University life - Part 1

Shanghai University. That was all I knew about our Uni before heading here. I also learned that there are 15 Universities in Shanghai and when my friends where asking which Shanghai University (Tongji, Fudan, etc.) I had nothing to answer them but “Shanghai University”. Luckily it was the right name and I found myself in the right place on the registration date.

Here started the problems then. I applied to the business program with Chinese language (as also Eero from Lappeenranta) but nobody had our papers anywhere. So we fought our way through the bureaucracy and finally got ourselves enrolled for the right program. Next problem: The business program ends on mid-May, and we have told that we are supposed to stay here until 5^th of July. So we got a new round with the school bureaucracy. Final solution: We will attend the business program until mid-May (also includes Chinese language 9h per week) and after mid-May we will continue in the Chinese language program until July with 20 h Chinese per week. Good job!

Chinese Economis

Next problem: My visa. For some reason I was granted only 30 day visa from the Chinese embassy in Helsinki. Well the Uni indeed offered us the prolonging but they didn’t inform us in anyway about the process. So 10 days before my Visa was finishing I marshed into the international students office and demanded some answers. I got the answers. Also some forms to fill up. Next day I gave those forms and my passport to police officer who came personally to pick it up from me and now I have my visa valid until 20^th of July. Happy end.

Then the actual courses here. I have to say this will be one of the easiest semester I have ever experienced (even compare to high school). The level of the lectures is somehow very very low. Something similar to first year in Uni. The teachers mostly speak good English, but the teaching methods are just so very different. I don’t mind it that much but I don’t find it efficient either . On comparison I think in Finland the lecturers would put maybe 45 minutes into topic that lasts 4 hours here. And here it is only listening to the lecturers, who are mostly reading from their notes. No critical thinking is appreciated or conversations in the class. If there arises conversation about the topic it is somehow seen as disrespective towards the lecturer. But when in Rome… We also don’t have exams about the courses but final essays around 1500 words, which basically means two A4-paper.  All in all, very easy semester ahead.

Chinese business law

But the Chinese language is my bright point. The teacher is very good and inspiring and has a systematic and efficient way of teaching all the aspects of a language; phonetics, spelling, speaking, writing characters and creating our own conversations out of those things we already know. Absolutely my favorite topic here!

4 is 4, 10 is 10, 14 is 14, 40 is 40 - Beat that amount of S's

The University doesn’t take that good care of its students but perhaps it is a local way of educational systems. However as long as we ourselves stay active, there haven’t been or should come any major problems. Let’s just say so far so good and see how the things are going.

Campus area is one of the best I have visited anywhere in Europe. It is clean, quite calm, there are parks, the buildings are quite new, only minus side is that it feels like being in Finland in class rooms (super cold). Eagerly waiting the spring to get further to see all the flowers and trees in their best.

Magnolia trees on their full blooming