lamchr Posted June 13, 2011 at 12:21 AM Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 at 12:21 AM Hi ChrisC, Since I was an absolute beginner, I skipped the entrance exam, but I believe there is a listening and written portion to the exam. During your first week of classes, you will have an option to switch to a higher level if you find the work too easy. That being said, all of your classes will be at the same level, so if your speaking and written Chinese is excellent but your listening is poor, you will not be able to take different levels for each. You'll be graded primarily on the midterm and final, but the classes will have dictations and practice exams as well. The teaching methods used depend on the teacher, but they will generally follow the textbook. I studied by doing the homework and going through lots of flashcards. I arrived during the spring, so the process may be a little different than those arriving in the fall. I paid the tuition fee when I arrived on campus. I would recommend paying with a Visa card; there's no added fee. I look forward to seeing you this September! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisC Posted June 13, 2011 at 12:27 AM Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 at 12:27 AM were the tests hard, mate? and yeah, i can't wait to see you all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lamchr Posted June 13, 2011 at 12:39 AM Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 at 12:39 AM Hi Stephanie, I live in the international dorms. They're in the northeast part of campus and are a short 5 minute walk to classes and the canteen. But there's not much else around here. Everything else is in Wudaokou, which is reachable by bus or a 10 minute bike ride. If you're looking off-campus, I would recommend that area, but apartments are more expensive. For listings, check out the forums on the-beijinger.com; the site is sort of like craigslist. Public transportation here is very cheap. The subway is 2RMB per trip and the closest station is in Wudaokou. The bus is 1RMB per trip. You can get a prepaid subway/bus card which brings the bus fare down to 0.4RMB per trip. You could try calling the Foreign Student Affairs Office during normal office hours. I don't think they are on Skype. I would recommend calling them soon, as they will close for the summer at the end of this month. I'm from New York City. My favorite part about living in Beijing is the culture; there's lots of people to meet and places to go so you will not be bored. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lamchr Posted June 13, 2011 at 01:06 AM Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 at 01:06 AM Hi Keown, I can only speak for Tsinghua, and from what I've heard most of the teachers here are very good. Language may just be language but I chose Tsinghua because it's a brand, which means the school has an incentive to maintain the quality of their language program. The name's more recognizable on a resume and the school attracts the type of student who cares about the name of the school they go to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freek Posted June 13, 2011 at 09:09 AM Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 at 09:09 AM Kinda cool that you say you are from new york and you think beijng is still cool =D What level will you be in next year? I am not beginner, but im totally unsure where i will be in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lamchr Posted June 13, 2011 at 10:29 AM Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 at 10:29 AM Hey Freek, Next year I plan to be in either Elementary III or Intermediate I, depending on how far I progress this summer at BLCU. Just FYI, there are eight levels - Elementary I-III, Intermediate I-II, and Advanced I-III. Most people advance two levels per semester. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freek Posted June 13, 2011 at 09:47 PM Report Share Posted June 13, 2011 at 09:47 PM Allright, thanks Guess ill be elementary level three Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lamchr Posted June 14, 2011 at 03:58 PM Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 at 03:58 PM Hey ChrisC, Being at the absolute beginner level, the tests started off pretty easy but then the workload kept getting heavier toward the end. My finals are next week, and looking at the practice exams there's quite a bit of vocabulary (600 to 800 words) and grammar to review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kckathi Posted June 14, 2011 at 07:39 PM Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 at 07:39 PM did anybody of you already receive the acceptance package? best kathi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisC Posted June 14, 2011 at 11:28 PM Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 at 11:28 PM 600 to 800 WORDS for an ABSOLUTE BEGINNER? oh mehn T_T oh and, which places do you suggest to go touring at? i mean, there's a long vacation coming up at oct 1 - 7. where do you suggest on going? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisC Posted June 15, 2011 at 03:17 AM Report Share Posted June 15, 2011 at 03:17 AM haven't got mine yet. tho it is technically mid-june already. lol. maybe next week or this weekend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freek Posted June 15, 2011 at 09:27 AM Report Share Posted June 15, 2011 at 09:27 AM Think it will be early july, the enrollment ends today. a lot of people still enroll last minute. they will need 1 week to apply everyone at the visa office (just like when you apply for your visa!) and then they'll send it out, which can take 1-2 weeks i think. Dont worry, you'll only need to be in china late august or early september. no rush Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freek Posted June 15, 2011 at 09:33 AM Report Share Posted June 15, 2011 at 09:33 AM Oh yeah, chrisC. The holidays in october are a MESS!!! the largest movement of people in the world! Dont travel china is my suggestion. Tickets are over priced, which counts for busses, trains and air. Everything is overbooked! - Visiting places and stuff is sooooo crowded! 2 years a go i made it to Vietnam miraculously in a 15 hour bus from guangdong to Hanoi. I suggest booking stuff now, if you wanna travel thailand, vietnam, or something else in south east asia. Anything else, i wouldnt recommend really... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members ayamas Posted June 15, 2011 at 01:30 PM New Members Report Share Posted June 15, 2011 at 01:30 PM Hi Guys, This is my first post on the forum. Today I paid the application fee for the September 2011 semester after being rejected for 2 out of the 3 credit cards. Phew..... 1) Wanted to know from you guys does the acceptance of the application and payment of the fees guarantees the admission if not then what is the probability of rejection ? 2)Also not sure the exact start and end date of the program.. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members hapax Posted June 17, 2011 at 10:03 PM New Members Report Share Posted June 17, 2011 at 10:03 PM Hi Lamchr! You mentioned you started as an absolute beginner in the Tsinghua program. Can you talk a little about how far your skills have progressed in one semester? After one semester, how much of a newspaper can someone understand? Or what kind of conversation skills? I'm curious because I am an absolute beginner too and I'm curious how far I can get in one semester. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lamchr Posted June 18, 2011 at 02:32 AM Report Share Posted June 18, 2011 at 02:32 AM Hey hapax, After one semester in the program, I have studied about 600-800 words and I'm able to do some very basic communication with the locals. I can recognize some characters in a newspaper, but I'm a long ways off from understanding the meaning. I have heard that you need to learn 2500 words to be able to read and understand a newspaper, and even then it won't be easy. Right now, it's still hard for me to follow cartoon dialogs. But I should be able to pass the New HSK Level 3 Chinese Proficiency Exam with a little bit more study. To become fluent in Chinese, my teachers say that it requires at least two years (four semesters) of full-time study. But if your objective is just to know enough Chinese to get a job in China that doesn't involve teaching English, my guess would be that you should spend at least a year studying Chinese full-time. You don't need to know Chinese to be able to teach English here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kckathi Posted June 23, 2011 at 12:34 PM Report Share Posted June 23, 2011 at 12:34 PM hello, did u aöready receive your invitation package/acceptance letter whatever? I m asking because I m flying in 10days already.. kathi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisC Posted June 23, 2011 at 02:32 PM Report Share Posted June 23, 2011 at 02:32 PM noooo. been waiting for it forever! flying there to china and staying there already or just staying for a short time? you still have to apply for your student visa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kckathi Posted June 23, 2011 at 03:21 PM Report Share Posted June 23, 2011 at 03:21 PM I ll be working in beijing july and august, then i ll stay until february. wanted to apply for 1year visa but now, if i don t receive it until next tuesday i have to get a 2month business visa and then extend it in beijing. annoying!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisC Posted June 23, 2011 at 09:03 PM Report Share Posted June 23, 2011 at 09:03 PM Wow. That's just.. WOW! Hey, good luck to you, okay? Though I do believe that you should already look up the 2 month business visa thing and how to extend it. Let's say you receive it by next week, you still need time to process for the visa. That's a lot of uncertainties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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