Alleluia Posted January 21, 2005 at 11:50 AM Report Posted January 21, 2005 at 11:50 AM It seems that many people are studying or have studied Chinese at Beijing Daxue, so I could find quite a lot of opinions about Beida on this forum. Is there anyone who has studied at Renmin Daxue (or knows someone else who's studied there) and could tell me something about the level of Chinese teaching there? I'm also interested in practicalities like what the foreign students' dorms are like, if it's possible to attend other lectures than Chinese classes for foreigners, if there are any classes taught in English, what the sports facilities are like etc... I have to apply for the exchange program in my Uni in a few weeks time, and at the moment Beida and Renda seem most interesting. We also have Fudan in Shanghai, Wuhan, Hongkong, Inner-Mongolia university in Hohhot and Taipei as options, but I'm leaning towards Beijing, since I've already been there, I liked the city, and I'm under the impression that it's the best place (at least out of these mentioned) to learn putonghua. But if anyone has something really good or otherwise relevant to say about any other university/city, please do! Quote
pfff Posted January 21, 2005 at 04:25 PM Report Posted January 21, 2005 at 04:25 PM Im at Renda right now. Im not very observant or knowledgable about the options here, but ill say what i can. Ive been here for a term and the four teachers ive had have all been great. Outside of the core language lessons, there are lectures on literature,culture,media etc. put on for foreign students in the afternoons. I heard there are very limited places on these. I dont go to any. As a result my classes are only 8-11.30 every morning. I dont think there are any classes taught in english. There's a great big spaceship of a sports center on campus, which is shiny and new and seems to have amazing facilities. It costs 12kuai for an hour of pingpong there, as opposed to 3 or less elsewhere, but you get a nice grippy floor surface and barrier things so you can pretend you are in the olympics. Also a football pitch-running track, which looks brand new but i've no idea. The foreign students dorms are nice. Im in a shared room with a nifty bunkbed-over-desk configuration + communal shower(7-8.30, 6-11 hot water). There are also single rooms with ensuite showers. Quote
woliveri Posted January 24, 2005 at 05:11 PM Report Posted January 24, 2005 at 05:11 PM Do you guys have a link for RenDa? Where is it located? Found it!! http://english.ruc.edu.cn/ Thanks, Quote
sunyata Posted January 24, 2005 at 11:03 PM Report Posted January 24, 2005 at 11:03 PM pfft Can you tell us how much that shared room costs you? I knew a Bulgarian guy in Beijing who spent his first year at Renda but then transferred to Yuyan Xueyuan. Not sure why he didn't like it at Renda, but he seems to have the opinion that the people there were too annoying. Quote
woliveri Posted January 24, 2005 at 11:25 PM Report Posted January 24, 2005 at 11:25 PM sunyata, Any idea what "annoying" means? Quote
sunyata Posted January 24, 2005 at 11:31 PM Report Posted January 24, 2005 at 11:31 PM I don't know exactly... He just mentioned that the minority students there were quite annoying - trying to make friends for language exchange and what not. Also, I think Renda's student regulations may be a bit stricter than BLCU, but I am not sure. Finally, I think Renda is just not nearly as prestigious as Beida or even BLCU. Quote
Alleluia Posted January 26, 2005 at 11:08 AM Author Report Posted January 26, 2005 at 11:08 AM I've only heard good things about Renda from the (apparently) only person from my university who has studied there. He said that the foreign students dorms are way better than those in Beida, that the teaching is mostly good, and that there aren't many Westerners, and those few are mainly British, hardly no Americans at all, which he thought was good I don't have to worry about ANY costs since the deal between my university and the exchange universities covers all teaching, accommodation at the campus etc. Yuyan xueyuan (is that the same as BLCU?) isn't an option for me because my uni doesn't have an exchange program with them, so if I go to Beijing it's the choice between Beida and Renda. I don't care about what's prestigious and what isn't, I care mainly about the quality of teaching, living etc, and these don't always go hand in hand with prestige... The international affairs people at my university say that Renda SHOULD have also English courses, but they don't usually know anything for certain. So I guess I'll only find out when I go there, if I go there... Quote
trevelyan Posted January 27, 2005 at 12:46 PM Report Posted January 27, 2005 at 12:46 PM Beida is in a more vibrant part of town. Far more students, bars, restaurants, etc. Also, the Beida campus is much nicer. Quote
Alleluia Posted January 28, 2005 at 07:16 AM Author Report Posted January 28, 2005 at 07:16 AM Have you studied at Beida or Renda, trevelyan? If so, what were your impressions? I thought that Beida and Renda are basically in the same part of the city. I mean, when I was in Beijing last summer I was staying at Erlizhuang which I think is about three times the distance from Beida that Renda is, and still I thought it was pretty much in the same area. And BLCU must be just as far from Beida as Renda is. Does it really make a difference? Of course I'd like to have some vibe around... Is Renda totally dead, or what? Sounds like no-one thinks Renda is a good option... I'm confused. First I was thinking Beida, then I got interested in Renda when I found out it's a new option this year, and now I can't make up my mind - and I have to leave the application by next friday. Quote
trevelyan Posted January 28, 2005 at 02:25 PM Report Posted January 28, 2005 at 02:25 PM I've studied at Qinghua and BCLU, been around Beida a lot, and Renda maybe once or twice. Beida is up near Zhongguancun (high tech district) by the 4th ring road. It is within 10 minutes walking distance of Qinghua, BCLU, the Geography University, the Wudaokou elevated subway line, loads of bars, restaurants, and thriving student places. Unless I'm mistaken, Renda is further down near the 3rd ring road. Maybe a 20-25 minute bike ride down major streets. So honestly, I don't think it's a comparison. The Beida campus is gorgeous, the reputation of the school is far better, and you're likely to run into a higher calibre of Chinese students. At the same time, the university isn't the workhorse that Qinghua is. Students there have a vibrant set of social clubs. Quote
Alleluia Posted January 30, 2005 at 12:03 PM Author Report Posted January 30, 2005 at 12:03 PM Yeah, I've seen the Beida campus and it is gorgeous... Also I've been around the Wudaokou area and it is nice indeed. I just didn't realize Renda would be further away. I haven't actually been there, just looked it up on my map of Beijing. But distances don't always tell how the actual areas go, so probably the vibrant student area stretches more to the east from Beida than to the south... Oh god, it's impossible to choose just based on what others say! (No offence, I really appreciate all your opinions, but still they're just other people's opinions, and who knows what mine will be when I actually go on my exchange.) Maybe I'll just put Beida as my first option as I thought in the first place and Renda as second and see where they want to send me... Quote
tradinup Posted February 9, 2005 at 10:19 AM Report Posted February 9, 2005 at 10:19 AM does anyone know the website for Beida's chinese program? Quote
roddy Posted February 9, 2005 at 10:45 AM Report Posted February 9, 2005 at 10:45 AM This useful? Roddy Quote
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