Studying a Major in Chinese (Problems)

[rezaf]

Thanks to Yonglin and abcdefg for the reference, as they say the background is very important. But as Yonglin said in the original thread, someone going down the path of doing a real university degree in China should be aiming for around HSK 6 after the first year of study. There is a big difference between HSK 3 and HSK 6. Going into a real university degree in Chinese from a standing start of HSK 3, the question is not whether the OP "can't handle the pressure", the question is whether they are attempting the fundamentally impossible. I don't mean to be harsh when I say I think they probably are. For example, I don't think that anyone with HSK 3 is going to achieve anything by attempting previous year university level examinations in Chinese other than demoralise themselves.

However, those comments only apply if the OP is doing a real university degree in accounting. He may not be. A number of people have noted that as a foreigner the expectations will be much lower, particularly as Zhejiang Normal University is not prestigious at all (seems like it is outside the top 200 Chinese universities from a quick google search). As Anonymoose notes, a university like Fudan will not just hand out degrees, but that doesn't mean Zhejiang Normal University won't. I suggest that the OP tries to find out exactly what the real expectations are. As Yonglin has noted "China is exerting a lot of effort into building relations and making FDI into a number of African countries, so the combination of Chinese and accounting in such markets could actually be pretty lucrative".

Best case scenario would probably be something like this: Chinese companies in Africa want to hire locals who can speak conversational, not necessarily fluent, Chinese to help them deal with other locals. It looks better if they have some sort of business degree, but the Chinese companies don't really care if they know anything about accounting or not. So they have arranged for universities prepared to pass foreigners no matter what to give scholarships to Africans. OP spends four years doing his degree, learns almost nothing about accounting but gets his Chinese to a conversational level so he gets his degree anyway. OP is hired by large Chinese company in Africa, and has a long and happy career helping his company deal with the locals.

I have no idea whether this is realistic or not. I recommend the OP talk to his later year foreign classmates and ideally, any African he knows or he or his family can track down that is working for a Chinese company if Africa to see if it is, and what Zhejiang Normal University really expects of him.

I think the biggest problem now is losing his scholarship rather than learning accounting because as far as I know they need high scores.

[valikor]

I have two friends in this situation right now. What natra (and others) have said seems to be the case: they are extremely lenient, and will probably let them pass no matter what. I previously assumed it was because I go to a school without a lot of foreigners. I guess it's actually fairly widespread.

What choudofu said sounds pretty good. If you pay to get someone to transcribe the notes (or just get a copy of someone's notes?), you can remember the important parts, and at least be able to regurgitate all of the main points on an exam, if you study enough.

Maybe better to postpone the major study for at least another semester, if you can. Unless you really only care about the degree, and figure you'll get the degree no matter what. . .

[Brian US]

Glad to hear more bean counters are in China! I'm currently studying at Renmin University on scholarship for a masters in accounting. I'll have two years of language under my belt before I start, but not sure how lenient Renmin University will be. Lots of good advice already from members. I did buy a beginner's accounting book in Chinese to brush up on some vocab before I start my main studies.

[skylee]

Brian US, what does a masters in accounting programme cover? How is it different from a bachelor degree?

[Brian US]

Brian US, what does a masters in accounting programme cover? How is it different from a bachelor degree?

Not exactly sure how it is in China, but when I applied for a scholarship I decided to ask for more than I needed. In the U.S. to become a Certified Public Accountant you need over 150 credit hours. A bachelor degree is normally 120-130 credits, so many accountants get a 30 credit masters to reach that number. The masters program at my school in the US starts to cover corporate taxes and continues with advanced accounting. Mergers and acquisitions aren't easy, but hedging currencies is fun!

I also wanted to learn Chinese accounting, which differs from U.S. and International Accounting Standards. Although I see China moving towards international standards there are still differences, especially with state owned enterprises. I always saw accounting as the language of business and I wanted to expand my language skills with Chinese business. A masters also gives me an excuse to my mommy and daddy that I should stay in China.

[skylee]

Thanks for the reply. I think the HK system is different as people seem to get a bachelor degree (or even no degree at all) and then take the CPA exams (serious stuff) to get the licence.

Will your degree be recognised in the US (or wherever you plan to work)? If it is not then you might have to take some exams for your licence, or perhaps you plan to work in China?

[Brian US]

I don't think the degree will be recognized in the U.S., so I still plan to get another masters in the States. Every partner and even a representative of Becker CPA (most popular CPA review) I talked to didn't know how credits would transfer. The degree here is more for language purposes and maybe some 关系 as the four largest public accounting firms are represented in China.

Most people do public accounting for 3-5 years and then go into the private sector. I would ideally like to come back to China to work/live, but it's hard to plan 10 years ahead. I have 5 out of the 11 years of planned education down. Do you automatically get the title of doctor after completing 10 years of school?