What is it like to study in China?
Hello,
I currently attend a Canadian university, but I spent two years as an international student at Renmin University of China in Beijing, which is among the top 5 schools in China, especially if the subject is social sciences.
For the most part, there is not a great deal of difference: Students go to class, complete assignments, write exams, participate in extracurricular activities, hang out with classmates/friends, etc. However, the in-class dynamics are somewhat different, and I cannot tell you why, but I believe there are cultural reasons for it. For example, students will never oppose the professor's opinion. I do not know if they are not allowed to, but trying to disprove a professor in class is seen as a sign of disrespect. I took an International Relations course at Renmin where the professor was a famous Chinese diplomat, who often met with heads of state and other high-level foreign representatives. I remember that the students who spoke in class did so because they were asked to, and what they said was pretty much what the professor had taught them to. Now, do not go ahead thinking that Chinese students are not smart enough to draw their own conclusions. It is the contrary! They simply are just not as used to speaking it out as we do. This difference became even more evident when I was attending both undergraduate classes as well as language classes with other western students. In the language classes, the students often questioned the professor's methods (luckily they were already used to it) and reasons for this and that, but in the undergraduate classes, there was absolute silence during the entire lecture.
From a foreign student perspective, studying in China is a rewarding experience. Because it allows for a paradigm-shift to take place, and then our misconceptions and false assumptions are erased.
If you have the opportunity, go ahead!
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