Fudan University 2022

[yibeikafei]

Hello!

 

I received an acceptance e-mail from Fudan University this morning, for a Master's program that I applied back in March.

 

On the one hand, I am really excited about this news, and on the other hand, I am full of questions as the letter did not mention any logistical details, such as visa applications, online classes, etc.

 

I am not in China at the moment, and I am aware that university administrations also do not know if foreign students will be allowed back in China or not. I am assuming that they will ask me to do online classes. But again, they did not specify much and I need to know what exactly I will be doing next September, as it is already July.

Is there anyone else who is in a similar situation and want to exchange information?

 

On a different note, I also got accepted by a university in my home country, so I am quite torn between these two choices right now. The advantage of the program at my home country is that it is offline, and I will get a dorm and a stipend. For me, this means that my living conditions will improve considerably.

But I also like the program and the professors that I am going to work with at Fudan, and I don't really want to miss this opportunity either. A friend of mine suggested that I can try to do both at the same time, or at least try to do that on my first year to see which one is working better for me. I am not worried about the workload, but I wouldn't want to trick my way into enrolling in two programs at the same time, so I want to ask if anyone knows if this is allowed or not.

(It is not financially feasible for me to do only the online classes with Fudan long-term, as Chinese govt does not distribute the stipends unless the recipient is in China, so I would have no stable income.)

 

 

I am not so sure if this is the best place to ask this question, so my apologies if my question is too specific or too meandering.

 

I also welcome anyone in a similar situation to discuss and exchange information!

[yibeikafei]

TL;DR: I am not sure if I should do an online Master's program at Fudan (and hope that I will get a student visa one day) or if I should do an offline program at my home country, and I am considering trying to do both of them at the same time to see which one works better for me. Is it even allowed to do that??

[anonymoose]

I completed an undergraduate degree at Fudan in 2014. I don't know much about the masters programmes, and I don't know anything about the situation with Covid and the prospects of allowing foreign students back into China.

 

You did not specify whether you speak Chinese, what masters course you applied for and whether the course is in English or Chinese, or where your home country is, and thus whether time difference between your and China time may be a problem.

 

With these caveats, my advice in the current situation would be definitely take up the offer of the PhD in your home country. For me, a big part of the experience of studying a degree from a Chinese university is the actually being in China. Of course, it depends on what your aims are. For me, it was to improve my Chinese, experience living in China and try to integrate into Chinese society. Learning the subject matter is of course also important, but as I studied clinical medicine, there was no specific advantage to studying in China as opposed to my own country, other than that it was cheaper.

 

You mention that you like the programme and the professors that you would work with at Fudan. What do you actually know about these professors and the programme? My impression of the teaching in China is that the teachers essentially all follow the same curriculum with nationally-published text books. Most teachers deliver their lectures with a Powerpoint presentation which is more or less a copy of what's in the text book. It may be different for masters courses, but at least for undergrad, I think you cover pretty much the same material whichever university you go to. Having a particularly eminent professor will not necessarily mean you will receive significantly shinier pearls of wisdom.

 

In addition, studying online will make it harder to ask questions, speak to the professors after class, and I wouldn't be surprised if the people delivering the lectures aren't even the professors you are expecting. Will the video quality be reliable? Will the audio be understandable? Will their English/Chinese be comprehensible to you? Will the lectures be at a time of day which is compatible with your routine in your own country? Will you have access to study materials that may only be available in China? I don't know the answer to these questions - I am just putting them out there as food for thought.

 

In my opinion (without knowing much about your specific situation), your choice of PhD in person with stipend versus online masters at Fudan is a no-brainer. If you could actually be in China for your degree at Fudan, that may sway things a bit, but even then, I would still be hesitant to give up the opportunity of a funded PhD. China will not disappear. There is nothing to stop you applying for a masters after your PhD by which time, hopefully, the Covid situation will have resolved.

 

I have no idea whether you could do both degrees at the same time - that probably depends on the specific rules of each university, though neither would know unless you told them. I'd be very wary about underestimating the workload though.

[yibeikafei]

On 7/2/2022 at 9:02 PM, anonymoose said:

In my opinion (without knowing much about your specific situation), your choice of PhD in person with stipend versus online masters at Fudan is a no-brainer. If you could actually be in China for your degree at Fudan, that may sway things a bit, but even then, I would still be hesitant to give up the opportunity of a funded PhD. China will not disappear. There is nothing to stop you applying for a masters after your PhD by which time, hopefully, the Covid situation will have resolved.

Thanks a lot for your thoughtful answer! I agree with you, all in all, I think my interest in Fudan sounds a bit unrealistic at this point...

I completed another master's program in China in 2021. My research interests had changed during my studies and I wanted to pursue a degree at Fudan University, because there are a few professors whose work I have been following for years. I am actually in touch with one of them, and he is willing to be my thesis advisor. He is very famous in the field that I am interested in. The program is in Chinese and my Chinese is not perfect but sufficient. I had to pass HSK6 and an oral exam conducted by Fudan to prove it. Actually, I prefer studying in Chinese, because I am really worried about my Chinese getting worse each day I am home.

 

So, these are the advantages of being in China... But like you said, it is not that meaningful if I cannot be there physically. Online classes are never that fruitful and the time difference is definitely an issue as well. You raised a lot of good points and many of them have been in my mind as well. To be entirely honest, I agree with you that Chinese post-grad education can be a little bit of a let down, especially for foreigners.

 

Again, thank you for your answer! I think the main reason that I am considering doing these two programs at the same time is to buy some time and see if China allows foreign students back in September 2023, if not September 2022.

 

Can I ask you if you received detailed information when you got accepted for your program at Fudan back in 2014? When I got accepted from PKU, they had sent me a whole booklet explaining visa stuff and all kinds of other logistical details in April or May so I am a bit disappointed that Fudan is just letting me know that I got in with a very brief email in July. I already sent them a follow-up email asking for more details but I am just afraid they are being too laid-back and I don't feel confident if I can rely on them or not. Is the International Student Office generally helpful?

[anonymoose]

On 7/2/2022 at 8:01 PM, yibeikafei said:

Can I ask you if you received detailed information when you got accepted for your program at Fudan back in 2014? When I got accepted from PKU, they had sent me a whole booklet explaining visa stuff and all kinds of other logistical details in April or May so I am a bit disappointed that Fudan is just letting me know that I got in with a very brief email in July. I already sent them a follow-up email asking for more details but I am just afraid they are being too laid-back and I don't feel confident if I can rely on them or not. Is the International Student Office generally helpful?

 

I applied in 2009. I graduated in 2014. I don't remember having any difficulties with the application and visa, but I was in Shanghai at the time, so I visited the International Student Office in person which probably helped.

[canton]

Which Is your home country?