Xiamen University

[Ori_A]

Hey Chris, 
 

The possibilty you mentioned does exist, and I know quite a few people who are doing it (some of my classmates from last year). I only know of two available programs - Business / Economy kind of major; and Chinese culture major.
Teaching Chinese as a foreign language is a two years MA program, not a bachelor's degree. There is also an option for MA in linguistics, which is a 3 years program. 
Regarding the BA programs - I was never interested in doing it so I don't know any details regarding the courses they take or how good are the programs. Like I said, I know people who are doing it, so if you have specific questions, I'd be happy to ask them for you.

The MA programs - I've been to some of the classes they take in the Teaching Chinese as a foreign language program (though I'm not a student there), and I must say that I wasn't very impressed. Some of the classes are taken alongside the Chinese students, and some are just for foreigners (usually language classes). Though it will probably improve your Chinese quite a bit, knowing a language and teaching it are two very different things, and I don't get the feeling that they prepare you enough for that. It might be enough for the Chinese students, because many of them studied related majors as their Bachelor's degree, and they actually go and teach Chinese for a year, as part of their MA program. However, If I would have wanted to become a Chinese teacher (and study a related degree), I would consider a different university. That is my personal opinion and again, I'm not a formal student there.
The same actually goes for the MA in linguistics. I know one american guy who's doing it, and he says he's doing it only to improve his Chinese. They don't have many classes (no classes at all during the second and third year, which are devoted to writing their thesis), and I don't really get the poing of what they're studying. There are actually no linguistics classes this semester for them, only some kind of a Chinese syntax class, which is just for foreingers. Again, just my personal opinion - If you want to improve your Chinese, there are better ways of doing that, and if yo want to actually learn linguistics (which is language studies and not Chinese studies), do it in a better university (in China or outside. I've heared the programs in Shanghai are not bad, but I don't really know).

About the language and accents - Both the people in the city, and the majority of the people in the countryside can speak Minnanhua, as well as Mandarin. That does not apply for the old people. The accent (when speaking Mandarin) varies quite a lot. Most have some kind of an accent, in many cases it's not bad, but in some cases it takes some time to get used to (not a lot of time though). Apart from that, the campus is full of Chinese students from all across China, and they all speak Mandarin perfectly well. 
I speak with locals whenever I get the chance (less now than before), and the accent doesn't bother me, nor does it affect my own accent. If you come with an HSK 5 background, you'll be just fine.

I have no idea what the tuition for the BA and MA programs is, but I assume it's the same as the Chinese language studies, which means just as you said - 26,000 a year. The accomodation is 2,000 a year for a bed in a two bed room, meaning you will have a roommate. That being said, the campus is losing it's popularity with foreigners at the moment because of the location, and in many cases the rooms just dont fill up. 
I would suggest an alternative - Since the campus is located in the countryside, the rent outside is very (very) cheap. There are many places renting one bedroom apartments in the villages next to the campus. The prices range from 300 (not recommended) to around 500 Yuan a month. You can find a big room, some with a TV and a kitchen (both of which you will not have in the dorms) for 450-500 a month. The electricity and water fees are cheap as well, and I find it to be a much better option, since you'll be very close to the campus (a few minutes walk), but live amongst the locals (and other students) in much better conditions.

I think I've got all the questions answered here, feel free to ask anything else.

[Chris Two Times]

Wow! Many, many thanks for taking the time to write such a thorough response, Ori_A. Greatly appreciated.

 

I was wondering about the possibility of renting off campus. 500 yuan a month is brilliant (considering that here in Beijing the monthly rents would be at least ten times that amount). Thanks for pointing that out.

 

I wouldn't be interested in the TCSOL program. I know that many such programs have sprouted up in universities across China, but as you've indicated, the quality of most of them is to be questioned.

 

Mostly I am just interested in language classes and passing HSK Level 6 someday.

 

Many thanks again for sharing your knowledge about Xiamen University!

 

Chris Two Times

[Kherith]

Thank you very much for all this information.  Do you know which series of textbooks they use ? With luck, might be the same as what we use here in Wuhan.

[Ori_A]

Hey, you're very welcome.
The books they use in Xiada are called "Developing Chinese" - 发展汉语.

Can't say that I was very satisfied with the books, and it's been well over 10 years without them being replaced with newer additions.  

[Kherith]

Well, this is actually perfect because these are the books we are using now (Comprehensive, reading and speaking). We finish one book in one semester, so I guess that if I go there, I will start the semester with the Elementary 2 books.

I have one more question. Im really hesitating now because I like WuDa so if I go to Xiamen, it will only to be with my girlfriend. As she will be working at the airport, I want to know how far is the campus from the airport. Is it ok to live near the airport and go study, or is there an ideal area where I can settle to be with her ?

[Ori_A]

The airport is technically not very far, but there is no convenient transportation between Xiang'an campus (where you will be studying) and the airport, and you need to take 3 buses to get there. You could rent an apartment somewhere in the middle (the eastern side of the Island), and then it would be a short walk + one bus for the both of you. I can't give you anything specific because I haven't checked, but I would guess it is possible. It's a very nice area to live in, but the rent is not very cheap though, so take that into consideration too.

[zhandingjietie]

May I ask about the rent on the island, how expensive is it?

[Ori_A]

I don't live there so I don't know the exact prices, and they vary quite a lot. I have a friend who rents an apartment with his friend (they're not a couple so two bedrooms) not far from that area, and they pay 2,500 a month each. Living with two other people (3 bedrooms, living room, and sometimes a blacony) is considerably cheaper, around 1,500 a month. Not sure how much it would be for a couple, and I can't compare it with other cities either, so sorry for the limited information.

[zhandingjietie]

Many thanks for the information)

[Kherith]

Hi guys, anyone here who has studied a master's degree in Xiamen University who could answer a few questions ?

[sufei]

So I've been accepted to Xiamen University. But I still have no idea if they've nominated me for the Chinese Government Scholarship or not. I've emailed admissions but they just keep telling me to wait until late July when the scholarship results come out. I just wanna know!! 

[Jianada]

On 7/10/2017 at 9:46 AM, sufei said:

So I've been accepted to Xiamen University. But I still have no idea if they've nominated me for the Chinese Government Scholarship or not. I've emailed admissions but they just keep telling me to wait until late July when the scholarship results come out. I just wanna know!! 

 

Similar situation, I was accepted by Xiamen University and applied to the CSC scholarship via my local Chinese consulate.. waiting on the consulate to confirm I received the scholarship. 

Anyone know what the dorm situation is at the international student dorms at Siming campus? Is sharing a room 100% mandatory? 

 

 

[Eldana19]

Hi everyone! I was accepted by Xiamen University and I will study MTCSOL at Xiang An campus. I am a Confucios Institute sholarship student. Anyone going to XiaDa to take M.A in Teaching Chinese to Speakears of other languages? Feel free to add my wechat : eldana19 

will be happy to make some new friends  

 

[sufei]

Hi everyone. So I didn't get the CSC scholarship but I got admission so I've decided to take the plunge and attend Xiamen University. Anyone else attending? Please message me and we can add each other on wechat!

[RichS]

Hi everyone. So heres my current situation.

 

I've been teaching English in China for 3 years now, while I've been here I've studied really hard and passed the HSK6 not too long ago. I just turned 31, and I kinda began thinking what is my life goal right now? Well it certainly isn't keeping on slogging in this job I don't like. One life goal is to perfect my Chinese, another is to live in a comfortable fun city with a bit of character,  where the pollution isn't so bad. I've been in Tianjin 3 years, I feel very fond of it, but there ain't much to do and the smog gets pretty bad.

 

I've always liked the South of China, so I began thinking, why not find a beautiful city and just chill out and study for 2, 3 years. Teaching English will always be here for me, but in a few years I'll be too old to do the university thing, and China seems to provide pretty generous scholarships. I've kind of cottoned on to the idea of going to Xiamen, I've heard it's not too polluted, beautiful beaches, and a wonderful campus.

 

As for my major my first love is History, so I was thinking maybe studying History IN CHINESE would be a good way to kill two birds with one stone, Xiamen offers world history and Chinese history courses. On the other hand, maybe a masters with a more Chinese flavour would be in order, plus I'm a teacher so if I did a Chinese teaching degree that would be another way to kill two birds with one stone. So I thought Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages，Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language as a masters would also be a good choice.

 

Does anyone have any experience of these specific masters, Chinese education in general or Xiamen in particular who could give me some advice?

 

Many thanks.

[Jianada]

On 11/2/2017 at 11:11 PM, RichS said:

Hi everyone. So heres my current situation.

 

I've been teaching English in China for 3 years now, while I've been here I've studied really hard and passed the HSK6 not too long ago. I just turned 31, and I kinda began thinking what is my life goal right now? Well it certainly isn't keeping on slogging in this job I don't like. One life goal is to perfect my Chinese, another is to live in a comfortable fun city with a bit of character,  where the pollution isn't so bad. I've been in Tianjin 3 years, I feel very fond of it, but there ain't much to do and the smog gets pretty bad.

 

I've always liked the South of China, so I began thinking, why not find a beautiful city and just chill out and study for 2, 3 years. Teaching English will always be here for me, but in a few years I'll be too old to do the university thing, and China seems to provide pretty generous scholarships. I've kind of cottoned on to the idea of going to Xiamen, I've heard it's not too polluted, beautiful beaches, and a wonderful campus.

 

As for my major my first love is History, so I was thinking maybe studying History IN CHINESE would be a good way to kill two birds with one stone, Xiamen offers world history and Chinese history courses. On the other hand, maybe a masters with a more Chinese flavour would be in order, plus I'm a teacher so if I did a Chinese teaching degree that would be another way to kill two birds with one stone. So I thought Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages，Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language as a masters would also be a good choice.

 

Does anyone have any experience of these specific masters, Chinese education in general or Xiamen in particular who could give me some advice?

 

Many thanks.

 

 

 

Hey man, I've been at Xiamen University for a month and a half and love it so far. It's been blue skies and nice weather every day so far. The beaches are 'good for China' but I've heard mixed reviews. It's nice looking out at the ocean but I don't think I would go swimming. 

 

If you do a masters degree in teaching Chinese as a foreign language, you’ll be at the Xiang’an campus way out here in the suburbs… probably nongcun to be honest. There are a dozen shops/restaurants on campus + another few dozen more in the village just outside of 东门。It's a 20 minute bus ride to 新店 (urban part of Xiang'an) or an hour bus ride to downtown Xiamen.

The 海外教育学院 is out here, and it includes: students learning Chinese, teaching Chinese as a foreign language, as well as Finance and Economics.

 

I’m friends with several people studying to be Chinese teachers, it’s nice having friends who genuinely enjoy politely correcting my grammar.

 

I think history majors are on the more famous downtown campus in 思明, but look it up to make sure.

 

--

The China government scholarship gives masters students a stipend of 3000 rmb/month. If you give up the dorm room they provide an additional rent subside of 700 rmb/month. The cost of a small 1 bedroom apt next to the Xiang’an campus is 450-500rmb/month, vs 2000-2100 next to Siming campus.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions

[Imran inuwa]

hello everyone! i am applying for government scholarship in xiamen university. can anyone please tell me how much the application processing fee is?

[Ampicillin]

@Jianada

Hi, I am planning to apply for PhD program at Xiamen university but I am an existing CSC student and will graduate within 4 months. I would like to know if Xiamen accepts same year graduation or are there any other scholarships?

[Maya12345]

Does anybody have any experience in studying distance bachelor's course in Acupuncture in Xiamen University?  It is supposed to be a 5 year distance study during which one goes to Xiamen for internship twice. Maybe you know somebody who has any experience and knowledge about this university? 

 

I have contacted them and found out you need to have passed HSK6 in order to study this course. Right now I am considering to invest to study Chinese 3 years fulltime, in order to apply for this course. I can't go to China and stay long periods. So was thinking to do this in distance mode. This university seems to be the only acknowledged university in China which offers bachelor's in acupuncture in distance mode.

[陳德聰]

@Maya12345 Hi Maya, welcome to the forum. I have moved your post to the Xiamen University thread so that you do not have to start a new topic about it. Hopefully someone who has the answers to you questions will come along soon.