HIT

[anthony87]

does anyone have any experience with HIT? i am considering a one year language program there. how about the city in general? is the Mandarin spoken there pretty standard?

[stephanhodges]

Search using 'Harbin' and you'll find lots of information, including comments on accents, etc.

[shoe83]

I studied in Harbin for a semester with CET, and found it to be a great place to learn Mandarin. The accent there is very clear, that is actually the main reason my college encouraged students to study in Harbin. There are also a lot fewer foreigners in the city than in places like Beijing, which forces you to speak Mandarin all the time. It's not the most beautiful city, and not a tourist attraction, but it definitely has it's own charm.

If you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

[venture160]

shoe83 when were you at CET Harbin?

[shoe83]

Fall 2003

[mrtoga]

HIT is having a "lull" in foreign student applications at the moment probably because of the pollution scare in Harbin last year. Class numbers are generally smaller so it may be a good time to go up there and study. Imagine it will be back to normal next year.

(By the way, good programme and cheap, clean accommodation)

[venture160]

yea, they were down alot this spring semester, but I too think they will be back up soon, the demand is there and people will soon forget (sadly) about the water crisis that happened there.

[anthony87]

if I plan to study at HIT for a semester, do you think it will be okay if i just "show up" in september? will they be able to convert my L visa to a student visa?

[mrtoga]

Please remember that it is not the universities that issue the visas - that is the local PSB. The universities just apply for the JW-202 forms.

During the last year in China I have had a student from Zimbabwe refused because he was "from Africa" and I have also heard that a number of Pakistanis may not be allowed to continue their (four year) course of study because of a change in attitude at the local PSB.

In China, application of rules is subjective. 一个人能说得算 Especially if you are going "local" (ie out of Beijing / Shanghai area) I would suggest you get your X / F visa beforehand.

As an aside, I have first hand experience of the PSB in Harbin when I went to change my X visa into a Z working visa. They were not cooperative at all - my passport sat in their desk for weeks although they knew I was in a hurry to go back to England once the visa was issued (I was not dealing with counter staff, instead sent upstairs into the managers' office where they looked at me like I was some turd on the street. They told me to come back in four days, then when I came back made some excuse - inspecting again the passport that has been gathering dust in their desk).

Seemed like they were fishing for a bribe but I thought if I do bribe them and make a misjudgment the repurcussions could be more serious for me. As a result I paid well over the odds for a plane ticket back as I could not book in advance, I missed a wedding that I had intended to be at and I spent an extra three weeks in the student dormitory twiddling my thumbs. I have the renewal coming up in a few months too - dreading that...

Of course you can generally avoid all that by going through the universities, but as illustrated above they cannot control everything and that is why they set application deadlines. While they will generally help students who just "turn up" they do not encourage it, and of course take no responsibility for those that are turned down.