Peking University Chinese Courses

[gaoxing]

Hi everyone,

I am new to Chinese forums but I've been reading some of the posts and your comments are all really helpful =)

I'm planning to study for 1 year in Beijing and I'm tossing up between Beida and BLCU. I'm leaning towards Beida, but I still had a few questions which I couldn't find the answer to on the other forums about Beida university. Hopefully some of you can help me out??

1) how big are the classes in Beida university? Are the classes so big that you don't have quality time to practice speaking with the teacher?

2) I've read that Beida classes have predominately western students. Is this still the case and if so, have you found that English gets spoken a lot during class? Have you found that to be a hinderance in your ability to learn Chinese?

3) does Beida have programs/clubs which help foreigners interact with local students?

Any other comments that you have generally on the Beida course or your experiences at Beida would also be appreciated.

Thanks heaps in advance.

[kayro]

@gaoxing

Have you been able to find info on the Beida language program, especially in regards to start dates, cost? Can you tell me which link you are using?

I have been able to go as far as the below, but when I click on the link to "Short-term Programs," the link is dead.

http://english.pku.edu.cn/Admission/InternationalStudents/HowtoApply/

http://www.oir.pku.edu.cn/newoir/stuab/doc/2011/en/Shortterm_en.pdf

Last year when I was looking at the program, I found the following (attached file), but I cant seem to find the updated brochure info for this year. I've tried emailing their office, but no response. Anyone have any other ideas / info?

Peking University Brochure 2009EN.pdf

[Xiwang]

The size of the Beida classes is about 15 students per classroom, which is not too big to have meaningful interaction with the teachers. In the beginning level classes that I took, there were a lot of Westerners so English was the common language. In the intermediate-level classes, there were more Japanese students so students spoke more Chinese because that was the common language.

There are a lot of clubs on campus. At the beginning of each semester, they all have tables set up to recruit participants. (This seems to be common to all Chinese schools.) If you want to join the English club, you'll be very popular. However, there are also a lot of other sports and culture-related groups.

Overall, I loved my experiences there. I was lucky that my classes all took place in the Russian Building, which is an old two-story building. During the breaks, all of the students from all the classes would congregate outside and in the green area in front of the building. It was a great way to socialize with other students whom you might not otherwise meet. (For classes located in the higher-rise buildings, the students usually just stayed in their rooms during the break unless they really needed a cigarette.)

I'm partial to Beida because the campus is gorgeous, the main library (unlike the much smaller one at BLCU) is big enough that you can actually find plenty of places to sit down and study, and I like having other disciplines on campus. (For example, I attended lectures in the business school and sat in on law school classes.)

Whichever school you choose, you'll have a great year. Congratulations.

[gaoxing]

Thanks for the replies Xiwang, your post makes me really excited to go and study at Beida!

Kayro, I emailed Beida on study@pku.edu.cn and they sent me the attached information. However, I'm not quite sure what it means when Beida says one of the application requirements is that you need two letters from two professors.

Does anyone know what these references need to say? Ie: that you have studied at your home university and that you are who you say you are or do the references need to go further and say that you have studied chinese or that you are of good character etc. Also as I have graduated from university for a few years now, it is kind of hard to get two references from two professors. Does anyone know if these references can be provided by someone else (eg: an employer?)

Thanks!

Studying at Beida.pdf

[tyc911]

The reference letters are one from two different full time professors. My wife was able to submit one professional letter of reference with an academic letter of reference. She has been out of school and working for 5 years Advise your references to be "liberal" with their praise.

[Valeria Piccinini]

Hy everyone,

while I was looking for a chinese-language semester at Beida, I've noticed this program hanyu.pku.edu.cn/NewsBrowser.aspx?article=1509

it's an intensive four-month program for international students, since I was planning to get the hsk, thihs sounds perfect for me! does anybody know something about it? I can't find any infos about the fees etc..can anyone help me?

[yialanliu]

2) I've read that Beida classes have predominately western students. Is this still the case and if so, have you found that English gets spoken a lot during class? Have you found that to be a hinderance in your ability to learn Chinese?

Agree with the above, Japanese and Koreans make up more people in the Intermediate classes than Westerners. With Koreans, if your Chinese is decent, they'd prefer to speak in Chinese rather than English as both will be second languages, their Chinese will be stronger. So as long as your Chinese is already decent, you'll meet plenty of people at your level using Chinese and wont' be tempted to use English.

Just an aside, the Korean girls tend to be pretty cute as well haha. So more motivation?

[fila]

Hi everybody I've been in touch with Beida and asked a few questions about the intensive program. Since the intervals between their replies are rather long I thought I might post the whole exchange here:

I have a few questions about the ICP:

1) What's the difference between this program and the regular Chinese courses?

2)How many class hours are there per week and what does the schedule look like?

3)How many hours of homework are there per day?

4)How much is the tuition?

5)How many levels are there?

6)How many students are there in one class?

I would be very grateful if you could answer these questions. I have already read the information on your website.

Our program aims at improving students’ Chinese level in a short period of time. We have 30 class hours a week while regular courses usually have only 20. Basically you shall need one hour to two hours for homework every day. The tuition is RMB 22800 per semester. We have six classes of different levels for different students, the lowest of which is for beginners and the highest for advanced learners. Usually there are 13 students in a class.

If there is anything that you would like to know about the program, please let me know.

Best regards,

thanks for your reply! Are there any other differences between this and the regular program? I'm asking since the per hour cost of this program appears to be higher (tuition for the regular program is 13600/semester). I would also like to know if it's possible to attend different level classes for different learning areas (e.g. intermediate writing and beginner listening comprehension). Is this program completely new, or is there anyone attending it now that I could get in touch with?

Our program has 30 class hours per week while regular program has only 20 one week. Students in our program cannot attend different level classes for different learning areas. Besides, our program has been operating for 3 years.

Best regards,

yes, but are there any other differences? It seems to me that 13600 for 20 h/w is a better bargain than 22800 for 30 h/w, if the semesters are equal in length. (I'm just applying simple arithmetic here. If there is anything I'm unaware of, please enlighten me.)

In other words: what sets this program apart from the regular Chinese course (other than hours per week) that motivates the much higher tuition?

Intensive program aims at enhancing students’ Chinese level in a very short period of time. We have richer course arrangements and faster teaching process than regular program. Regular program usually deals with only two books in one semester while we deal with four. Besides, sometimes regular program cannot even finish the two books in one semester while we usually finish all the four. Beginners are able to pass HSK4 after taking part in our program for one semester and after two semesters, they are able to pass HSK 5. Meanwhile, it takes two years which is four semesters for regular program to reach HSK 5 level. The efficiency is our advantage over the regular program.

Please visit the website http://www.pkugv.com/ for more information on our dorm at Zhongguanxinyuan. The dorm costs RMB 90 per day, consisting of an independent bedroom and a shared living room, a shared bathroom. Students attending the Intensive Chinese Program will live in there.

[Bogo]

@ fila :

just another info for u :

for the regular courses - are own by BEIDA.

for the intensive courses - not own by BEIDA. They just collaborate with BEIDA.

[roddy]

Then who does run them?

[fila]

I think it's actually run by Beida itself, the link above is from the university's official website and they use pku.edu.cn e-mail addresses

[Bogo]

@ Rody :

I am not so sure. But the one I heard from my friend who study at there, they said that the regular one is own by BEIDA.

But, not for the intensive one.

[fila]

Bogo:

I think your friend is wrong, the program seems to be run by Peking University.

[MNS]

Hi everybody!

I'm new to the forum, I've been admitted to the fall Chinese enhancement program (Sept. 2012). Is there anyone out there currently studying at Beida who can give me some advice about renting an apartment at Wudaokou, or anyone willing to share an apartment?

[roddy]

I'm risking wearing out my keyboard saying this, but there's little point in discussing off-campus Wudaokou housing in the individual university topics. PKU, BLCU and Tsinghua (and other unis) are all within 2 or 3 km of each other, and apartment hunting advice for one applies just as well to all. Here's a topic from last year, here's an older one that still has plenty of useful information.

[Susie Park]

I am completely confused about the Beida(PKU) program as well. 22800 RMB/semester sounds way too pricey and there's not too much information provided in the first place. I had a friend of mine ask her friend who goes to PKU ask for me and this is what she said:

---

My friend (a native speaker) called the international department in Beida, and got back to me this morning. Unfortunately, they said the application is closed now, but you can still apply this November for the short program next year (starting from March 2013).. And the intensive program and short term are exactly the same thing, the only difference is they belong to different departments. Intensive program is from "对外汉语", and short term is from "国际合作部". As for the text book and course schedule, there is no difference.

---

So, basically there is no curriculum difference, just a difference in which department runs the program and how many hours per week. 22800 RMB is still expensive even after taking into account that the intensive program meets 28 hours (instead of 20 hours): a similar intensive program at BLCU which meets 30 hours/wk costs 19100 RMB. I mean, doesn't it make more sense to enroll in the regular program and pay 13600 RMB for 20 hours/wk and add electives like Business Chinese for FREE (since they're supposed to be included in the tuition), instead of enrolling in the intensive program and pay 22800 RMB for the same compulsory classes plus the extra classes which are no different from the regular electives??

Also, I can't believe that Fall 2012 semester applications are closed already. I thought the cycle started on April 1?! I guess I have to look into BLCU or Qinghua now... which is another set of dilemma.

[fila]

Well I'm not terribly impressed by their answers (posted above) and I'm now leaning towards Tsinghua. The main reason I want to go to Beida is a somewhat romantic idea about it being a center of Liberal Arts and dissent, whereas Tsinghua seems more drab and geeky and BLCU a playground for would be party animals from the cast of American Pie. Oh, well, I'm sure they're all about equal in quality.

[jirbau]

@MNS I will be studying in Peking University this September 2012 too! I am currently looking for apartments outside the school because the dorms in the school are all full already.

@Fila In my admission notice, the total amount written there is 26,000 for one year of Mandarin Language course. and the application really closes early. Like for my September 2012 start, I should have submitted all my application requirements by end of March. This is true to most Universities in Beijing except for the summer or short courses especially for big time universities like Beida. If you really want to learn Mandarin, BLCU should not be a choice for you. Most students there simply wants to have fun.

[Juan Marin]

I will go to Beida in the spring 2013 semester (regular course), anyone else applying for that period? any updates on the prices?

The 9000RMB price difference between the intensive and the regular course doesn't seem worth to me.

[ninirocks]

hi!! i'm gonna be in Beida or BLCU in the spring semester 2013 too!

do some of you guys know the dates of Beida spring semester 2013?? Can't find it on the webside

Thanks