Columbia at Tsinghua: A Meeting With the Future Leaders of the Communist Party of China Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

The grading system is out of 100 points. The workload is light for graded work, but heavy on self-study. The professors usually lecture with a Powerpoint presentation in your regular classes but the Chinese language professors are very thorough with making notes on the board. Most undergraduate classes only meet once a week, but for a much longer class time.

On-site administration of your program

The Residence Director is a very busy man since he is a professor who teaches a required undergraduate class, and he is the facilitator for pretty much all study abroad programs and international students. He is hard to catch most times, but he teaches Contemporary IR History and if you happen to take that class, you are more likely to find him available to you. The Programs Coordinator is also busy as this is not the only program she handles. Her Assistant is very reliable most of the time though for any issues or problems. However, he is very last-minute when planning events and gatherings. The program is surprisingly small, there were only 6 students in total. However, that made it very easy to plan excursions.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The campus is big, so a bike is a necessity. Sheets and pillows and blankets are provided, as well as a television, but all other necessities are not provided. Cookware is suggested if you feel you prefer to cook, since there is no access to a microwave. The only thing you are given is a water boiler (which is also very important). The housing situation is not optimal for learning Chinese because most students in your dorm will be foreigners who usually prefer to speak English. Also, there is not much space for communal gatherings, and you almost never get to know your neighbors.

The dining hall next to your dorm overprices its food. Explore other dining halls as each has its own specialties. My favorite is Wan Ren, the one behind Ming Zhai (you will know when you get here) because they have a greater variety of dumplings than any of the other dining halls.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

We went to the Great Wall. It was awesome. My only regret is that we didn't stay longer.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

The city and campus is very safe overall. I never felt any sense of danger even in the late hours of night. People are always out and around, especially night vendors who come out to sell snacks and barbecue. The hospital on campus is quite far from our dorms, but the service is okay and quite cheap. Be careful when you bike down the little slope from the front of the dorm onto the street. Cabs and cars pass through very often, the cabbies are wilder than they are in New York, and one time a student got into an accident right there. Whenever accidents occur, your whole dorm will be notified. Also, don't smoke in bed. There are stickers everywhere to remind you. Also, one person's bed caught on fire because he smoked in bed, and a notice was posted about it in the elevator.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

My main practice was with the students and the tutors from the program. Using Chinese was a necessity to daily life here away from campus, but most of the students who you take the Chinese language classes with will speak English.

Select all that apply

• Dorm

Select all that apply

• International Students

Select all that apply

• Local Students

• Taking classes with other Tsinghua students
• Program events with delicious dinners
• Meeting the professors in the fields of my interest

• The activities coordinator could be a better planner, even though he is a good guy, I swear by it.
• The dorming situation - AB rooms, or two-room suites might work better than separated singles