Firsthand review of Beishida?

[qwedsazxc]

Can anyone offer any firsthand reviews of studying Chinese at Beijing Normal University? Although the "Definitive Guide to Studying in Beijing" thread in this forum gives it high marks, I haven't found any posts in this forum from people who actually had studied there.

[Zhende ma?]

I am currently studying at Beishida. I would overall say it is a good experience. It doesn't matter how much Chinese you know since they test you for class placement when you arrive. Beishida as a university specializes in education so they hone their skills well to teach foreign students. I have learned a LOT here. The one thing though is Beishida has more homework than comparable schools. I'd say count on at least 2 hours a night. If you really study the material though and learn it (not just for the test) your Chinese skills will rapidly improve. One other plus on Beishida is except for your classmates there are few foreigners in the area so daily interactions will require you to use Chinese. Even most of my classmates and I talk in Chinese since they are all Korean and Japanese who are not proficient in English. I would encourage this. Despite the homework, I believe that daily interaction and having Chinese friends, which are easy to make on campus, is the most important part of learning Chinese. Keeping your head in a book all the time is a bit too sterile.

Many other points were covered in the definitive study guide. If you have any specific questions, I will be happy to answer them.