therefore dropping in shouldn't be to difficult. Then again, there probably wasn't many summer students last summer, because it was difficult for many to get a L-visa during the Olympics.

During the normal school year drop-ins are just placed in a class closest to their level and either catch up on their own or get left behind.

*Thanks for correcting me Mitch

Edited April 27, 2009 at 08:56 AM by neonoodle

[CapnKernel]

If you're going through chinese-in-china then don't worry they'll take of if something like that happens.

I'm guessing that should be "they'll take care of it if something like that happens". And yes, they will. Still, China is China.

(Missing Dalian like crazy!)

[SebastianNL]

Hi everyone,

Is there anyone else here who will also be doing the Chinese Language Program at DUT in the Fall semester 2013?

If so, have you already received your admission letter? And do you know what the exact end date of the semester is?

Cheers,

Sebastian

[jumika]

Hello Sebastian I think i will doing the Chinese Language Program at DUT in the Fall semester 2013 I am still waiting on it. it shoudl arrive this week

not sure about the end date, I am still looking for a place to stay thoug. I you have found a nice plance information is allways welcome!

Regardsm

Miguel

[SebastianNL]

Hi Miguel,

Nice to meet you!

I received my admission letter in the meantime, have you as well?

They told me the end date will be around the 15th of January, but they were not sure yet.

I applied for a room on campus when I applied for the program, but I don't know what the procedure will be and if I will get it.

Regards,

Sebastian

[jumika]

Hello Sebastian

Yes i got the admission letter i already got the chinese visa ready, currently working on the US visa. even thoug already got my airplane itinerary, no idea about the room on campus yet.

[SebastianNL]

Does anyone know what books they use for the language program?

I already have some books for learning Chinese, but I'm not sure which to bring as my luggage space is limited.

Does anyone have experience with the elective courses he/she would like to share?

[jobm]

Hello guys! I would just like to ask any tips about studying Chinese in DLUT? How was your over-all experience? What do I need to expect in studying in DLUT and living in Dalian? I am excited to read your stories.

[Erich]

Hi Everyone, 

 

I am applying to DUT under the Chinese Government Scholarship to get my Masters degree in mathematics. Does anyone know when international students are supposed to arrive on campus for registration and moving into campus housing?

 

Thanks,

 

Erich 

[jobm]

Hi Erich,

 

May I know if this is not indicated on your admission slip?