Chinese Program @ Harbin HIT or Heilongjiang University

[CatCat]

Hey People,

I wannna go to Harbin to learn chinese for one semester . But which university should i choose?

-HIT is verry famous in China. But is the chinese course there also good?

-Heilongjiang university is just a provincial university. But it is a university for languages and culture, and maybe the chinese course is better!?

Has someone advice or newer information which university has the better course to learn chinese?

Most information here are to old and to less.

Is someone here who can tell me if he really learned to speak chinese in a semester in Harbin? What university you were studying? And what have been your criteria to choose this university?

Sorry for my bad english!

[kdavid]

If you're interested only in a short-term course, and money isn't a problem, I'd recommend CET via HIT.

If money is an issue, Bincai would actually probably be a better fit for such a short term.

If you're interested in degree programs, both HIT and HeiDa are good options, though it seems HeiDa has more students.

[CatCat]

Hi, thanks for your answer.

But it is just about the regular chinese program. not CET or a privat school. I have do do it at an university. So it's just nescessary where is the better course. people in this forum always say things like "i loved it to be there" "everyone was so nice" " the courses are good" and "all around are clubs and bars to party". But that has no information. I need informations about lerning processes, schedules, books, teaching styles and learning results.

On one side, so many people go to HIT and its slogan is also "who wants to learn standart mandarin, goes to HIT" (similiar to that). So i wonder why!? Is it just because of reputation or is the chinese course really a good one?

And about HeiDa. Somewhere i read HeiDa claims itself to be the best place to study chinese in Harbin. But how comes HeiDa to the point to say that? Because it's the truth? Or just self-marketing? And really i am a little bit impressed by HeiDa, it seems like it is a really good choice for learning languages. Its web-page comes in different languages. But what about the chinese course? it seems like the course is like anywhere else in china: using books from BLCU or Beijing University Press and following a standart schedule. Am i right or wrong? Maybe there are no significant differences in chinese programs at different universities?

[frank the tank]

Hey,

I studied for 2 semesters at HIT and found it very useful and highly recommend it. The teachers were good, the classes were fun and all more classmates studied hard and were good friends outside of class too. Its also in a central part of the city and has some good facilities.

I have had many friends who also studied at Heilongjiang university and haven't heard anything bad. I wouldn't be surprised if the courses are almost exactly the same in both schools (possibly even using the same books) so it just comes down to getting the right teachers and studying hard.

As for whether or not I learnt in one semester, here is my experience:

I had already studied on my own for about six months before starting but after my first semester I could get around and do pretty much anything I wanted without having to rely on anyone. It was the second semester that got me over the line though. By the end of the second semester most of my friends were Chinese who couldn't speak English. I could confidently pick up a newspaper, scan through it and read the articles I found interesting and the real "shit, I'm actually doing this" moment hit me when I was discussing the pros and cons of nuclear energy with my neighbour.

The above person mention Bincai.....I tried to further my study there and do not recommend it. I found the classes to be poorly prepared, the school unorganised and the teachers willing to let all pronunciation problems and other mistakes go by just to make class easier for them (I went through 4 teachers and found them all to be the same). I felt like Bincai was a Chinese version of the English schools in China.....get them in, take their money and use the page number as an indication of the level of students rather than their ability.

Hope thats helpful.

[laowang]

Agreed with Frank the tank. HIT Chinese team is more helpful and kind and stable.

[andysun731]

Concerning about the canteens in campus, maybe HIT is a better choice.

[kdavid]

On one side, so many people go to HIT and its slogan is also "who wants to learn standart mandarin, goes to HIT" (similiar to that). So i wonder why!? Is it just because of reputation or is the chinese course really a good one?

I wouldn't say this is said so much about HIT than it is Harbin in general.

I have several friends who have studied in the degree program at HIT; none at HeiDa. However, I go to HeiDa, so I have more personal experience with their administration and MO.

Really, the teaching methodology at either university is likely going to be identical. Chinese place a large emphasis on rote memorization, reading and writing.

How communicative your class is will depend largely on the motivation of your classmates. Teachers will feed off student energy, so if your classmates are active and speak a lot, there is likely to be more interactivity. Otherwise, you'll be doing a lot of reading.

[CatCat]

Thanks for information^^

kdavid. Are you yet at HeiDa? Or are you going soon? Are you american?

One more question about the dormitories. HIT wants 20RMB/Person in a double room. HeiDa seems to be more expensive, ~40RMB/Person in a double romm of building C. Single rooms in building A is 66RMB. (Price per night)

So HeiDa is much more expensive. Is it that worth?

And what about internet? HeiDa gives internet cables but I have to buy internet balance on cards. How much is it?

And what about internet in HIT? Is it free? Or must I also buy internet balance cards?

[kdavid]

I'm doing my MA at HeiDa. Yes, I am American.

I've been in foreign dorms at both HIT and HeiDa, and the ones at HIT are much, much, much nicer (or at least the limited ones I've seen).

I can't answer your other questions. Sorry.

[andysun731]

Internet in HIT is not free. I remember 30 RMB/month for education internet(教育网) or 100 RMB/month for China Unicom(联通) internet. It depends on which building you live in.

[roddy]

Frank, if you could do a write up on your time on the HIT topic, that would be massively valuable. Similarly anyone with info on Heida.

There's a list of topics you could possibly cover here.

[bobbadeer]

Hi Frank the Tank, any chance of you providing further information on your experience at HIT?