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Study In China – Comparing Asian Studying Habits

Tue, 08 May 2012 06:04:33 +0100

In China the college experience for Chinese is quite different when compared to their western counterparts. The ideas of bing drinking, good partying and good times have no place within the Chinese concept of higher education. They didn’t struggle through the college exams, exert themselves with extra classes, and study into the early hours just to blow it all away with drink and games once entering college. This concept of study, study, study is usually seen as extreme within western nations whom have more of a tendency to balance the ideas of study hard and “play hard.” When you come to s tudy in China however, you will notice that a vast majority of Chinese students are simply relentless within their learning not only because of self-desires but because of family and social pressure.

Due to these pressures on Chinese students, as well as the demands from their country, the Chinese generally not only have different study habits but also usually choose to study subjects different than their western peers.

Currently the most popular degree subject in China is engineering. China graduates on average up to 600,000 engineering students a year, compared to 60,000 in the USA. For a country in the middle of a vast and unprecedented development, this appetite for engineering is looked upon greatly. However if you look deeper into the Chinese education system, this desire to learn fields such as engineering comes across not by coincidence. Chinese and western ways of learning are different in that the Chinese focus on teaching methods that suit science and technology better, however overlook such things as arts and humanities.

India on the other hand is a country with similarities in population size and development rate however tend to further focus on different subjects. Both countries India and China have since the 40’s stressed education allowing for country growth. In fact, Eastern education since this time has primarily focused on developing and building countries. The difference is however, the Indian population has responded to government calls for the development of its nation by focusing on fields such as medicine and computer science. And as while the Chinese surge ahead with construction and infrastructure, Indian on the other hand have already adopted protocols such as Indian Action Plan which ensured that every school, college, university and hospital was connected to the internet by 2003, thus guaranteeing its Asian dominance in areas such as computer science.

In Japan, student study habits further differ. In a country so business driven Japanese students tend to chose areas such as social sciences, accounting, business, and law. Statistically nearly 40% of students graduate with a degree in social science, this is compared to just 17% who graduate as engineers. The dramatic difference when compared to China can be understandable when one adds into count that Japan is at a much later stage of development thus engineers are in a less demand when compared to lawyers, accountants, salary men.

As you come to study in China it is interesting to compare the differences of Asian countries not only in their outlook toward educations, but also their differences in culture, food, music, traditions etc. When you do come to study in China many students find the chance to use China as a “steeping stone” and take the opportunity visiting and travelling around all of Asia, and it is this travelling that will further your education and insight.

Tsinghua University: Haidian Bar Haunts

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 05:53:47 +0100

Studying at the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing is both rewarding and tough. The academic standards are high, but this means that you get the most out of your Chinese language lessons. However, being able to study hard is only one part of university life, and it is also important to mix with your peers and relax when you don’t have work to complete. That is why it is great to know about the places around the campus where you can unwind and enjoy yourself with friends. Located in Haidian District near Wudaokou, there are plenty of bars and cafes to choose from when you want to take a break from Mandarin language lessons. Here are a few of our favourites for you to choose from.

Lush

Lush is the oldest and most well-known of all the bars and cafes in Haidian, simply because it does everything pretty well. In the day it is a great place to relax and catch up on some Chinese language lessons on your laptop whilst you sip a coffee. It has a decent range of Western food at fairly reasonable prices, and then in the evening it becomes livelier with a good bar atmosphere and a variety of events on a daily basis. If you are living in Haidian and studying Mandarin Chinese then you will definitely end up spending time in Lush.

Pyro Pizza

Run by the same people as Lush, Pyro has more of a sports-bar atmosphere. Not the most relaxing place for daytime study, but great in the evening for a huge pizza and a tower of beer. Pyro also shows plenty of sports games and regularly hosts beer pong competitions. This is definitely a bar with a US frat feel, and offers a chance for you to relax on the weekend after another hard week of Chinese language study.

La Bamba

La Bamba is just a few doors down from Pyro, and offers Tex-Mex food with daily special deals, cheap drinks and a pool table. La Bamba is similar to Lush in that it offers a good place to relax in the day as well as reverting to a bar atmosphere in the evening. Take advantage of the daily food specials and you can eat for just 10-20rmb, thereby helping you save money during your China study abroad program.

Helen’s Café

A few minutes’ walk on the same road as the previously mentioned bars, Helen’s Café is perhaps the most relaxed of all the bars listed here. With graffiti strewn walls that detail the thoughts and lives of the many students who have previously frequented this establishment, Helen’s offers good prices on food and drink as well as one of the few places in Haidian with a small outdoor seating area. Hang out here in the summer with friends for a relaxing evening away from the stresses of Chinese language study.

Whilst your time at Tsinghua University will be busy spent improving your Chinese, these Haidian bars will make your free time that little bit more fun.

Study in Peking University -The History and Background of Peking University

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 05:56:44 +0100

If you choose to study in Peking University you will be choosing an institute which is arguably Chinese most prestigious and well known university. The institute is considered a comprehensive and a national key university with its campus located in HaidianDistrict of Beijing. Parallel to its curriculum, Peking’s campus is also one of the most beautiful college campuses within the country. The campus, known as "Yan Yuan"（thegarden of Yan）cover an area of 2,743,532 square metres.

It is without a doubt Peking University is proud of its magnificent faculty, including 53 members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), 7 members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), and 14 members of the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). When you study in Peking University you will be surrounded by intellectuals from numerous fields.

The university has effectively and successfully met the demands of the country’s ever changing society by combining important scientific research with the training and development of personnel with specialized knowledge and professional skills. It strives not only for continual improvements in teaching and research work, but also for the promotion of interaction and mutual promotion among various disciplines.

Thus if you study in Peking University, you will be content on knowing it is well on the road of successfully meeting its target of becoming one of the world’s best universities. This is becoming achievable by its ability of taking the centre place of teaching and research. It is a university of a new type, embracing diverse branches of learning such as basic and applied sciences, social sciences and the humanities, and sciences of medicine, management, and education.

Founded in 1898, Peking University was originally known as the Imperial University of Peking. Since its early establishment, the institute has always served as a pinnacle of Chinese intelligence and was the first national university covering comprehensive disciplines within the nation.

In 1912, the university adopted its present name. At the end of the 20th century, due to its consistence in quality education and promotion of advanced thinking, the Chinese government placed this centre of excellence at the very top of its agenda for promoting higher education. The aim of this agenda is to build a world-class university in the 21st Century. After merging with Beijing Medical University in 2000, Peking University once again was strengthened in its disciplinary structure.

If you study in Peking University rest assured the institute will continue to play a vital role in the course of China’s development and modernization. The university's traditional emphasis on patriotism, progress, democracy, and science, together with its educational standards of diligence, precision, factualism, and innovation, have been passed down from generation to generation.

For more information on Summer Study Abroad China, visit www.glchinese.com.