Beginner's guide to Renmin University (人大)

[Brian US]

This is a beginner’s guide to Renmin University (The People’s University, 人民大学，人大). I have only spent two months as a student at the school, so I welcome any current or former students to help fill in.

Getting to Renmin University:

Renmin University is located in Beijing and is considered one of the top public universities in mainland China. The main campus is located on the northwest tip of the third ring road. Subway line 4 will take you to the east gate with the station Renmin University (人民大学站). Subway line 10 will take you just north of the west gate with the station Suzhoujie (苏州街站). There is a wall that surrounds the campus, so these are your main entry points. There are smaller gates, but they normally aren’t opened. If you are taking a cab from the airport expect to pay over 100 kuai.

Once on campus you will notice the large sports center and track in the middle. This is called the Century Stadium (世纪馆) and is important to know as many people will use it as a frame of reference in giving you directions.

Registration:

Registration for the fall semester started on September 7 this year for language students. Degree students normally had a later day of registration. You will need to go to the International Culture Exchange Center (国际文化交流中心) located along the south wall towards the middle of campus. The sign out front will say something about the Korean Student’s Office.

Make sure you bring all paperwork with photocopies. Photocopies may be done within the office during registration. You will need 6 photos, which can be done for 20 kuai at the E-campus Card Center right next to the Central Canteen. There is a little photo booth with someone stationed there giving change and helping you on registration day.

There is only one day for registration for language students. The office closes mid day for lunch and I went one hour early for the afternoon opening. If you have never experienced a Chinese office then prepare yourself, both physically and mentally. It took over 5 hours of waiting in line with little direction. There are many students stationed along the line with the Korean Club shirts to help. Most are Korean students with several Chinese students.

I suggest you bring a folding chair (I’m not kidding) for waiting in line. There is a café and store located downstairs if your sugar levels leave you collapsing. I’m not kidding about the chair, I’m bringing one and movies to watch next time I register. You will go through several stations with different requirements for scholarship students. I received around 800 kuai cash and you also need to have an open Bank of China checking account for the monthly deposits. There is a Bank of China branch located one block south of the west gate. I’m not sure about the physical (already had one and required for those staying one year or more), but it is normally done after registration. It will be done at the school’s hospital or you will be taken by bus to one off campus.

If you ever have any questions about anything at Renmin University I suggest you talk to the main guy in the International Student’s Office. I’ll try to get his name, but he is normally the only male around his thirties in the office. This is the NICEST and HAPPIEST person I have ever met working in a Chinese office. If he cannot help you then consider it hopeless. He seriously works during lunch hours, which doesn’t happen in China.

You may pick up your student ID at the same office a few days later. This is great for discounts and required for many things on campus. If you want to be cool like us RenDa students, you may also buy a fake one for 10-20 kuai outside the east gate.

At some point head to the E-campus Card Center to get your electronic card. The card is mainly used in the canteen and the library. The card will be linked to your Bank of China card, so be sure to keep it in a safe spot. There are many electronic booths to charge the card with money. A few are located right outside the office and in the canteen. The password is set to 123456, so make sure to change it as it will draw directly from your bank account.

The placement test involves a written and oral part. Books may be purchased at the Humanities building. I suggest you try out the class before purchasing books, because you may be better suited in a different level.

On Campus Living:

The International Student Dorm is located one building over from the place you register. It is along the south wall towards the middle of campus. Scholarship students will have a roommate and communal bathrooms/kitchen. The rate is around 30/35 kuai per night per person. Single rooms with your own bathroom are available for 80 kuai per night. I have only seen the scholarship rooms and the rates may differ depending on how long you are staying. There is no curfew.

There is a hotel located at the west gate. I briefly checked the prices, which are 300-400/night for a basic room and I think over 800 for a suite.

Off Campus Living:

With two major subway lines going to Renmin University you have many options depending on how far of a commute you want. If you prefer the convenience of walking to class I suggest looking outside the west gate. I looked around the east gate, which is located south of Zhongguancun, and asked how much 3000 kuai a month would get me. I was showed some pictures of what appeared to be a closet with a cot, squatting toilet, and a sad looking stove. If you don’t mind roughing it then I still recommend the west gate to get a better bang for your buck.

3rd party agencies are an expensive yet convenient way to find an apartment. You will find one on every block. You can find a place for as little as 200 kuai a month if you don’t mind bunk beds with 6 other Chinese. If you want a decent place that has been recently renovated then look to pay around 3000 kuai a month. The neighborhoods just outside the west gate are older, but expensive due to their location. The further west you go you will find nicer apartments, but with giving up location and going for quality you will still be paying around 3000 kuai.

Food:

There are many canteens located around campus and named after their respected location (East, West, North…). The quality is better than other schools I have been to, but I would say it isn’t too cheap. Like most school canteens they will make one batch of food, so get there early or you will be faced with cold scraps. The east canteen appears to be the busiest, so I would avoid that during peak times. Scattered around campus there are some restaurants and cafes.

Off campus you will find a bit of everything. The east gate is crowded with large stores, but there is a nice side street directly across. The west gate is where all the fun is and where I happen to reside. Going one block south you will find six large restaurants and about 10+ smaller ones. At night there are food vendors and shopping stands.

On Campus:

The school is pretty big and has its scenic spots. It isn’t as old or as picturesque as Beijing Univ or Tsinghua, but I am always in awe of the huge main building at the west gate. The north side of campus is mainly student, faculty, and workers housing.

I briefly visited the library, which you need your E-card to access. Every floor has its book room and desks are piled in the hallway. There doesn’t seem much room and not a very good place to study. It’s mainly Chinese students trying to get out of their dorm room that they share with 5 others.

The track is open in the morning and at night. I was in search of a gym, but came up empty handed at the Century Stadium. It was fairly expensive and all they had were courts open for basketball and maybe tennis. There is no weightlifting or even a treadmill. There is an outdoor lifting area with very basic equipment next to the tennis courts.

According to my classmates there are several gyms outside the east gate around Zhongguancun. I have yet to check them out, but I hear they are over 2,000 kuai per year. There is an exercise area with only dumbbells and treadmills next to the store in the basement of the International Culture Exchange Center. I think it's 10 kuai per visit or a membership is around 300 kuai for a few months.

The swimming pool is located just south of the Century Stadium. There are many payment plans with students getting a discount. I went with the 3 month plan for 20 visits, which comes to around 8-9 kuai a visit. I suggest you take the swimming test right away in order to swim on the deep side. The shallow side will be crowded and filled with people playing along the edge.

There is an English corner(Friday nights?)at the west gate. I haven't seen many clubs for foreigners on campus. The Korean student association is very active...but you need to be Korean to join. An American classmate argued with them on registration day for not letting her join to no avail. There is an International student association on campus, but according to my friend it is mainly full of Chinese students looking to practice English.

Classes:

Language students will have class Monday through Friday and normally 8am-11:30am. There is one day a week that is a half day. Classes are taught in Teaching Building #5 which is directly next to the track and field. I think they offer some extra afternoon classes, but I don’t know of any students that go.

Renmin University is not a place designed to teach foreigners in Chinese language. I'm sure there is a degree program to continue studies, but the current curriculum does not seem to equal that of Beijing Language University. For example, I found that the upper intermediate class is equal to around upper elementary or lower intermediate at Beijing Language University. Each section is equivalent to one semester, so going from lower elementary to upper advance is about three years of total schooling.

The language building is old and overcrowded. Classes will have over 20 students and with attendance being a good chunk of your grade, your class will be full most days. They have recently moved many classes to a modern building near Mingde which is the huge building near the west gate. The classrooms are great with projectors and plenty of room. I find the teachers to be hit or miss. The main grammar teachers that you have three times a week are generally better. Most of the books are from Beijing Language University.

You will have two classes a day with all the basics of grammar, speaking, and listening. Many of the teachers have studied or worked abroad, so their English is very good. I find using English is fine to describe complex grammar or when you are at the most basic level, but it normally doesn't belong in the classroom.

The problem with any large school is that your teacher doesn't have the time to correct your pronunciation and tones. I suggest finding a language partner, tutor, or private school as soon as possible. Bad tones and pronunciation is a hard habit to break. Not sure on nearby private schools, but they normally go for 600 kuai a month at 1.5 hours a day of class.

There is little to no homework for your classes. I tend to get lazy if my only plan is to preview. My fellow classmate did mention they are lenient when it comes to midterm and final exams. I do like the fact that the vocab used is very practical. I found at BLCU we started reading stories about a Phoenix and the crazy adventures of Cao Cao. This is very valuable to studying Chinese culture, but maybe not so much when you are signing a lease to your apartment.

For major studies I have heard Renmin University is one of the top business and law school in the mainland. I haven't found any stats to back this up, but the students here are some of the best from around the country. The majority of foreign students will be Korean. A friend is doing a business degree with Chinese students and says that during class most of them sleep, yet outside of class they only study.

One complaint from a classmate doing their bachelors is that some programs only have foreigners in class (mostly Korean). This is unlike Tsinghua or Beijing University where you will have class with Chinese classmates. This really depends on your major as all my friends currently have class with Chinese.

~~~

Please feel free to correct or add to anything I have written. Again I have only been on campus for two months and will be a student at Renmin University for the next four years. You may spot me on campus riding a yellow scooter with little care for my safety and those around me.

Special thanks to the CSC scholarship and China for paying me to go to school!

[valikor]

Is this post accepting responses?

The details on "classes" are a bit sparse. This is the most important aspect of a university, right? I hope more details can be provided! Long anecdotes, stories, details, numbers, etc., would probably be very helpful to students looking at different schools. This would probably require the comments of more than one person.

Hope to hear more!

[Brian US]

Always welcome to constructive criticism, so I'll see what I can add.

I didn't really want to come out and say it, but I wouldn't suggest going to Renmin University to study language. Where the school excels, is in its major studies. This is where I have little to zero experience with, so I'm hoping other students will come along.

[kuura]

I spent the academic year '09/'10 studying at the school of business at RenDa.

I was also take language classes if I wanted, the class sizes were not a problem in my case (we had like 5-7 students for my classes).

best on-campus accomodation is 国际文化交流中心, besides housing the international office the first three floors are a hotel and the rest of the floors are a dormitory with single rooms with private bathrooms, internet and 24h hot water. rates vary depending on the lenght of the time spent there, around 80-100 RMB / night.

There is a Bank of China office close to the east gate too, 1st floor of a tall office building on your left when walking towards Zhongguancun. I prefer this location to the one on the west gate because I found that the several bank tellers spoke quite good english and I was not confident enough in my chinese to handle complicated stuff like money transfers etc.

[Jaikuz]

Hi to everyone!

As you can see is my first message in this forum so I am not sure how this it works. I am from Madrid, Spain and I am studying here in Europe but next fall I will finish my degree of Business in Renmin University. I read a lot of messages around the Internet and one of my worries is the accommodation. I will be in one of the International Buildings and I sent a message to the International Office asking if I could have a private bath ( the price was cheap if you compare it with the prices in europe and the currency change ). They said that they can't guarantee me an exactly room with private bath but she said that all the requests they received this year 2010/2011 were deeply satisfied. Does any one tried to live off-campus? I surfed some webs but most of them are really expensive and they don't have to many apartments near the Renmin University.

Please I will really glad if you could help me!

James

PD: Brian thanks for the post of beginners in Renmin! I found it really helpful!

[kuura]

Most foreigners studying at Renda who live off campus live in Wudaokou. The rents are really high for decent places close to Renda, and finding roommates is more difficult.

The distance between Wudaokou and RenDa is not long, it's only like 15-20 kuai or 10-20 minutes with Taxi. and you can also opt for busses or the subway too.

[Brian US]

I forget the Chinese name, but the building with the international student's office also has apartment style rooms. They have their own bathroom, but don't have a kitchen. The rooms are around the price of an off campus apartment, so it depends if you want the convenience of living on campus or not. They are also a little bit smaller than an apartment.

Don't bother with online ads as most are fake or misleading. Best bet is to come a week or two prior to registration and go around on foot. There is a hotel on campus that you can stay for a few days, but keep in mind that the apartments you are shown normally are available same day. Note that other students will also be looking for apartments during this time.

[Guest]

That's really unfortunate that the language courses aren't so great...This is the BEST fit for me (B.A. in Political Science) and I want to pursue the Contemporary Chinese Studies Master's Program.

I'm in a bit of a weird position because I want (need) to do some language study, but I don't know if spending 1-2 (I'm talking about CSC by the way) will be worth it at RenDa if I could just go somewhere else...but then, I'll have the whole concern of trying to get back to RenDa if I did go somewhere else...Are they really so bad or are you speaking more in reference to Beijing Language University?

[Brian US]

I was doing more of a comparison to BLCU. You will still learn Chinese at Remin University, but just compare a class of 25 students to a class of 15 at BLCU.

[Guest]

I see. I just remember you ( I think it was ) discussing the differences between BNU and BCLU and now RenDa...it's a little confusing. But I guess since I want to do a master's program, this is the best choice for me, no? Especially considering I'm a Political Science major.

Is their reputation deserved? (From what you've observed).

[Brian US]

I've never been to BNU. I also don't know much about Renmin's graduate programs. I heard Renmin is known for their political and law programs, but you will probably only find that information on Chinese websites. During my orientation, they claimed to have the best accounting program in China, but that is the first I've heard of it.

[Guest]

Oh, sorry! I don't know who I confused you with...Anyways, yeah, the website pretty much affirmed how awesome their law and social sciences are (research & faculty) but you know, everything always sounds great on a webpage.

Also, on a side note, I tried finding any kind of publications (like journals) but couldn't and then it occurred to me that maybe it's either 1) only available through a portal only available to students or 2) it's not in print form. If you know NOTHING about their publications, don't worry about it. I just thought I'd ask. I sent the department an email, but I haven't heard back yet.

How is the university bureaucratically? I know it's almost always impossible to just go to any one specific office to sort something out (I learned that much during my time at Fudan), but any description at all is okay.

[Brian US]

As far as the bureaucracy, I would say it's like any other school or business in China, lots of paperwork and no one is in their office. There is a man in the foreign student's office named Du laoshi that has his stuff down. Basically if he can't help you then it is a lost cause. I've raved about him before as he is also the only one that will work during his lunch break, which I've NEVER heard of this before.

[Guest]

Oh yes! The infamous lunch breaks...I will definitely have to remember him. I'm really hoping I'm able to attend (with or without the CSC scholarship) as it's really one of the best fits for me. Anything else worth mentioning you can think of?

[Brian US]

I won't have a clear idea of the school until I get into my program this semester.

[peiwenlian]

.

[Brian US]

Sorry for the late response, but you normally handle accommodations on arrival. A few changes this year to the dorm will determine where scholarship students and non scholarship students may stay. Basically, less options for non-scholarship students as building 1 and 2 are pretty full.

With the CSC scholarship you will probably be placed in building 1 and 2. I'm currently working on the move into building 1 from off campus as 2nd year master's students get their own room.

[Brian US]

Just a heads up to anyone considering living in the dorms, be prepared to live with families. The university has for at least international student's dorm 1, allowed families of students to live with them. They are predominately from southeast Asia and I've seen husbands/wives and children staying here, whom definitely aren't students. There is even a newborn baby living next door to my dorm room. I have complained about the noise before, but the office seems to turn a blind eye. It is ironic, since the dorm is strict about ID'ing visitors and kicking people out at night.

[heyyu]

Is anyone going to RenDa this Sept 2013?

[sämpsä]

I'm going to RedDa for a year with a Confucius Institute scholarship, studying 汉语言. That's pretty much all I know this far.