Spring Chinese course in Beijing - Beida/Tsinghua

[somnambulist]

Hello everyone, first post here so please be kind to me if you've read similar messages a billion times before.

I'm interested in a Chinese language course in Beijing beginning in Feb 2010 and lasting for approx one semester. (finishing in either May or June would be acceptable). My preference is for Beida, with Tsinghua a close second, and I would really prefer to directly apply as opposed to going through a private company.

The Tsinghua website mentions nothing about Chinese language requirements (not that I read at least), however, the Peking University website appears to be rather vague.

http://www.oir.pku.edu.cn/oirEn/apply_intel1.htm

According to general information, a student who applies who does not have the required proficiency would be required to take a few semesters of Chinese to get up to par. On the other hand, the information in 'Short Term Programs' mentions something about a requirement of 80 class hours and/or 800 Chinese words.

For some reason, the Peking University symbol obstructs a great deal of information in that PDF...

I'm afraid that I have no proficiency in Chinese as of yet (that's why I want to go!), but I do have a Japanese language certification of 2級 (second highest, over 1000 characters learned). They are completely separate languages, certainly, and the characters are often used differently, simplified, etc, but it would still certainly help.

Any information would be a great help for me. I'll be contacting Beida directly soon, but I thought I'd ask here first. Many thanks!

[Xiwang]

I attended Beida last year. Both schools are excellent.

Tsinghua does not have any language prerequisite so you can start as an absolute beginner. As you note, Beida does have a stated requirement but they don't really check. In fact, they offer classes for absolute beginners. Some of the absolute beginner students are short-term students while others are foreign students who intend to get their undergraduate degree from Beida but need a couple of years of language training first.

If you are interested in Beida, you should plan on applying early when the application period opens up. Beida has the earliest application deadlines.

[gilbertodemelo]

I am going to apply to attend Tsinghua in the Spring.... I contacted them directly and the applications will open on October 15th and the website is:

http://intlstudent.cic.tsinghua.edu.cn/EN/index.html

[Yeejiga]

Hi there, I will also be applying to Tsinghua in the Spring of 2010.

At this point I'm still hearing different things about Beida and Tsinghua, but since both schools are reputed to be excellent I'm wondering if this is all moot.

Does anyone know if it's possible to take an intensive course at Tsinghua instead of the standard 4-hour/day class?