Nanjing University

[roddy]

This topic is for discussion and reviews of Nanjing University. Accommodation, courses, on-campus facilities and activities - anything to do with Nanjing University goes in here. If there's a lot of discussion about any one particular topic we might split it into a new thread and leave a link here.

[hutudekongfuzi]

Has anyone used Nanjing University's online application before? I'm applying for one semester of Chinese beginning in the spring semester next year and would like to hear from anybody who has used this function to apply.

How long did it take to get a response?

Did you have to print and mail anything even though it's an online application?

Did you receive the admission notice by mail, email, or could you download it online once your application was approved?

[oneeyedcats]

I'm going to attend Nanjing University this fall.

Anyone?

[hutudekongfuzi]

I'll be there.

[roddy]

So have you already done a semester? How has it been?

[hutudekongfuzi]

Yes Roddy, I just completed a semester of language study 进修汉语课. Loved it, but I don't have any other schools in China to compare it to.

I lived off campus because I'm here with my fiancee, it was her first semester studying in China too, and she had a great time. The fees for 南大 are quite high, they run at about 9,500元 per semester, I believe a similar course is cheaper at 南师大. They encouraged us to change classes if we found one to be lacking in any way, and many students shopped around before finding a schedule that suited them, but I was content with all of mine and will be keeping in touch with the teachers. The canteen was incredibly cheap, and the campus has several streets nearby geared for Uni students which makes eating convenient and fun. They organise quite a few events for students over the semester, marathons, trips to nearby water towns etc. Overall I had a great experience, else I would not be returning for further study.

I just came back from Hangzhou and didn't get a chance to check out 浙大, so you'll be able to give us a better comparison in a couple months, oneeyedcats. But I would hazard a guess that we are going to be in the same class, I'm looking forward to making a Bulgarian friend.

Happy to answer any questions about the school, city, whatever, if I'm able to.

[oneeyedcats]

@hutudekongfuzi,

thanks for the welcoming words . I know some people who've studied in Nanjing, so I have a general idea. Besides, I spent a few very pleasant days there in November .

Just one question - what are the dorms like? According to the papers Nanda sent me, I will live in Xiyuan and have a roommate. Now, I understand you live off campus, but can you give me some general idea what to expect from Xiyuan?

Have a good summer and see you in Nanjing .

[hutudekongfuzi]

From my understanding the Xiyuan lodgings are not as good as the building which is adjacent, for the international language students, where it is one to a room. You may be able to upgrade if you were willing to contribute the difference in cost, but I'm not sure. Regardless, the language students are in the building adjacent so it will be very convenient for you.

[oneeyedcats]

Thanks for the info!

Two rather important questions - it probably differs from year to year, but can you tell me when is the official end of the Nanda academic year? I want to buy a return ticket, so any info on that would be appreciated.

Another thing I would like to know is where I have to register for the dorm and if they work until late at night?

Any info would be appreciated.

Alex

[hutudekongfuzi]

I think you're right, it differs slightly from year to year. This year we finished on 7th of June, one week study break and then exams from 17th-21st.

Registering for dorms and all things course related take place at 曾宪梓楼, which is north-west end of the campus:

江苏省南京鼓楼区金银街曾宪梓楼

http://goo.gl/maps/E4S0h

[tj20]

First post ..Gotta say this is such a interesting forum!..Just reading these posts, the firsthand experience is incredibly helpful..

oneeyedcats if you are in Nanjing could you please share your experience so far? Are the teacher good? do they take interest? how big are the classes? I am really considering this uni...any experience would be highly appreciated!

[oneeyedcats]

Well, I'm studying History of International Relations and not taking Chinese classes, so I'm not in a good position to answer your questions, but the classes I take with other foreigners - China Survey (中国概况） and HSK 6 are both pretty good, so my general impression is that the quality of teaching in NanDa is definitely of higher standard than Zhejiang University.

 

Also, I have to say that both Nanjing University as an academic institution and Nanjing as a city have left me with very good impression so far, I definitely feel more comfortable living and studying here than in Hangzhou.

All in all, I would definitely recommend NanDa over Zhejiang University.

As for my Master's classes (I study together with Chinese people) - I would say they are of good quality, as can be expected from a top university (by Chinese standards) and the teachers are very understanding that your Chinese is.. well, shit, so they were all like - don't worry about it, you'll get used to it, bla bla, so I can say that they have been fairly supportive so far.

[Grurken]

I'm confused, trying to find some kind of course list of all courses they're offering, but can't find it anywhere. Also when they're taught and credits. Anyone now where to find something like that?

[YamiiSan]

Hi everyone~  I'm currently studying at Nanda and living off campus~

[Satirical]

If you all are still studying at the university, would you mind updating your experience for me? I visited Nanjing for a week two years ago, and really loved the scenery, so I was thinking about studying there.

I had a few questions to ask.

 

Are teachers helpful in addition to understanding?

Are international students party hounds or relatively studious?

How is campus opinion towards International students?

Are the dorms nice, or is off campus housing a better option?

 

Thanks in advance!

[olapet]

please does anyone knows the email address of Nanjing medical university for scholarship application

[luyisi]

Hello everyone,

 

I studied at NJU for one semester starting september 2014, so I thought I would share my experience here, as it may help someone decide on what university to pick !

 

NB: I am not doing my Chinese language studies as part of an exchange program with a non-Chinese university. I picked the university I wanted to attend by myself and applied for all the procedures (Admission, visa procedures and all that fun stuff) by myself, and I did not have a scholarship at the time, so some things may be different for exchange students, scholarship students, etc. but I will try my best and make this review as complete as possible, based on my and my classmates' experiences.

 

Application Process

As most Chinese Language Programs here offer, I applied online. NJU has created a webpage dedicated to interenational students' applications, it's pretty straight-forward, nothing particularly complicated on the process. Do make sure you scan all the documents (passport, ID photo, High school graduation diploma at the very least if memory serves) beforehand, that way you'll save some time. The application form asks for all sorts of documents, but don't be scared, you don't have to give everything they require, as long as you have the aforementioned documents at the very least, you should be perfectly fine. Admission fee is 400RMB if I remember correctly, which you can pay online with a credit card.

Course and Funding

 

As I said earlier, I was doing a Long-Term Chinese Language Program for one semester, and I was placed in upper elementary level. It cost me 9,500RMB + book fees which was... roughly 240 I think? it gets cheaper as you go up the levels, that I do remember. 

Arrival and registration

 

Okay, now for the fun part. On that particular aspect, NJU is /not/ organised and helpful AT ALL. If you have no knowledge of Chinese whatsoever, and you've never been to China before, I would suggest going to another university just because of that. If you don't need assistance on your first days though, you should be fine.

 

Their website does says they offer pick-up services at Shanghai Airports and Nanjing Airport and railway stations, BUT they only offer these services on maybe two specific dates, which are only comunicated to the students around mid-july -needless to say I had already booked my tickets by then and of course, my arrival date didn't match with their pick-up services. So unless you can book your ticket really late, don't rely on that.

You are given the dorm's front desk number on their website as well, but it is entirely useless as the hotel will not take any reservations for student rooms. They want you there with your admission notice and your visa, otherwise they don't take reservations. Also the staff doesn't speak english. Do come and see them with your documents before registration week starts though, that way you may be able to get a room with a private bathroom. There are very few of them and they go very quickly.

 

The whole registration process IS A MESS. A COMPLETE AND UTTER MESS. It takes an entire week. I'm not joking. They take an entire week to go through registration, test placement, visa forms, getting a dorm room, paying tuition, handing out schedules and buying books. (just for a comparison, I'm now at Jiaotong University in Shanghai and the same process, including placement test, took about 2 hrs.) it's completely disorganized and you spend most of that week waiting in line - on the plus side, you get to make acquaintances while waiting- so my advice is, GET THERE EARLY. Very early. Also once again they are not very helpful, so if you need to modify your visa type or take a medical exam, they will give you the addresses of the Visa center and the hospital, but that's about it. I heard Nanjing Normal, on the other hand, has a much smoother registration process and they organize a group trip to the hospital with a native speaker, which can be reassuring for the students who don't speak a word of Chinese. You can pay tuition by cash or by transferring money to their bank account direclty, but you have to take a trip to their bank to do that, seems a bit 麻烦 and they charge you more if you do that.

 

Accommodation

I would say that for the price you pay for the accomodation, it's /okay/. But get what you pay for, so don't expect anything grand. For international students, you either live in the mandarin garden hotel right next door to the school building, or in the school building, which has the better rooms, but they're also fewer. In both buildings you can either get a double room or a single room (there's no difference between the two, you just decide if you want to pay double the price to get a room by yourself or not), but the rooms in the school buildings are more expensive because they have private bathrooms -and are overall better than the mandarin garden rooms. As you may have guessed, if you are in Mandarin Garden, you'll only have common bathrooms (one bathroom with two shower stalls and two toilet stalls per floor).

For a double room in Mandarin Garden you will pay about 900RMB a month (so double that if you want a single room); I don't know about the prices in the school building but I think it was double that. No wi-fi, only cable, but you can buy a router on taobao.

Mandarin garden doesn't have kitchens (at least not in my opinion. You have a room with a microwave, a sink, and one of those tiny electric stoves on each floor, but I wouldn't try and do some actual cooking in there); I heard the school building dorm floors have decent cooking spaces and common dining areas which are pretty nice, but I haven't had a chance to experience it for myself.

If you're not fancy on cooking though, there are tons of cheap restaurants all around the school, as well as cafes, various Chinese, Asian, and some western options available.

For the most part the receptionists are not nice nor helpful, but they do get better if you speak decent Chinese with a decent amount of confidence. The cleaning ayis are very nice.

 

TL;DR: Overall, if you are strapped for cash and you don't mind sharing a room with someone for several months, do get a room at mandarin garden. If you have a scholarship AND you can get a room in the school building, you should be fine. Otherwise however, just get a room or an apartment around campus, you should be able to find something decent for under or about 2000RMB in the vicinity of the school.

 

Classes, Classrooms and Teachers

 

The school building for the CLP and the classes are pretty modern and it is, in my opinion, a pretty comfortable environment to study in. The classrooms are small, which I personally like, and you will be put in classes of less then 10 - up to max 25 students. Most of the student body are Westerners, but you get a good amount of Koreans and Japanese still - massive amount of Aussies, mostly from Melbourne. Overall not hardcore students, but I wouldn't say hardcore party-ers either, just basically pretty chill. 

 

You have 4hrs of class per day, monday to friday, with the usual classes you get in a CLP. In upper elementary, you have Reading and Writing everyday, Speaking 4x a week, and Listening once a week. Some electives are available, but the information for it is only given out in Chinese, which discouraged me from taking any, but from what I've heard, Calligraphy and Martial Arts you can attend with any levels, and the other courses (chinese litterature, history, business etc.) you should be able to understand starting lower intermediate. There are no English-taught extracurriculars as far as I know.

I personally really liked the teachers I had. They were really good, almost never used English (sometimes gave the translation to a vocab word but that's about it). 听力 was the most boring, but 口语 and 读写 were very good and interesting. There was a good atmosphere in our class, and by the end of the semester we were having extended discussions with our teachers on various topics, whether based on the lesson or not. I was in the easiest Upper elementary class, but I feel like I did learn a lot in just four months, spending an average of 2hrs a day on homework and reviews (Jiaotong's placement test originally put me in Upper Intermediate. I backed down to Lower intermediate and I'm bored out of my mind.) The classes are apparently less exciting as you get in the upper levels, and follow more and more the traditional Chinese teaching style -lectures, very few interactions- but I have not heard anybody say they had horrible teachers, at least not in the CLP.

For students who are doing exchange programs, and have to attend classes outside of Chinese language courses, however, I have heard from other students they encountered some difficulties, and apparently the english-taught classes aren't fantastic. 

Campus and Environment

 

NJU has two campuses, one on the outskirts of the city, and one in the center. the Chinese department is on Gulou campus, in the center of the city. The CLP building itself is on the edge of campus, so you have to walk a bit to get to the pretty park and old buildings on the main parts of campus, but not that much. Everything you need is around campus in terms of transportation, food, convenience stores, etc. you really do have everything close by, for the exception maybe of the clubbing district, 1912, but taxis are cheap in Nanjing, so it's not really an issue. The main canteen on campus is 5min by foot, and you need to has a canteen card to pay, but it is very cheap (less than 10RMB for a meal) and the food is very good with a lot of options -get there fast though because it gets crowded. Other than that, as I said earlier, lots of restaurants all around campus, lots of options, ranging on average from 15RMB to 40RMB for a meal. 

 

Also, the gym there is very close by the CLP building, and cheap, with quite a few options on classes, so do not hesitate to go there and ask. I personally took yogo/pilates classes there (20RMB/lesson) and quite enjoyed it. 

 

Cost of Living and Budgeting
 

Now that I live in Shanghai, I find life in Nanjing was really cheap in comparison -especially taxis-. Rent set aside, the most money I spent was on food, as I had no choice but to eat out, with an average of 70RMB per day (knowing that I didn't always chose the cheapest options, and that includes a small breakfast and snacks). Transportation really is cheap, and I didn't do all that much shopping for clothes in Nanjing or other things. Overall, I'd say you can easily live a comfy life in Nanjing with 2000RMB, maybe 2500RMB a month (rent not included), depending on how much you party, and where you eat, but then again, you get free entrance and free booze in a lot of places just for being a foreigner, so. I had about 3500RMB a month, with which I paid my rent and everything else, and I was fine.

 

 

Overall impression

 

I would say the biggest asset and the most enjoyable part of my experience at Nanda was the quality of their teaching, which is the most important if you think about it. Another good part is that there is an overall good atmosphere among the students in the program, very friendly, very chill, the ACYA (Australian Chinese Youth Association) there organises a lot of events -and you don't have to be australian to enjoy it. On the down side, I found the administration was very disorganised and unhelpful, I didn't have a good contact with them at all, and I would not recommend the dorms.

If you are coming to China for the very first time and do not speak a word of Chinese, and you feel more secure with having a more concrete support from the school -and a more decent accomodation-, I heard much better things about Nanjing Normal University in that regard. As for the teaching there though, I wouldn't be able to tell.

[vkim67]

Hello again, 

 

I'm searching for complete lists of courses offered at Nanjing also. Again, like many others, I suspect the list I've found is not complete enough... just does not seem like anywhere near enough courses for one of the top 10 universities: http://jw.nju.edu.cn/EduContentList.aspx?MType=PX-SSZJGZQ-KCZX-XSYTK&MID=root&FType=PX-SSZJGZQ-KCZX&res_type=elist 

 

Is there anybody at Nanjing U that can link me to a fuller list/PDF?

 

What I'm looking for is pretty simple: 

• Example: UCLA's course list for Chinese department http://www.registrar...HIN &funsel=3
• No course descriptions necessary. Lists of titles are sufficient. 
  (I'll take whatever I can get)
• Primarily interested in lists for liberal arts - foreign languages, sociology, literature, history, international relations 
• No MOOCs, no incomplete 精品课程 lists necessary. 

 

Thank you!!! 非常感谢 I'm now turning to the public for help......

 

[happy_hyaena]

How strict are they ate Nanjing Uni when it comes to attendance? I will most likely attend everyone of my classes but if I have family or friends coming to visit, I want to be able to show them around.

[basa]

Anym updates on CSC results of Nanjing University?