what kind of program for me?

[sailorphyn]

I have a few questions about studying in China. I consider my Chinese to be advanced intermediate. I study 4 years of Chinese in college, but because of the nature of books and the course, my vocabulary is reasonably well-developed on certain topics (political, social, economic), but non-existent everywhere else. I want to spend next year in China on my own dime, which means that I will definitely be enrolling in a Chinese university because of the tutition advantages over foreign-organized programs.

My question is, should I enroll in a Chinese for foreign speakers program or try and get one of those one-year "visiting scholar" statuses? I suppose it depends on how well (or not) I do on my HSK exam. For me, the thought of going to lecture with Chinese students and actually acquiring substantive knowledge is much more appealing than just taking another year of Chinese language classes. But I don't think my Chinese is good enough. Does anyone have experience direct enrolling in a Chinese university? I just got my bachelor's degree and I'm really just looking for a positive one-year experience that is flexible, would enable me to make a lot of Chinese friends, and would not be too expensive. If my HSK score does not qualify me for Visiting Scholar status, is it difficult to just go and sit in on lectures? Can you "audit" individual classes without having an official status?

Finally, for those who have enrolled in Chinese universities, what was your score on the HSK exam? How long did you study for it, and how many years of formal and/or informal study did you have before being successfully taking the exam?

Thanks for your help!

[hakkaboy]

I think the term "visiting scholar" refers to Western academics with PhDs who study for a bit in China. You can study with Chinese at Chinese universities. You need a B (= a 7) in the HSK as far as I know.