Tianjin University

[roddy]

This topic is for discussion and reviews of Tianjin University. Accommodation, courses, on-campus facilities and activities - anything to do with Tianjin 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.

[Ratius]

Hey,

How much the accommodation cost there in Tianjin University?

Thanks.

[roddy]

This answer your question?

[Ratius]

Thanks for response but actually NO.

http://www.ietju.com...emid=96〈=en This link is heading to TU's school of international education and cost is different

46 Yuan/Day

50 Yuan/Day

I've found your link the other day with 58 Yuan/day and that's why I'm asking. Even Study-in-china.com the prices were different.

Confused a little bit.

Considering two universities: Lanzhou University & Tianjin University for studying Chinese and i need to know all the cost I'll bear next year. (food, transportation etc.)

[roddy]

If you'd said that in the first place...

[Ratius]

Yes I could, Sorry

Guys none of you are studying at TU? Or studying there is so hard you cannot get rid of reading books? )

Really need actual numbers to complete my next year budget.

[mariafuschino]

Hi! I have a question about the dorms at Tianjin University! I will be staying in LiuYuan international student dorm next year and I need to know what I need to do about internet there. Do they have wi-fi in the dorms at LiuYuan (or just Tianjin in general) or do I need an ethernet cord? Or is there no internet at all?

I am really curious about the dorm but there is not a lot of information online so I hope someone can tell me more about it! Thanks!

[Kanjiology]

I want to apply next year for the fall semester at Tianjin University.

Is anyone at this university that could give me some tips? I am about to graduate this December and I am taking the HSK 4 test next month as well.

Are any majors better than others? Is the application process smooth? I haven't been able to find too much information in English. I'm putting together my applications form together at the moment for the school.

The website is also down at the moment: http://www.ietju.com/

[TriniRon]

Which dorm do scholarship students stay?

[mariafuschino]

HI! SO I asked a question about TJU before I went there and got no help, so now I would like to help out the last two who asked questions? I'm a little late for one, sorry I didn't see it. I am here this year so I can tell you what i know.

Rondelle, scholarship students live in Liuyuan, we all have roommates. Some people get there a little early and get lucky to stay in the nicer rooms with bathrooms, so keep in mind that you can go earlier than the registration time in order to get a room with a bathroom.

Kanjiology, this is super late help sorry.

TJU is most famous for it's architecture major, so I know for sure that it is very good. There are also tons of engineering students here. TJU is known as being kind of a science-math type school while Nankai next door is known for culture and literature. If you have any questions about the school feel free to ask me, but I wont be here when you get here because I'm going home!

[roddy]

Thanks for helping out, Maria!

[TriniRon]

@mariafuschino thank you so, much it seems like I cant escape the fact that scholarship students are placed in dorms with share washrooms no matter which university.

[mariafuschino]

@rondelle, If you get here early enough you could get into B or D block! Lots of scholarship students are there and they don't have to share bathrooms! I was just super late so I got stuck in the not-so-nice dorms!

Good luck!

[Kanjiology]

I am at Tianjin University this semester studying Chinese in the Spring. Right now I am paying out of my pocket but I already applied for the CSC scholarship for Masters, waiting on the results in June. I am living in YouYuan at the moment, I would also be happy to help anyone with questions regarding Tianjin University.

[Kanjiology]

Since we are coming to the end of the Spring semester here at Tianjin University, I'd like to do a write-up/review. I will share my thoughts and answer some questions that I feel you can't really find on the web.

This is coming from the perspective of a self-financed student taking a semester of Chinese.

Application process

When I first applied as a language student I was still in the US, they sent me the application forms through email and we went back and forth a couple times. The process wasn't particularly hard, they required basic application forms, a copy of my passport and visa. At the time I had a tourist visa and they told me it was no problem getting it changed to a six month F visa once I was on campus. The tuition and fees were later taken care of on campus paid in cash, their website is very old and archaic and I am sure can't handle payments even though it looks like at one point they did use the website for registration fees.

Course and Funding

I was a Chinese language student for the Spring semester of 2013. The tuition for one semester of Chinese is 6500 rmb, there is also a 400 rmb registration fee as well as an additional 300 rmb fee for insurance. Also textbooks, which are roughly 200 rmb altogether.

Arrival and Registration

Getting to the university is no problem, every taxi driver should know where the university is located. The only problem is taxi drivers may be reluctant to take you there since the area near the school seems to have a lot traffic. I got to the city by bus and was initially bombarded with many drivers wanting to take me places until I put them off by telling them I want to go to Tianjin University because of all the traffic. Tell the driver to take you to Tianjin University's east gate (天津大学东门) and the dormitory you will be staying at as well as the international school's office is not too far off. There are two or three main dorms for foreigners. At the west there is liu yuan (留园) where rooms are shared and on the east there is another - you yuan (友园) where rooms are one per person. There is also another smaller building – Zhuan jia lou (专家楼). Liu yuan and Zhuan jia lou are primarily for scholarship students and are shared rooms, the international school's office is located in Liu yuan. You yuan is for self-financed students and are single rooms, the rooms are by a large majority rented by South Korean students and fill up very quickly, I called weeks in advance before the semester started to save myself a spot and was lucky enough that the person working at the time was willing to reserve me a spot. There are one or two days dedicated to just registering for classes and getting everything sorted out before classes which is nice. You get a piece of paper on the day of the registration and have a checklist of stations to visit, basic registration, visa, tuition, insurance, and finally placement tests. The tuition and all fees has to be paid in cash and credit card is not accepted. The initial placement test is you just simply talking with a teacher and introducing yourself, they can quickly judge what kind of Chinese level you are at and then next week you take a written test. They put me in a test where we took a mock HSK5 test, and from those test results we get put into a class.

Accommodation

I stayed in you yuan which was 50 rmb per day, rent is paid during the beginning of the month and is usually 1500 per month, depending on how many days the month had. You yuan has six floors and are all single rooms with classrooms as well on each floor. Each room has a TV, shower, wired internet, air conditioner, a bathroom, a sink, a closet, a desk for studying, and a bed. You yuan doesn't have a canteen nearby like Liu yuan, so that's a drag but there is a small lobby on the first floor where snacks and drinks are sold, but more expensive than you would normally pay, a soft drink is 5 rmb where it is 3 rmb at the small supermarket nearby. There is a laundry room on the first floor that requires you to buy a magnetic key to activate the washing machine which is about 40 rmb, it gives you 10 credits and using the washing machine uses 1 credit and the dryer uses 2, there is only one dryer but many washing machines. There are no curfews that I know of, but guests are only allowed to come in your room from 4pm till 10pm during weekdays and 9am till 10pm on weekends. Wired Internet will cost you 85 rmb a month, you have to use prepaid cards and the speed is not that great, but better than nothing.

Classes, Classrooms and Teachers

Classes here are split from level A to G, A being beginner and G being the most advanced. I was placed in class E, and feel that they placed me very appropriately, the material wasn't too hard but also not way above my head. There are approximately 15 students per class and the grand majority were from South Korea, there are also some people from Thailand, North Korea, Russia, and Indonesia, but the largest amount of students are from South Korea. There are 4 classes, 精读，阅读，听力，口语。Classes are held Monday through Friday from 8:30am till 12:00pm. You will have two classes per day which will rotate depending on which day it is. I have no complaints about the teachers whom all seemed to care about the students, I feel my Chinese has improved tremendously, hearing the teacher give lecture, interacting with your classmates and becoming friends, and making lots of mistakes while learning is the key to success. There are two exams, a midterm and final and homework is given out regularly. If you want to take additional classes there are free classes in the afternoon such as calligraphy, HSK classes, business Chinese and more.

Campus and Environment

The campus is pretty convenient, most of your everyday life needs can be taken care of here. There are plenty of supermarkets, ATMs, and restaurants nearby. The school has canteens throughout the campus, though the foreigner's canteen in liu yuan is a bit more experience than the Chinese canteen. I feel Tianjin University is kind of in the middle of everything and if you need something it's not too far away. There is a subway, plenty of buses, and taxis to get you to just about anywhere. I still haven't really explored the city as much as I want to, but definitely will in the near future. There are always many events held on campus to meet many foreigners as well as Chinese if you are looking. I have barely spoken a word of English here because I don't often meet other Americans or English speakers. I feel Tianjin is a good place to study Chinese.

Cost of Living and Budgeting

I spend roughly 1500rmb a month besides rent, I tend to spend very little and eat at the canteen often.

That's about it. I may have made some mistakes typing on my phone and would love to answer more questions. I am going to post pictures of my dorm next time I get on a computer. Before I first came to Tianjin University I barely knew anything because of how little information there seems to be on the internet about the student life here. Through the helpful words of Tianjin42 and others on this forum I have come to understand a lot more. I want to help anyone else that has questions.

[roddy]

And you used my headings!!!! Thanks!

[Sam Fairhall 92]

@Kanjiology

What opportunities do you have to speak Chinese off campus? Did you find it easy to immerse yourself?

Thanks for the very informative post!

[Kanjiology]

Tianjin is a pretty big city but you're not as likely to run into other foreigners as often as say Beijing or Shanghai. Anywhere you go off campus, you're going to be needing to put your Chinese skills to use. If you have hobbies or interests, I am sure you can find some kind of community and make friends. One advantage I had at Tianjin University taking Chinese classes was that none of my peers spoke English, and if we wanted to communicate with one another, we would have to use Chinese as an intermediate. One trap I see a lot of foreigners fall into is hanging out with people of the same country and speak their native language rather than practicing their Chinese. If you find some Chinese friends you shouldn't have trouble immersing yourself unless they use you to practice their English, haha.

I noticed you're asking a lot of questions about the CSC Scholarship on the forums, I came here as a self-paid student, and now I have received the scholarship. Good luck.

[Mtabe]

@kanjiology

Thanks for keeping this thread alive, i hv been following your post quite sometime, if god wishes i will be studying at tianjin university of technology and education so i was wondering if we are on the same boat? as i hv seen more than one tianjin uni on the web.

[Kanjiology]

No problem Mtabe, but I am afraid we are talking about two different universities. You'll be studying at Tianjin University of Technology and Education（TUTE)(天津工程师范学院）. While this is Tianjin University (TJU)（天津大学）, the first university in China, originally known as Peiyang University 北洋大学堂. There are lots of universities in Tianjin with similar names, but they are different schools. If there isn't already a thread for TUTE, I am sure Roddy wouldn't mind starting one for you. I wish you the best of luck.