Huazhong Normal University (China Central Normal University)

[realmayo]

Yes there's always people on duty in the two dorms, and as long as you're name's on a list it is them rather than anyone in the offices who will actually get you into your room so as long as you can get to the dorm you shouldn't have to worry about the main offices immediately. Typically the people in the dorm will speak enough English, or will grab a nearby student to translate.

Not sure if you can get a sim card at the airport -- and anyway it might be easier finding another student on campus to help you get what you need.

Reserving a hostel room in case of difficulty is perhaps a bit over-cautious but then again you never know....! And as you say, they should be able to help you writing taxi directions.

Here's part of the address of the university:

华中师范大学

国际文化交流学院

留学生宿舍五号楼

The first line is the name of CCNU

The second line means International Exchange Faculty (not actually a separate campus, just the bit where the foreign students live)

The third line means foreign students' dorm, building number 5. If you get to building 5 they could tell you to go to number 6, 30 seconds walk.

I haven't included the rest of the address which is the street address for the university's main entrance where, as I said, your taxi might not be allowed in. For reference, though, it is 152珞瑜路-武汉-湖北.

Don't stress too much about the gates thing -- it's just that being driven by taxi there, then seeing the taxi driver argue with the guards in grumpy Wuhan dialect, and be turned away, and then having him tell you that the guards are idiots and that he's going to have to go around to another gate and is that ok, that the traffic will be really bad, but that you must understand he's not ripping you off by taking you on a longer trip, it's what he was told to do by the guards, and what country are you from, and are you a student -- would be a bit off-putting if you couldn't understand what he was saying (luckily I did). Especially because lots of Wuhan people sound angry even when they're trying to be friendly. But I'm sure you'd muddle through eventually.

There is a bank on campus: my credit card worked in the ATM but I couldn't exchange money over the counter (this was one year ago).

[Shasel]

@realmayo, yeah, I can imagine how confusing a conversation like that would be to me.

Well, thanks guys. Looking forward to the experience.

[mbc]

Hi!! I have been awarded the Chinese Government Scolarship and I am going to prepare my phd in CCNU, although first I'll have to study one year of chinese.

I'll arrive on 7th or 8th september. All the informations in this forum are great, so I wanted to thank you all for your posts!!

I just wanted to ask you guys, now that you have been for a while there, how was your experience and if you thing that it will be very difficult to start with no chinese skills at all!

And of course any further informations about the rooms and the campus will be wellcomed. I have send and e-mail to several e-mail adresses to book a room, but I didn't get any informations back...

Thank you!!

[rite2ankit]

I would be starting my first chinese language class in September. How much chinese an average student would be able to learn after 1 year at CCNU?

[Musaafir]

I wonder if anyone could tell me which Chinese language textbooks they use at CCNU to teach foreign students. Thanks.

[roddy]

Renamed and moved this topic, making it the single official forums repository of all CCNU information.

[wes]

Would anyone recommend me getting CCNU's health insurance? What does it cover exactly?

[Dorimi]

anyone else goes there in 2014?

[SanelaKsela]

Yeah, I am From september 'till february 

[roddy]

What will you both be studying? Have you got accommodation arranged?

[Dorimi]

PhD in International Politics taught in English

 

@

SanelaKsela hit me up   

[ladyferoz]

Hey I have been a student at CCNU for approximately 3 months. Honestly it was none of my university choices, but you have to make the best of it. Here is some information about it, keep in mind that I am still new and I might not be in the know it all, I have not even really explored the university because international students live in the CICE, which is a college for international students. We live there, go to classes which are 2 minutes away (perfect for waking up late ).

 

To be honest, this is not the best school but it will do. I have had my frustrations with the administration and do not like how dirty the city, Wuhan is. It is a strange mix of old and new, 5 minutes from my dormitory I have Starbucks but just behind there are abandoned buildings etc. It is strange, but if you are ready for a rollercoaster, come here.

 

I will try provide some information, some taken from the website and add my own opinions will be in bold..

The College of International Cultural Exchange(CICE) is the special college responsible for the enrollment and administration of international students, including Bachelor, Master and Doctoral Degree students . CICE is also a special college dedicated to the teaching and research of Teaching Chinese as a Second Language.CICE boasts a team of top quality Chinese teachers with 20 full-time teachers and 50 part-time teachers. The majority have the experience of teaching abroad. In regard to the teaching, I was really not happy with the hours and was constantly tired and frustrated, but I am slowly adjusting to it.

The teachers are pretty cool, we are divided into classes which are competitive and most classes love their teachers. It is quite a personal relationship for language learners, for example I have my teacher on WeChat, we have eaten lunch with him, played table tennis etc. I really like my teacher, he taught in USA once and is pretty good in English. Not all teachers are proficient in English which is difficult in the early days.

We have class from 6 A.M to 4 P.M (which usually extends to 6 P.M). Every hour we alternate between 10 minute breaks and 20 minute breaks. Then we have one 2 hour break from 11.40am to 2pm. They are very strict with attendance, and many students have already been given warnings and their embassies are informed.

 

As for the office handling the international students, be ready for an interesting experience. They seem to not manage small things like arranging student cards, those got mixed up, it is run on favors sometimes and who you know. I still have some problems with them and hopefully it will be fixed. Most people have had trouble with them and many students have a running joke calling them the bangoshi*. 

 

Dormitories

 

International students stay in Dorm 5 and 6, and they are currently building a new one. Dorm 6 in my opinion is better, it looks newer and the bathroom basin has a hot water option. I arrived late so I was placed in Dorm 5. The rooms were supposedly for single students but they converted them into double beds therefore me and my roommate only had one wooden table like many others. Scholarship students (feels like the majority) are not distinguished in terms of placement, we have the same rooms as others.

 

We have a personal bathroom, which is heaven because some schools do not have. A western toilet and an aircon. My walls had many Winnie The Pooh stickers which are impossible to remove, but some rooms are ok. The rooms are quite dirty and so is the bedding they give you, so prepare to buy alot of cleaning supplies for all those cockroaches. We have free, unlimited wi-fi which is appreciated. The dorm management is not the good, you get people who are quite loud at 2 a.m. blasting music, but the school is starting to work against it. The floor kitchens are disgusting so unless you have a bucket of disinfectant, prepare your food in the room and when you cook in the kitchen, clean your surface area. We have cleaners but honestly, they just sweep the floor with a mop and go home.

 

The campus is quite beautiful if you can get over the fact that there are too many families and homes inside. It took me a while to figure out that I was on campus with the amount of cars, apartments, children and old people.

 

Regarding the area around the school, we are near the subway stations so it is really easy to travel around and out of Wuhan.

The nightlife is okay, we have a few clubs/bars that are specifically for international students and also chinese ones. The subway is clean and efficient, and Wuhan is a city you either hate or love. I love how random it is and how things pop out overnight. Close your eyes and a mall has been launched in front of you. We have a lot restaurants, street food, night markets and international chains of shops just a few minutes away from our dormitories, and everything is a cheap subway ride away. 

 

Wuhan does not have that much to see besides the Yellow Crane Tower, Yangtze River, the Three Gorges Dam and the temples.The river has been quite fun when you go to the park with friends and use the speed boats etc. I am not bored yet but five years in this school and city is perhaps too much, but a positive attitude takes you far.

 

Good luck to those who are coming here and I hope I did not turn you off CCNU. If you have any questions, ask me, I will be glad to help.

 

Contact Information

Admission Office
College of International Cultural Exchange (CICE)
Huazhong Normal University 
152 Luoyu Avenue 
Wuhan,Hubei 430079 
P.R.China
Tel：86-27-67865209/67867167/67861914/67861894 
Fax：86-27-67863760/67866427 
E-mail: cqk@mail.ccnu.edu.cn
cice@mail.ccnu.edu.cn
University Homepage: www.ccnu.edu.cn
College Website: cice.ccnu.edu.cn

[vkim67]

Hi there, 

I'm searching for complete lists of courses offered at Huazhong, among others, but what I've found just isn't anywhere complete enough.

 

Is there anybody at Huazhong who is able to link me to some sort of course list or PDF?

• 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.

 

Would be eternally grateful......

 

[temmie]

hi, please is there anyone who applied to CCNU

[OlkaN98]

Hello everyone!

 

I will be atending CCNU for a year to polish my chinese before going to my main university.

 

Thank you all very much for these informations about school which are really helpfull for new students.

 

I hope that the time I will spend in CCNU will be great.

 

If some of you are also going to this school, please let me know - it will be nice to know someone beforehand!

 

 

[edelweis]

@OlkaN98

How are you settling in? Do you have any comments about placement test / classes / teachers / textbooks / dorms ?

(I'm curious about everything)

[peachyyy]

I know this hasn’t been updated in awhile, but I just wanted to share my experience as a preparatory student who’s been at CCNU for 3 months now.

 

I’ll start with the pros:

- Most of the teachers really want to see you succeed and will go above and beyond to make sure you do.

- Yes, the amount of homework you get is overwhelming at times and you’re exhausted by the end of the day, but your Chinese improves pretty quickly because of this.

- Most of students are also extremely friendly and helpful. You spend so much time with your classmates that they become like a second family, and you learn a lot about their different cultures.

- The locals are really friendly, especially the kids.

- Food in the canteen is pretty good and affordable.

 

Now for the cons....

- The dorms are not terrible, but it was absolutely disgusting when I first arrived and there’s a huge roach problem. 

- Preparatory students aren’t allowed to live off campus.

- We have to pay for every little thing. Electricity, hot water for showering, using the outlets in the kitchen, WiFi, laundry, dryer, etc.

- There isn’t much to do near the school(except if you like drinking, bars and clubbing every night). 

- The area the school is in is quite dirty and there’s trash thrown all over the place.

 

Overall, my experience has been okay so far, but I’ll be glad to go back to Chongqing once I’m done with this preparatory year of Chinese lol.