Zhejiang University

[Angelina]

Yes, a friend of mine was an exchange student from SOAS, but she went back to London. Her funding came from a special fellowship, not MOFCOM, CSC. I think Hockx is actually her 导师.

There is even more funding if you try that option.

[Chris Two Times]

So, there is promise to this program. I will keep my eye on it.

 

Warm regards,

Chris Two Times

[Angelina]

You can try both options: applying via Zhejiang and applying via SOAS. If you fail to be awarded the MOFCOM scholarship, you can still get funding from SOAS.

I am 100% sure that the time spent at ZheDa for SOAS exchange students is financially covered, and this funding has nothing to do with traditional scholarships we can get to study in China (CSC, Chinese university scholarships, provincial scholarships, MOFCOM)

[realmayo]

The only SOAS funding specifically related to Zheda that I was aware of was government funding for UK students taking the two-year special Masters course that included six months study at Zheda.

[Alex_Hart]

Thanks for all the interesting info, Angelina! Wondering if you have any experience with laowai studying the Chinese-language China Studies Masters (versus the English-language Masters)? Specifically wondering if it's more rigorous, and perhaps more worth the effort.

[Angelina]

The only big difference I have seen is that graduates of English taught China Studies are from the US and Germany, while graduates of Chinese taught China Studies are from the Czech Republic, the Ukraine. Alumni of both programs (people I know) have found decent jobs after graduation, but the programs are not academic enough.
Both programs are fine if you are looking for a way to improve your employability, but not as good as regular programs alongside Chinese students if you are planning to stay in academia.

[Alex_Hart]

Thanks for the response! I had thought the program in a Chinese language medium was mainly Chinese students. 

 

This may be a hard question to answer, but do you have any opinions on which program (China Studies MA in English or Chinese, non-degree Chinese language programs) have the best improvement in Chinese (on average)? 

[Angelina]

All three options mean your classmates will be other international students and a) China Studies- English - classes will be in English (except for one Chinese language course, compulsory for all international students), b) China Studies- Chinese - your classes will be in Chinese, but your classmates probably won't be able to speak native-level Chinese, c) non-degree course, classes will be in Chinese, and the teachers will try to correct your mistakes (as much as they can because they usually have large classes of 30 students or so). a) and b) are taught by professors, c) by language teachers whose job is to teach you 普通话.

It all depends on you. Ideally, you can do a non-degree Chinese language program and then a year or two later maybe try a regular master's degree taught in Chinese for Chinese students if you are really interested in grad school in China.

One difference between the non-degree language program and China Studies (both English-taught and Chinese-taught) is that the non-degree program is taught Monday to Friday, from morning to lunchtime. China Studies, on the other hand, is more flexible, you can choose your courses on your own and make your own schedule. So if you prefer flexibility you can try China Studies and then practice the language outside of the classroom, make friends, use library resources. Depends on you.

I have seen people who went for the English-taught China Studies at Zhejiang University have their thesis not pass the defense, and then they were forced to resubmit it a semester later, while all taught in Chinese China Studies students have passed, even though their theses seemed not as good as they should be. Therefore, if you are thinking between the two options, I recommend the English-taught China Studies, it seems more rigorous, at least at this university.

I think I once saw some evaluation of the degrees offered by the university and China Studies was a grade II degree. Will need to look it up.

[Alex_Hart]

Cheers Angelina! You've given me plenty to chew on! Pretty lost as to which is the best path now. I was finally able to get through to the China Studies Dept and they were unsure whether I would be allowed to do a language program before the degree (or rather, one thought I could and one thought I could not).

 

It's a shame ZheDa doesn't seem to have a BA/MA program like XiaDa, which seems more organized in its progression towards academic-level fluency. Decisions, decisions, decisions...

 

Thanks again for the very helpful info! 

[Chris Two Times]

http://www.csc.edu.cn/laihua/universitynewsdetailen.aspx?collegeId=53&id=1024

 

http://www.csc.edu.cn/laihua/universitynewsdetailen.aspx?collegeId=53&id=1757

 

http://www.csc.edu.cn/laihua/upload/file/20160301/20160301115712_1486.pdf

 

I took a look at these again and I gotta say, whoever wrote these up did their homework. On paper at least, these look like decent programs and I am now considering applying for a MOFCOM scholarship in the next year or two, targeting entry into one of these China Studies programs at ZheDa.

 

Comparing these ZheDa programs to other China Studies programs (i.e., Xi’an Jiaotong and Fudan, which have disappointing Mickey Mouse write-ups), I would say ZheDa stands head and shoulders above the rest.

 

I intend to work on my Chinese first for the next year or two in non-degree language programs in Beijing before considering such a program.

 

Angelina, thank you once again for sharing all of your insights about your Zhejiang University. I visited Hangzhou for a few days in January and I felt comfortable there; I could see myself living and studying there for a couple of years. 

 

Warm regards,

Chris Two Times

[Alex_Hart]

@Chris

 

I'm not sure if you've contacted the school yet, but I will be applying for the China Studies program. Both (English and Chinese language heads) were extremely helpful. The English program (obviously) requires no Chinese background. The Chinese language program allows for one year of Chinese prior to the program. I'm not sure what level your Chinese is, but the professor said that most students who reach HSK4-5 would be capable of getting to sufficient fluency after that year (dependent on the work ethic of the student). My intent is to apply for that 1+2 program and if I find my Chinese still lacking after the year, enrolling in an intensive summer program (e.g. ICLP). 

 

It also seems (less clear from my conversation with the professors) that there is a fair level of elective content permissible under both programs. My interest has primarily been in getting to reading Classical Chinese and the corresponding texts and the professor said that it would be possible for me to take those classes, but that not many laowai do so. This seems to bode well, given the penchant for laowai to spend their time doing anything but studying when in China. 

 

Conclusion? You might still consider applying for the program and just adding the extra year for Chinese remediation! 

 

Also, irrelevant to this topic, but my professor in America assured me that the Fudan program was one of the best in China (I had the same worry as you: terribly written descriptions). Specifically, she said Fudan's language programs are probably the best besides the ICLP-type programs. She has repeatedly pushed me to apply to Fudan rather than ZheDa or XiaDa (my other two primary choices) because of FDU's comparative strength in the field of linguistics/classical Chinese. Not sure how strongly you want to take that advice, but those are the two programs that I'm oscillating over right now (XiaDa got scratched off as I won't have taken the HSK before the deadline and they require it for applying, even to their language program). 

 

Either way, best of luck! 

[Angelina]

I am pretty impressed by the new Yenching Academy at PKU, their China Studies MA seems like the most comprehensive one.

[Alex_Hart]

@Angelina: I'd be interested in hearing from students who have graduated from the program. I had considered applying, but decided against it. Two major reasons: 1) It's Beijing  2) the actual program.

I can't comment on #2 for sure (since I never went), but I'm pretty skeptical about a 1-year MA where students are expected to reach graduate level fluency in their chosen field (e.g. political science, philosophy, economics) at the same time as they're studying Chinese. Second, I understand that most students will also engage in an internship and a thesis process during their second semester. Finally, the foreign students live in a segregated part of campus, which just seems a recipe for maximizing interaction with other 老外 while minimizing it with native speakers. It seems (to me) that it's really more of a long-term networking event. Does that have its use? Of course. Will it be better in terms of professors? Probably. Does that make a program? I'm doubtful.

 

I realize the rigorous argument can be turned around: not many universities in China will be up to non-Chinese standards for graduate level work in the social sciences/humanities. But the most important thing is fluency if you're seeking to enter academia (since it is essentially a pre-condition for admittance to most PhD programs focusing on cross-cultural subjects). If you're entering business, I doubt that the fluency will make or break your career, but knowing a bunch of other students who are from similar universities (PKU draws largely from Ivies and their closely ranked neighbors) will undoubtedly improve your chances of survival.

 

But as the reviews come rolling in from graduates, perhaps I will be proven wrong! 

[Chris Two Times]

Alex_Hart,

 

Many thanks for the write-up. I passed HSK, Level 4 in June, 2014 and am aiming to pass HSK, Level 5 by the end of this year. I want to take a year to whip my Chinese in shape (I feel it's "just not there yet") and I feel that I am still at least a year away from fitting into a program such as ZheDa's but I am considering it for matriculation in Fall, 2017. I do like your idea of entering the "1 + 2" program to get a year of Chinese remediation and may look into that next year when I get closer to considering these China Studies programs.

 

I will take your word for it and give Fudan another look. I was hoping that was the case, an unfortunate write-up that doesn't really do the program justice.

 

Warm regards,

Chris Two Times

Edited March 9, 2016 at 02:48 AM by Chris Two Times

[Reachsak]

Hello ,

I was given pre-admission in Undergraduate Computer science field in Chinese from Fudan university and Zheijiang Univeristy.

Which Univeristy is more reknown in Computer science?

Is Chinese is a Barrier in learning CS as a Chinese beginner ?

[Angelina]

Yes, it is a barrier.

Are you sure you want to reach near-native fluency in Chinese? It sounds good, but it needs hard work. Are you sure you want to work that hard?

They will give you a year of preparation before you start your major, right?

You should look at the CS departments of both universities and see faculty. I don't know that much about the two programs. Have you seen their websites?

[vkim67]

I'm searching for complete lists of courses offered at the Zhejiang U.

Is there anybody at ZheDa that can link me to some sort of course list? 

• Example: UCLA's course list for Chinese department http://www.registrar...HIN &funsel=3
• No course descriptions necessary. Lists of titles are sufficient. 
  (I'll take whatever I can get)
• Primarily interested in lists for liberal arts - foreign languages, sociology, literature, history, international relations 
• No MOOCs, no incomplete 精品课程 lists necessary. 

What I've found for the other schools just isn't complete enough and for Zheda I've found no lists or searchable databases.

[Tiri]

Hi guys! I'll be living on Yuquan Campus from September on. Any advice?

[Tiri]

ok, let me put it this way: where do I go for a beer around Yuquan Campus?

[Angelina]

I don't drink beer and I don't live there, but don't worry, there will be so many people around.